This he called the generalized other. We sometimes use specific groups that we are aware of in the process of evaluating our behavior and determining how we should feel or behave. These groups become our reference groups because we refer to them or what we imagine them to be to decide how we should behave or feel. Agents of socialization are the persons and groups who contribute the specific contents we learn during the process of socialization. Some groups and persons have official roles in defining what is to be learned during the process of socialization.
Family is obviously critical here.
Society has imposed a legal responsibility on the family to provide the nurture that is considered to be the most important element of the process. However, the content that families contribute is linked to their social class. Melvin Kohn has pointed out that middle class and working class families use different techniques and emphasize different things. In particular, research testing his hypothesis has showed that middle class families are more likely to emphasize self-direction while working class families emphasize obedience to authority. Working class families are more likely to use physical punishment as negative sanctions and money or gifts as positive sanctions to reinforce behavior.