Comparison of the Social Sciences - Research Paper Example

? Comparison of the Social Sciences Introduction The disciplines of anthropology, sociology and psychology in social sciences providedistinctive perspectives on individuals’ behavior and the groups or societies in which they live. These social sciences can offer useful tools to individuals that can in turn be used to analyze the activities and motives of the people or groups they come across. Many factors such as institutions, groups and one's culture shape and influence the identity of a person. Institutions such as families, courts, schools, government agencies, places of worship, among other institutions play a very important role in our lives. Since institutions exert tremendous influence over us, it is very important that learners know how these institutions are developed, what influences and controls them, their influence and control over individual lives and culture, and how they can be changed or maintained (Robbins, 2009). Cultures are ever changing and dynamic in nature. People have the ability to adapt, learn and create culture. It helps people to understand themselves both at a personal level and as members of different groups. Human cultures exhibit both differences and similarities. For instance, all cultures have systems of traditions, beliefs, values and knowledge in which each system is unique in its own way. Therefore, in a multicultural and democratic society, learners need to understand many perspectives that are associated with the different cultures. This understanding will enable them to appreciate and embrace people from other cultures both at a national level and throughout the world (State.nc.us, 2006). Culture is the pattern of human activity in the society, the invisible bond that ties people of the same community together. We live in a diverse world that is made up of many people from different cultures. The art, customs, literature, traditions, religion, moral values, languages and the background of a community represent its culture. People's lifestyle is the physical manifestation of a community's culture. The importance of culture is determined by the living standards of people in a particular community. People should therefore treat each other with respect whether at school, at home or out in the society. This can only be possible if one values, appreciates and shows interest for other people's backgrounds and culture, which is facilitated by the social sciences (Borkar, 2012). Borkar (2012) further explains that culture is very significant because it gives a person a unique identity. Through culture, the members of a community develop a unique character and their personality is shaped. This changes a person's attitude towards life by shaping his or her life principles and thinking. Institutions like schools and colleges that play a major role in imparting knowledge and education are the best places for teaching children on the importance of cultural diversity as well as how to appreciate and embrace each other. Additionally, such institutions provide meeting avenues for children from different cultures and background, which calls for unity amongst them. Social sciences are therefore of much importance in such institutions. The social sciences taught in schools, especially in the disciplines of sociology, psychology and anthropology, encourage cultural diversity by allowing learners to study different cultures, dressing styles, value systems and eating habits. The learners also get to know that the world is big and different, hence encouraging them to learn and explore more about their own cultures as well as other people’s cultures. This in turn eliminates the feelings of bias, prejudice, and superiority among students because they learn how to love, to respect, and to appreciate one another (Borkar, 2012). Diversity should also be promoted in the workplace because in almost all companies employees are a mixture of diverse cultures, races and religions. The three disciplines of social sciences seeks to promote social, cultural, individual or group behaviors, gender and ethnic diversity in the work place. This approach in turn provides better methods of solving problems by giving a wide choice of solutions because people have different ways of thinking and different ideas while approaching the same problem. When people in the work place embrace diversity, the effectiveness and productivity of the workforce is improved hence increasing the work output in an organization (Robbins, 2009 & Borkar, 2012). Children develop their personal identities based on communities, families, schools and peers. Fundamental to this development are the exploration, analysis and identification of how people relate to others. Young children should be given a chance to observe various institutions that influence their thinking and affect their lives. They should be helped in recognizing the pressures that arise when the values, principles and goals of two or more groups or institutions conflict. They should also be given opportunities to investigate ways in which institutions like hospitals or places of worship are formed to respond to changing the needs of a group or an individual. During this time of study in young children, the study of culture becomes appropriate as the children explore the concepts of differences and likenesses in school subjects and the child begins to interact and learn more about other learners, some of whom might be like him/her and others different (Borkar, 2012). As the student grows up, he or she becomes more focused on issues of personal identity. The student begins to explain self with regard to others in the culture and society. The learners benefit from different experiences through which they observe the ways in which institutions influence culture, promote social conformity and change over time. The students begin to inquire about the nature and specific aspects of culture, such as beliefs and language. They also examine how those aspects influence human behavior. When students get to high school, they need to come across many opportunities that will enable them to examine existing patterns of human behavior. This will require the application of core concepts drawn from the disciplines of psychology, sociology, social psychology and anthropology, as they apply to individuals, cultures and societies (State.nc.us, 2006). State.nc.us, (2006) records that high school learners need to understand the patterns and traditions that restrain social and political institutions. They should be given opportunities to explore and add to the body of knowledge related to the ways groups and individuals organize themselves around common beliefs, needs and interests, based on the social theory and behavioral sciences. As students advance their high school education, they are in a better position of understanding and using complex concepts of culture such as diffusions, adaptation, acculturation, dissonance and assimilation drawn from anthropology, psychology, sociology, and other disciplines to explain the functions of culture and cultural systems. The disciplines of anthropology, sociology and psychology highly contribute to the field of organizational behavior, which is an applied behavioral science. Psychology is the branch of science that seeks to explain, measure, or change the individual’s behavior and the behavior of other animals. It studies the influence of cultural factors to human behavior. Psychologists are the people who study and attempt to understand human behavior. Individuals who contribute and add to the knowledge in the field of organizational behavior are counseling psychologists, personality theorists, learning theorists, and