My Sociological Portrait - Essay Example

My Sociological Portrait My Sociological Portrait Introduction The family is one of the social structures that have received attention from sociologists. The term social structure denotes an organized pattern comprising of relationships as well as institutions that define the basis of a society. In the view of sociologists, the family is a critical social structure because the relationships that define it contribute immensely to primary socialization. The kind of socialization that takes place within the family structure contributes to a family being defined as an institution that has shared knowledge and practices.

In its regular use, the term family denotes parents, siblings, as well as one’s children. There is a diverse range of families in the modern society a factor that affects the definition of the family. In some cases, a family may also refer to two married people. In other cases, family denotes a unit comprising of a couple and their children. Extended families bring together individuals who are relatives. Nuclear families that comprise of married couples either with or without children are the commonest types of families in the modern society.

Since the family is a social structure that contributes to primary socialization, it deserves to be studied well. This paper will describe the family of a selected person that I interviewed.Body I interviewed a lady whose family of origin is nuclear, comprising of two parents, one brother and two sisters. However, in the recent past, her parents divorced and they are currently living with their mother. As children in a nuclear family in the American society, the lady was an active participant in the decision-making processes in the family.

However, since she was only a child, there was a limitation to the involvement in decision-making processes. In many cases, the parents expected children to remain passive since they were recipients of support from the parents (Koontz, 2015). However, with the recent divorce of her parents, she is actively involved in making decisions since she is the first born child and has to help her mother with certain issues. Moreover, being a first-born child, she as contributed positively in the socialization process between her and her siblings.

As a first-born child in an African American family, the lady has been regarded highly and is considered as an exemplar to the other children. The parents have always had high expectations from her so that she can set the course for her siblings. A close analysis of the lady’s family of origin reveals that it conforms to the standards of an American nuclear family. However, it has exhibited some of the aspects that define the dynamics of the American family in the twenty-first century with the increasing rates of divorce.

According to Koontz, my subject’s family conforms to the dynamic of the post-1950s family. Therefore, the family was untraditional because both the parents have been working, a factor that represents a period when women were allowed to take up different careers (p. 23). Moreover, after the divorce, the mother is facing financial challenges because of the low salary packages that women receive, factors that Koontz describes in the article. ConclusionWithout a doubt, the lady’s family of origin contributed to the formation of her identity as well as her sense of self because of the primary socialization processes that define the family as a social structure.

For example, through the primary socialization process, the lady had adopted many aspects of the African American culture and identity. It is evident that the parents contributed to the formation of this identity. The lady is also familiar with issues facing African American families and culture, aspects that define her identity. The active socialization process in the family structure has also contributed to the development of a strong value system exhibited by the lady’s personality.ReferenceKoontz, S. (2015). The Way We Werent.

Phi Kappa Phi Forum, 95(1), 22-25.