Experimentation and Control: A Conceptual Framework for the Comparative Analysis of Socialization Agencies

The paper introduces a conceptual framework, backed by empirical evidence, in which experimentation and control are perceived as independent but coexisting generic dimensions within each of the three major socialization agencies during adolescence: the home, the school, and the informal youth association. The socialization experiences in each agency, in terms of each dimension, was assessed via a closed questionnaire distributed among 1433 Israeli Jewish adolescents. The results shown, first, a clear-cut differentiation between the two dimensions across agencies and, second, that the agencies differ substantially in the degree to which each of the dimensions is present and therefore diverge in the patterns of socialization on which they are based. In light of these results, a preliminary typology of socialization contexts, incorporating the dimensions of experimentation and control, is proposed under the assumption that each context has a distinct impact on the development of adolescents.