organizational and industrial psychologists. Early organizational/industrial psychologists were concerned with the problems that are relevant to working conditions and that could interfere with efficient work performance such as boredom and fatigue. However, they have currently expanded their contributions to including leadership effectiveness, emotions, job satisfaction, work design, performance appraisal, perceptions, decision-making processes, training, attitude measurement, personality, job stress and employees’ selection technique (Robbins, 2009). Sociology involves the study of human beings in relation to their culture or social environment. Sociologists have made a major contribution to organizational behavior by studying group behavior both in complex and in formal organizations. In the field of research, the discipline of sociology has contributed on formal organizational structure and theory, communications, organizational technology, conflict, organizational culture and power. Anthropology is also referred to as the “science of man”. It studies the history of human societies, cultures and environments to learn about the development of human civilization, and the activities in which people are involved. This helps in understanding the differences in fundamental behavior, attitudes and values between people in different organizations and nations. It also helps to understand the organizational environments, organizational culture and the existing differences between national cultures (Robbins, 2009). The disciplines of anthropology and sociology describe the prospects, problems and patterns of human relationships. These disciplines are concerned with the study of the pattern of people's behavior, the reasons behind the behaviors, the consequences of their pattern of behavior in relation to other aspects of social life. The disciplines are also focused on coming up with new ways of living and how they can be sustained. To some extent, anthropology and sociology share these responsibilities with other disciplines in the behavioral and social sciences such as history, political science, economics, psychology, geography and human services (State.nc.us, 2006). Fundamentally, sociology mainly focuses on the study of human cultural groups and organizations. On the other hand, political science is concerned with authority issues and government, geography focuses on the earth's physical resources and the discipline of economics deals with goods and services. However, by taking into consideration the various disciplines addressing human social life, sociology and anthropology take a wider perspective than all these other disciplines. Anthropology is the most philosophical discipline of the social sciences. It mainly focuses on the meaning of human possibility and human nature. It does this by investigating the various cultural forms established by humans across the world and by studying both cultural and physical evolution of people over very many years (Young, 2009). Both sociology and anthropology share common interests in history, methods, scientific approaches and theory as compared to the discipline of psychology. Students in the two fields should be aware that the individual is a product of the society and hence not the key unit of study. The society on the other hand should not be considered as the product of the works of any one individual. The other main difference between these two disciplines (sociology and anthropology) with psychology is that while the two focuses on the tendencies of group or societal behaviors and beliefs, psychology focuses on individual behaviors, beliefs and tendencies (Robbins, 2009). Both the fields of sociology and anthropology consider that some aspects of human action, culture and behavior may not have any relationship or influence from the social group or society as a whole in which they are associated with, and therefore seek to understand how such people live, develop their values, beliefs thoughts and norms. Moreover, both fields do not accept arguments that are dependent on human nature as being the only causative factor in a particular situation. Instead, sociologists and anthropologists consider the overall society and its effects and cultural influence to the human nature. The fields also reject any arguments that consider the society being the entire cause of an individual's actions (Elon.edu, 2000). Both fields of anthropology and sociology are integrated and lead to the origin of many other social sciences such as women's and gender studies, environmental sociology and anthropology and political science among many other specialties. Both fields have also led to the emergence of other related fields like medical sociology, social work, forensic anthropology, archeology and criminology. However, graduates in both fields have a wide range of occupational positions such as banking and finance, the military, human services, civil service, human resources and policy development and analysis (Young, 2009). Young (2009) further notes that the disciplines of anthropology and sociology study fundamental socio-cultural institutions such as economics; religion and family life; forms of interaction; types of social organization such as schools, social clubs and businesses; and patterns of social difference such as class, race and gender. The disciplines also examine the ways in which personal identity is shaped. Learners get to know the interconnection between societies in a wider global context and how the different fundamentals of each society are connected to form complex cultural patterns. Psychologists draw their knowledge from anthropologists for the better understanding of the uniqueness of a culture. The discipline of anthropology also draws much from psychology in order to understand how cultural factors influence human behavior. Sociology and anthropology provide learners with significant skills such as interpersonal skills, quantitative and qualitative research skills, communication skills and critical thinking skills, which are important in solving socio-cultural problem. The learners also acquire the knowledge vital to becoming humanistic, productive, culturally relativistic, self-sustaining, local and global citizens (Elon.edu, 2000). Conclusion Evidently, social sciences and particularly anthropology, sociology and psychology play a major role in promoting cultural diversity at schools, work place, homes and in the society as a whole. Forces of globalization and the rising emphasis on cultural diversity have resulted to a mutually reinforcing and powerful relationship between these disciplines. People have been able to shape their personalities and patterns of behavior, think critically, communicate effectively and understand their own cultural backgrounds. People have also been able to interact with others in the society, appreciate and embrace their cultural backgrounds. References Borkar. R., (2012). Why is Diversity Important. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/why-is-diversity-important.html Elon.edu, (2000). Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Retrieved from http://www.elon.edu/e-web/academics/elon_college/sociology/faq.xhtml Robbins, S. P. (2009). Organisational behaviour: Global and Southern African perspectives. Cape Town: Pearson Education South Africa. State.nc.us, (2006). Social Studies: Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology. Retrieved from http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/curriculum/socialstudies/scos/2003-04/011anthropology Young, E. M., (2009). Similarities between sociology and anthropology. Retrieved from http://www.helium.com/items/1631401-similarities-between-sociology-and-anthropology Read More