Recruits in the Marine Corps

1. Use the three-stage model of socialization to explain the process recruits undergo in order to become U.S. Marines.

The three-stage model of socialization includes: (a) anticipatory socialization, which essentially is defined by the expectations of the individual, although organizational propaganda frequently influences the development of such expectations; (b) encounter stage, which involves the process of individual and organization getting to know one another; and (c) the metamorphosis stage, which involves the transformation of the individual from an outsider to an insider, and which is completed only when the organization is willing to retain the individual and the individual is willing to stay.

With respect to anticipatory socialization, the Marines flood American society with propaganda that glorifies the Marine Corps. This propaganda seeps into the consciousness of many people, and some of the people develop expectations about the Marine Corps that are sufficiently strong to cause them to enlist. With respect to the encounter stage, the reception process at Marine Corps boot camp is designed to instill an instant realization in new recruits that the Marine Corps approach to life supercedes any personal lifestyle preferences they may have that conflict with prescribed behavior for Marines. With respect to the metamorphosis stage, Marine Corps basic training is designed to build a sense of teamwork and community wherein Marines own their primary allegiance to th

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g a career. Individuals, especially, the recruits portrayed in the video, seldom have all of the information described in the text and they seldom have the skills to analyze information as envisioned in the text. Rather, many of the people portrayed in the video appear to have made their choices on the bases of (a) perceptions of scant opportunities in contemporary American society for individuals with their levels of education, training, and experience, (b) romantic notions about what it is to be a United States Marine, or (c) a need for acceptance and security. Some of the recruits who decided to enlist after considering their opportunities or on the basis of romantic notions will become successful Marines, but it will not be because their process of making the decision to enlist was effective. Rather, it will be because the recruits who were successful learned through the boot camp process that, indeed, the demands of Marine Corps life were compatible with their own personalities and interests. Some of the recruits enlisting because they sought acceptance and security as a primary driver may succeed; however, such an outcome is unlikely. While the Marine Corps does provide acceptance and security to people who make the

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