**4. Socialization across the life course**

Socialization is not a one-time or even a short-term event rather a lifelong process [36]. We are not stamped by some socialization machine as we move along a conveying or belt and thereby socialized once and for all. Age norms and timerelated rules and regulations play a big role in socialization throughout life. As we become older, we come across age-related transition periods that necessitate socialization into a new position, such as entering school, starting a job, or retiring [37]. Many of life's social expectations are made clear and enforced on a cultural level. Through interacting with others and watching others' interaction, the expectation to fulfill roles becomes clear [38]. In the process of socialization, adulthood brings

*Socialization Experiences among Undergraduate Students in Higher Learning Institutions (HLI) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99007*

a new set of challenges and expectations, as well as new roles to fill. As the aging process moves forward, social roles continue to be evolved and changed. In the eyes of society, youthful pleasures are becoming less acceptable. Adulthood is defined by responsibility and commitment, and men and women are expected to settle down. Many people marry or form a civil union during this time, start families, and focus on a career path. Instead of being students or significant others, they become couples or parents [39].

Adults engage in anticipatory socialization, or the preparation for future life roles, in the same way as young children pretend to be doctors or attorneys, play home, and dress up. A couple who cohabitates before marriage, for example, or soon-to-be parents who read infant care literature and prepare their home for the upcoming arrival are also examples [40]. Financially capable adults begin planning for their retirement, conserving money, and researching future health care choices as part of anticipatory socializing. Regardless of the social system that supports it, adjusting to a new life position can be tough. In another way, socialization continues throughout maturity. In contrast to former eras, when one might expect to get married only once, live in a single region, and have a single career, current society demonstrates a rising fluidity of roles [25].
