 Dear students, in this module, we are going to discuss a very important question that are we prisoners of socialization? If this is the case, do we have a kind of free will or are we determined by the processes of socialization? So socialization can be seen as a form of control that restricts our behavior and limits our choices. When we are talking about socialization, processes of socialization, and we are talking about different stages and agents of socialization, then we feel that as a human being is nothing but a process of socialization that is made through it. So is it possible that in a human being, there is no such thing as a free will or creativity but all the things, all the abilities and capabilities are determined by the process of socialization? However, socialization also provides us with a sense of belonging and helps us to navigate the social interactions and relationships. So it's a kind of guideline, it's a kind of guidance, it is something that provides you a broader frame of action. It doesn't mean that it restricts your choices that how you should act. So your actions are guided through the process of socialization but it doesn't mean that your actions are determined, fixed or restricted. So while socialization may shape our behavior, we still have agency and the ability to make choices within the constraints of our social context. So our social context is very important, it determines what are the available choices and in a given situation, we have to use the unavailable choices in a way that our actions are not determined through 100% socialization but a broader framework is definitely provided through the socialization process. It is definitely told that what are the shared standards of desirable behavior for you and what are the guidelines that you can achieve by following them. But your individual free will is compromised without the socialization process, it trains you to become a unique and different personality. And sociologists debate the extent to which people are shaped by the socialization versus the extent to which they are shaped by their own social context. So on the one hand, it is free will and on the other hand, it is determinism. This doesn't mean that you are either a complete free will or totally determined by the socialization process. So you are amalgamation of both and these socialization processes act as the guiding principles for you and completes you through this process of socialization by converting you into a unique individual personality.