Socialization
According to Cooley, individuals acquire an identity from family and the people they associate with. This concept is otherwise known as the Looking Glass Self, where other people reflect and communicate who we are or ought to be (Connolly Identity Theories 25 June 13). In this light, family and friends act as mirrors and display the qualities, both respectable and terrible, that shape individual personality. The more meaningful the person is, the more influence their mirror has upon the reflection of the individual. The degree to which an individual has a sense of self is influenced heavily upon the security of their mirrors. The agents of socialization also play an extensive role in how individuals acquire their respective identities (Connolly Identity Theories 25 June 13). With regards to The Street Children in Russia, the mirrors have proven themselves to be severely lacking and above all else, communicating the wrong messages. Numerous families abandoned their children for economic reasons and thus lived on the streets and abused drugs, negatively impacting how they viewed themselves and others. As a last resort, some orphans were institutionalized for proper care but treated as mentally ill and dependent. The remaining orphans that lived on the streets sought comfort and trust amongst fellow orphans. This also taught the orphans not to trust authority figures that could offer the required assistance but rather take pleasure in the use of drugs. The media, while it did bring attention to the matter, responded to orphans as mentally ill rather than uncared for and needing of serious attention to socialization. (Connolly Socialization 20 June 13). Perhaps no better than the previous instance if not worse, Genie is another instance where family was cruelly lacking. To save Genie from harm, her mother attempted to care for her but unintentionally did more damage to Genie than she thought. Since Genie was locked in a room for thirteen years and isolated from