What is primary socialisation?

Primary socialization is the early years (up to the age of 5 or 6) of our socialization; involving nursery, friends we make at daycares/school, and things we learn. In this time we also need close proximity and intimacy with our parents, as it shapes our future relationships. In developmental psychology this is referred to as the "internal working model." It is believed that during our primary socialization, we learn faster and easier than as we get older; this has been supported by a case study of a 5-year-old child learning six languages successfully and simultaneously, which is highly unlikely to occur during our secondary socialization.

Primary and secondary socialization are different because during our primary socialization we learn faster and we learn more, we form our first attachment bonds, and we learn how to live in our culture: values, norms, morals, etc. Whereas during secondary socialization we don't learn as quickly and attachment bonds are usually only formed based on the ones made during primary socialization. During our secondary socialization, re-socialization and anticipatory socialization also occur.