The Study of Society: A New, Relevant Science - Essay Example

?31 October The Study of Society: A New, Relevant Science Socialization is the process whereby a person becomes adapted to the ways of society. It allows them to function well by granting them an understanding of the processes and unspoken rules by which that society functions. Socialization is not a one time process. There are many settings and environments to which a person need adapt throughout the course of their life. Each group has their own way of doing things and anyone who would be successful in interacting with any of them must first learn how to relate. It is the process of socialization that often facilitates ease of interaction. Personally, I recognize the fact that I have had to go through socialization through various stages in my life. During the course of this paper I will identify some of the ways that socialization has affected my life and times in which I had to go through this process. I will also examine the presence of socialization in various groups and talk about two of the most famous theorists who explored socialization. The study of socialization is important, not only for academic purposes, but because an understanding of the process can help to alleviate stress and discomfort. It all started when I was born. Knowing nothing about the world, or even my family, I had much to learn. A child’s first lessons are not formal. They are introduced into a family and learn from social interaction. They watch the mannerisms and ways of the people around them. They watch how different family members interact with each other and begin to model them, often in play. A child’s playtime activities are often a form of anticipatory socialization. This is exactly what happened to me. I had to learn the ways of my family in order to communicate with them on their level. I had to learn the rules of our culture and traditions. However, I was unaware of my family’s position in society. Most children seem to lack class consciousness. As a child I would often mimic my family members. I thought it was funny at the time, but it has not been until this current time that I realized my playing was part of what was preparing me to be a functioning member of the society in which I lived. For a while, my social role was that of being the baby of the family. I must admit that I played the part well. Education is an important part of my culture. As I grew older, I became a student and had to be assimilated in to the culture of the student body. Learning the rules of the classroom and finding out how to relate to my peers was yet another act of socialization. I had to learn to submit to the authority of the teachers and other school personnel. From there, each new school that I attended called for my resocialization. This process has led to my ability to function in my family and in the academic world with the ability that I now demonstrate. It is very interesting to me to review my life using the sociological imagination, as I realize that my process of socialization does not vary greatly from that of my peers. Below is a listing of the sociological terms employed in this paper thus far. Sociological terms 1. Anticipatory socialization – “Processes of socialization in which a person ‘rehearses’ for future positions, occupations, and social relationships” (Schaefer n.d). 2. Assimilation – “The process by which a person forsakes his or her own culture tradition to become part of a different culture” (Schaefer n.d.). 3. Authority- “Power that has been institutionalized and is recognized by the people over whom it is exercised” (Schaefer n.d.). 4. Class consciousness-“In Karl Marx’s view, a subjective awareness held by members of a class regarding their common vested interests and need for collective political action to bring about social change” (Schaefer n.d.). 5. Resocialization- “The process of discarding former behavior patterns and accepting new ones as part of a transition in one’s life” (Schaefer n.d.). 6. Social Interaction- The ways in which people respond to one another (Schaefer n.d.) .Social role-A set of expectations of people who occupy a given social position status (Schaefer n.d.). 7. Sociological imagination-An awareness of the relationship between an individual and the wider society (Schaefer n.d.). There are various different types of social groups to which one may belong. Loosely defined, a social group is where there are two or more people that interact. However, sociologists have more formal definitions of social groups which they use to perform research and make observations. For example, there are primary groups, which are small groups which often kinship based. This type of group is categorized by more up-close, intimate interactions. Such groups would include families and couples. Sociologists have been particularly interested in studying these smaller groups. They have attempted to define their structure, but such attempts have been ineffective in granting a satisfactory definition. As it has been reported, “None of these attempts, however, has succeeded in capturing sociologists’ intuitive ideas about group structure. Typically, the groups uncovered by these models overlap too much to satisfy intuition” (Freeman 1992; p. 152). The secondary