Self Introspection of Important Factors in Identify Formation - Essay Example

Section/# Sociology: A Self Introspection of Important Factors in Identify Formation Although there are manyimportant impacts with regards to the way in which a person develops within society, and umbrella term that helps to encapsulate a great many of these is with regards to what is known as “socialization. There are many misconceptions with regards to the way in which an individual’s personality and levels of engagement with society take place. Within the current culture, it is oftentimes assumed that personal decisions open the way for an individual to integrate or not to integrate, as the case may be, to any degree or level; thereby acting as a type of master of their own fate. However, this is a simplistic view due to the fact that a litany of different factors impact upon an individual and help to define who they are, they will become, and how this process of self evolution will take place. Ultimately, more complex dynamics factor in to the determination of “self”. These include but are not limited to aspects of socialization, agents of socialization, and personal identification of self. As a function of defining an understanding these elements to a more full and complete degree, the following analysis will discuss the evolution of “self” as it exists, and has existed, within my own life. Through such a personal examination, it will be possible to trace these elements and determine their impact with regards to the evolutionary stages and factors that have structured and defined my life in the way that it currently exists. According to sociologists, social experience is the key to human personality. The underlying reason for this has to do with the fact that of all the measurable means of change that can impact upon an individual, social experience is the one that he shared between virtually all individuals throughout the world. For instance, although it is of course possible for particular researcher to measure and draw inference upon other impact and stages of development that help to define who an individual is and how they have experienced change up to a certain point, the overall likelihood of these approaches being effectively useful in measuring each and every individual throughout the world is greatly limited. As such, due to the fact that humans are inherently social creatures, measuring social experience and seeking to draw inference from this with regards to the developmental changes in human personality is the most accurate and relevant approach that can be made. Socialization acts upon the individual by allowing determinant interactions to shape the manner through which interpretation of self is defined. Similarly, the idea of “self” can be traced back to an understanding of the fact of tabula rasa; a Latin expression that literally means of blank Slate. As such, this further denotes that agents of socialization, ultimately merely other individuals or groups of individuals within society, can have a disproportionate impact with regards to the way in which identification of “self” is defined, understood, and practiced. With regards to a personal assessment of my own “sense of self”, this particular analysis will focus upon my desire to be a good student. Whereas this particular aspect of my personality might seem as somehow native to my own mind, the reality of the fact is that this particular identification of goals and level to which I interact with scholastics on a daily basis was neither the results of my own volition nor is it furthered and perpetrated solely by myself. In seeking to trace this particular “value” to a more definitive end, I can quickly point to the fact that my early elementary school focused upon the need and importance of continuing to derive self worth and identity based upon the degree and extent to which Scholastic achievement was evident. Further, the “socialization” that existed was one that was heavily contingent upon the ideas, satisfaction, and situational understanding that was promoted by teachers, staff, and parents. Each of these individuals served a vital role as instruments of socialization within my early life. Ultimately, these were the individuals who were respected, responsible, and looked up to. Accordingly, students, myself included, necessarily came to realize that this “high ideal” that these stakeholders were promoting on a daily basis must necessarily be of great importance; and something that we as students should be willing and desirous to pursue in the future. As can clearly be demonstrated with respect to the above description, a type of “groupthink” came to be developed within this particular social setting. However, one of the interesting aspects of socialization is the fact that it is a non-linear. Ultimately, although a drastic level of impact was able to be created within this particular point in my life, the means by which it has impacted me, and continues to impact me, is ever evolving and non-static. Moreover, utilizing arguments that were presented within David Karp’s article, it is clear and apparent that different levels of maturity, personal development, mental attainment, and knowledge have allowed me to differentiate this socialization from the goals that I have formed for myself (Karp & Holmstrom, 1998). However, regardless of the fact that there is a level of differentiation evidenced within the current era, as compared to what existed within the past, there is still a profound level of impact that the early socialization, that is previously been discussed, was able to effect upon the way in which I viewed and continue to view the world in which I live. As a direct result of the fact that intervening levels of socialization have existed in my life since this time, I have been able to categorize, classify, and constrain the extent and level of importance that “being a good student” means. For instance, within early life, I was so impressed by this virtue that I devoted myself entirely to the pursuit of this goal. Yet, with time, I came to understand that other aspects of life were also important and should have a certain degree of time devoted to their development as well. Not surprisingly, this level of realization came in terms of socialization itself. As relationships developed, friendships spawned, romantic feelings blossomed, and a newfound appreciation for the impact and importance of family came to be felt, the overall level to which this prior “virtue” impacted upon the way in which I lived my life diminished. From the information that is been presented above, it is clearly obvious that socialization and societal impacts in general have had a profound effect with regards to the way in which individuals integrate with the world around them, define their goals, and create some semblance of reason and normalcy within the life they live. With respect to my own level of socialization and the impacts that the desire for being a good student had, these have more or less survived into my college years. However, as has been demonstrated in the above sections, the level to which subsequent levels of socialization have allowed me to define, redefined, and reevaluate the approach and desire of being a good student should not be ignored or diminished. Furthermore, this desire will likely continue to define much of the remainder of my college career. Furthermore, it is expected that the carryover of this socialization will impact not only upon the work that I performed in the future but also upon the way in which I engage with my career as well as the way in which I promote the idea that scholastics are vitally important and socialize my own children when the time comes. Reference Karp, D. A., & Holmstrom, L. (1998). Leaving Home for College: Expectations for Selective Reconstruction of Self. Symbolic Interaction, 21(3), 253-276. Read More