Writing Assignment: A Sociological Examination of My Life

A Sociological Examination of My Life
Estrella Mountain Community College
Fall Semester, 2016
Karina Pasos
A Sociological Examination of My Life
Estrella Mountain Community College
Fall Semester, 2016
Karina Pasos
Social behavior and social relations are intertwined, and evened patterns depend on what we choose and the circumstances that they are in. Sociology 101 has allowed me to connect different aspects of my life, and understand how social roles and institutionalized laws shape my behavior. The structural-functional outlook focuses on maintaining balance in the society, where the social institutions influence the functionality. In any case each social system has a functions or consequences that are associated with social phenomena. A sociological perspective is also necessary for people to be more aware as they look more keenly on the relationship culture and the society (Barkan, 2011). In this essay I plan on analyzing a day in my life and stating the reasons why I will be a successful member of society.
I start my week on Monday and my week is well planned out, I wake up at 6:00 am, and I prefer getting up early to meet all my obligations as I plan for the week ahead. I look back and acknowledge my achieved status as a student is one that has been achieved through hard work and effort. It is likely that anticipatory socialization will influence attitudes based on the status and role to be held in the future. One also makes connections among the different identities where individuals can then explore more different dimensions and how they relate to identity construction (Crocetti et al., 2013). The student population demography may influence the attitudes and beliefs about role complementarity as represented by separate family role, but there may be different subcultures. Where possible I will rely on impression management to influence other people’s perceptions. Regardless of leaning with new students and interacting with people I did not know before, there is no feeling of alienation, and I have no issue interacting with people of diverse ascribed status as I seek to learn more from those who are different from me and be self-aware.
After school I tend to my make way to the gym, at the gym I notice there is an evident class distinction, and I seek more information to determine those that uphold the same values in life that I have. I notice that I’m naturally inclined to socialize with individuals that share these same values.I acknowledge that the way people are socialized influence their attitudes and beliefs on the importance of status in the society. At the gym, there is more likelihood of people articulating their non-material culture in the form of beliefs, language, morals, values, rules and norms because most of us are there to be “healthier” and feel better physically and mentally. However, I could not help but notice that some gym attendants also leaned towards the material culture that associates with physical objects for example who wears the best workout clothes and who has the most expensive sports watch. I also notice that we are all there with different motives. For instance, some were there to lose or gain weight, others to get in shape because they wanted to look good, some want to be healthier, and some were there just to mingle. In summary, I concluded that everyone is there because they want to fit in with a group, they want to feel like they are part of something. I form part of a peer group at the gym as well, I work out with a group of girls and in many cases the peer groups are likely to have members sharing the same ideology. We all have a common goal, and that is to be healthy and in shape. We also exchange information about routines, supplements, and diets so every member of the group benefits from this information.
After gym I head over to my house and socialize with my “roommates” who are my 3 sisters, this is my primary group, as this is my comfort zone they also form part of my significant others. I share everything about my life with them, I know they would do anything for me and vice versa. After catching up a little bit with them, I get ready for work and take off to start my shift. At work, my achievement status of student has changed to the role of an employee. I now interact with my coworkers who form part of my secondary group, I interact with them on a less personal level unlike my primary group, I do not engage in deep conversation with them. Even though, I do not interact with them on a deeper level I do enjoy joking around with them and making them laugh, a lot of my coworkers say I have charisma. Meeting new people in different contexts, has allowed me to learn how institutions and the social context perspective influence social interactions. Part of my duties at work involve using the technology, we use radios, computers and different tools that facilitate our job. I also noticed that as people use reference groups to evaluate behavior, the anomie theory highlights that people may choose to deviate from culturally defined goals. I have found that the more trust the people the more I am able to interact the different individuals. Being in closer association with those who share common goals will make easier to focus on the shared similarities. Besides the social context, both constraints and preferences influence who individuals interact with (Psaltis, 2011). As I reflect on the link between social understanding and social interactionism, I now know that one can allow the influence of others to influence the self as is represented by Mead's Theory of Self. I also find myself being more at ease with my primary group than my secondary group which is what dramaturgy is about. “Acting” dif...