groups are those in which the interaction is not as intimate. These groups include organizations, such as schools, churches, businesses, unions, and volunteer groups. There are also various other types of social groups, such as cliques, where there is a mix of intimate and informal communication. Sociologists tend to focus on the interaction between various secondary groups. For example, there was a study performed on the interaction between different ethnic groups (Yusof 2006). There are various different groups to which an individual may belong, and I am no exception. My family is a primary social group that I belong to. My friends also make one of the primary groups to which I belong. In both of these groups there are a smaller number of people than can be found in secondary groups. As well, I experience more intimacy in communications when I am interacting with members of these smaller groups. On a larger scale are my secondary groups. All of those who share my ethnicity make up my ethnic group, which happens to be very large. As a student, the student body of my college is a secondary group for me, but also a part of the college the whole university is also a secondary group. In every class that I take my classmates can be considered a secondary group. For example, my sociology class is a secondary group. I am also in a secondary group through being a citizen of my country. The people of the state that I reside in are a secondary group, as is the peoples of the city in which I live. My neighbors can also be considered the components of one of my secondary groups, comprising my community. When I think about it, it is amazing just how many groups I belong to. However, this is not something that is unique to me. Everyone may find that they are members of a long list of secondary groups. Max Weber (1864-1920) was a great researcher and observationalist. Max Weber’s name has continues to arise in the discussion of sociology because he made some very significant contributions to the field. Actually, Weber was named the father of sociology, but he came along after another great sociologist, Auguste Comte. Weber favored the social sciences over natural sciences, being of the opinion that the latter offered significant benefit. It was Weber who considered sociology a science. Performed many formal observations and studied social actions. Weber wrote many theories on religion and bureaucracy, defining many new terms. Since he viewed sociology as a science, Weber was able to create many methods for analysis that are effective and still employed by sociologists today. One of Weber’s many theories includes the theory of city. He argued that a city cannot be defined solely by its size, but on a combination of many cities. Weber brought to light the definition of a city by describing his idea of the perfect city. Of his description it was written that, “His ideal city is the medieval guild city, which combined economic enterprise and religious activity as well as private and public life” (Ahmed 2004; p.1). However, Weber was not the only significant contributor to sociology. Auguste Comte (1798 -1857), among many others, also made some great contributions. Comte was a French philosopher who actually coined the term ‘sociology’ (Doda 2005; p.3).Like Weber, Comte believed that sociology was a formal science and should be based on reasoning and observation. While many consider Weber to be the father of sociology, Comte is called its founder. Of a truth, Comte was a sociologist before Weber and probably should be given more credit for sociology becoming a science than Weber. Comte was an advocate for using scientific methods to research society. His theory called positivism is how he reinforced the idea that sociology was really a science. As it was reported, “He argued that sociology had reached a “positive stage” and could now develop laws of human organization like those of other sciences” (Turner 1985; p.24). Sociology is a very interesting science because of the personal involvement one can experience during its study. Students get to see themselves and their lives from a much broader viewpoint. There are endless ways in which sociology relates to the lives of very person. This is a subject of which it is not hard for people from various walks of life to generate an appreciation. The contributors to sociology where great people from whom a lot can be learned. Works Cited Ahmed, A.I. “Weber’s Perspective on the City and Culture, Contemporary Urbanization and Bangladesh” Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology 2004, 1(1); 1-13. Doda, Zerihun. “Introduction to Sociology”. Ethiopia Public Health training Initiative. 2005. Freeman, Linton. “The Sociological concept of “Group”: An Empirical Test of Two Models” AJS 1992, 96(1):152-66. Schaefer, Richard T. “Sociology: A Brief Introduction, 4/e” McGraw hill Online Learning Center. N.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2011. http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072435569/student_view0 Turner, Jonathan “In Defense of Positivism” Sociological Theory 1985, 3(2):24-30. Yusof, Najeemah. “Patterns of Social Interaction between Different Ethnic Groups in Malaysian Secondary Schools” Jurnal Pendidik dan Pendidikan, 2006. 21: p. 149-164. Read More