The role of parents in the socialization of children: an historical overview. ELANOR E. MACCOBY The approach of the next century is an appropriate time to take stock of psychology progress in the study of human development and to consider where is going. Attempting to understand the socialization process has been a long0standig enterprise in both social and developmental psychology. When broadly conceived, the outcomes of interest have not changed greatly over time. That is students of socialization continue to be concerned with cluster of processes that lead to adult being able to function adequately within the requirements of the social group or groups among which they live. Therefore, the target of outcome behaviors of interest have continue to be some aspect of adequate functioning. What is meant by “adequate”? The meaning has varied, of course, but the is a common core of meaning stemming from the understanding that if children are to be adequate adults, they must acquire...