Introduction to sociology - Essay Example

Although many times begin pushed out of one’s comfort zone is something that people do not appreciate, I can say definitively that th4e experience that this essay will attempt to describe was solitarily one of the most beneficial that I have ever experienced. Due to a host of factors, not the least of which was the skill and professionalism I learned from my coworkers, peers, and managers, the experience taught me a great deal about the transformative power that role differentiation can have on an individual’s development.

Whereas during my school years I considered myself to be an optimal student, I oftentimes would not accept responsibility of my own accord. Rather, like many young people I would wait until an instructor delegated a task or assignment to me in order to fulfill this requirement. Likewise, although I considered myself to be conscientious, I would not necessarily take initiative on a given point until I knew it was expected of me to do this. Although elements of this type of behavioral pattern are intimately tied up within my own personality, a large part of this behavior is also closely linked to the type of group dynamic that was experienced within school.

This herd mentality helped to foster an idea that we would only respond to the needs of the management (instructors) should they require something specific of us. However, all of this changed when I entered the workforce. As I was now considered as a dependable entity by my peers and co-workers, I endeavored at every opportunity to not let them down. Again, although it would be preferable to claim that such an action was the result of my own actions and my own behavioral responses, the fact of the matter was that I behaved in such a manner due to the fact that I knew the organizational group depended upon me to act in such a way.

In this way, I was fulfilling my role within the group without even being cognizant of how this group dynamic had affected the way in which I approached, interacted with, and integrated with the aforementioned group. One of the most important facets of my personal growth and successive socialization that I experienced while transitioning into my first job was the fantastic support and guidance I continually received from my mentor and role model; my manager. Although she was well within her rights to spend very little time taking me under her wing due to the fact that I was so new and knew so very little, she did so anyway and proceeded to devote a large amount ofh er work day each and every day to help me to understand the nuanced processes behind what went on behind the scenes.

Again, although this was not necessary for her to engage in each and every day, it served to show her commitment to continuing my education and bettering my skills as an employee. It is through her concern that I doubtless was socialized to accept even further responsibility, engage in activities that required higher levels of initiative, and conform to the group dynamics that she as well as my other peers and co-workers had set for me. It was during this time that I came to realize a valuable and very salient fact about myself and humanity in general.

I realized that it is nearly always the case that humans seek a state of harmony; typically defined by the least common denominator. What such a theory/ideology can be defined by is the fact that I w