Socialological Affects of Drugs - Research Paper Example

Sociological Impacts of Drugs: The article compares the group behavior to individuality and asserts that people lose their individuality when they are n a group. The group becomes a bigger reality as compared to the people that form part of it. Accordingly, individual’s mentality loses significance and the group mind decides the course of action. In such a setting, even the most awkward suggestions are respected and acted upon because they are proposed by the group mind which the individual has to conform to.

These conclusions drawn by the researchers like LeBon and Ross were based on anecdotal evidence. These assertions were negated by the findings of Allport who emphasized upon the significance of individual thinking in group and referred to the group as lacking psychology. Newcomb conducted a study in the Bennington College. Newcomb observed the girls for four years, and reached the conclusion that girls who ultimately conformed to the values of college had developed similar mindset regarding political liberalism as the faculty and student leaders unlike the girls who had not conformed to the college values.

Like these, several researchers’ approaches have been discussed on the subject from the pasty decades. Finally, the researcher tended to find out the trends that are likely to prevail in the future. Technological advancement and individual differences were some of the factors whose impact was considered on the conformity to group. Seven trends were explored in total. It is commonly thought by analysts that the poorest color communities are the biggest consumers of some of the most harmful drugs.

In addition to this, the tendency of enforcement of law is generally focused on the drug activity that is conducted outdoors. The two factors jointly encourage the legal prosecutors to arrest people on the basis of racism. Racial disparity is evident in a vast majority of drug arrests. Some people are of the view that mainly the drug war lieutenants’ racism causes them to arrest Latinos and African Americans with the charge of drug use. In the article written by Beckett et al. (2005), a different explanation has been offered with respect to the racial disparity that is usually found in the drug arrests in Seattle.

Beckett et al. (2005) have emphasized that the racialization of crack cocaine and other drugs have conventionally had great impact on the culture which has in turn, influenced the law making agencies’ tendency to formulate policies and legal practices in accordance with the stereotypical images of these communities. Disparity in the tendency of people to possess drugs in Seattle, Washington is explained to much an extent, by these effects. When an individual uses drugs, it is essentially perceived as a negative behavior.

Group does affect an individual’s tendency to consume drugs. Many start smoking in bad company. That is why, a company of smokers is considered as a bad company – one, that not parents would like their children to join. Therefore, a person’s image is tarnished because of drug consumption. Though there are some that catch the influence and start consuming drugs themselves. Drug consumption has never maintained any concern with race, and can be equally observed in people of all races. References: Beckett, K.

, Nyrop, K., Pfingst, L., and Bowen, M. (2005). Drug Use, Drug Possession Arrests, and the Question of Race: Lessons from Seattle. Social Problems. 52(3): 419-441. Willis, R. H. (1961). Social Influence and Conformity: Some Research Perspectives. Acta Sociologica. 5(2): 100-114.