A Psychological Study on the Effectiveness of Sri Lankan Folk Culture in the Socialization Process

Abstract

The socialization process of a person starts with the experiences that they are exposed to in their childhood. This has even been proved by modern psychological theories; especially Albert Bandura through his Social Cognitive Theory. Since stories are used as a major form of education that is given to a child, they have a great influence on the socialization process. When considering the Sri Lankan context, the stories that are related to children are mostly the folk stories. These folk stories can be mainly divided into two types on the basis of their nature; folk comedies and folk heroic stories. The objective of this study is to examine how the Sri Lankan folk story culture is being used to make the socialization process effective and to examine how the ideologies of the tradition and culture and qualities like bravery, critical thinking, and gumption are transmitted through these stories. Therefore, a careful analysis shows that despite the contextual differences these stories are placed, they still have an appeal to the modern reader in the socialization process and in transmission of ideologies and patriarchal feelings.