ABSTRACT
We are all influenced all the time by other people. Perhaps our most important influences are those we encounter when we are children. The term socialisation describes ‘the process whereby people acquire the rules of behaviour and the systems of beliefs and attitudes that equip a person to function effectively as a member of society’ (Durkin 1995, p. 13). Probably the most important influence on our socialisation is the family. The term primary socialisation is used to mean socialisation by the family, especially by our parents. Other agents of socialisation include our friends, teachers and, in the case of young athletes, coaches and team-mates. The influence of these others is known as secondary socialisation.
