The process through which externally presented civilisation elements become part of an individual’s personal civilisation and thereby help direct that individual’s thinking, judgement and conduct.
- Explanation. Internalisation goes beyond knowledge or outward conformity. An individual may obey a rule for fear of a sanction without endorsing the norm itself. Internalisation occurs when the presented content begins to function as the individual’s own standard for thinking, judgement or conduct. What is initially experienced as an external expectation or constraint may thereby become part of self-regulation.
Occurs in Propositions
- Proposition 031 – Sources of institutional conformity
- Proposition 032 – Internalisation strengthens institutional conformity
- Proposition 045 – Conformity without internalisation
- Proposition 068 – Internalisation and social operation
- Proposition 069 – Conditions for internalisation
- Proposition 087 – Civilising function of movements
- Proposition 094 – Legitimation of state coercion
- Proposition 097 – Governing elite and general interest
- Proposition 099 – Common mechanisms of social change
Last updated: 3 October 2026