How People Construct Their Social Relations and Sense of Their Self in Their Activities - Literature review Example

SOCIAL RELATIONS AND THE MATERIAL NEEDS Abstract Relationships are the most important to any person. Relationships though of any kind and from any one needs to be maintained in a well manner and it has to be seen that the desires and the needs of the relationships are fulfilled in a manner that makes the relationships much more stronger. Social relations are the part of a person’s life and they are what makes the human life worth living. These are the relationships that add up to the importance and the substance to life of any person as the social support is gained from these important relationships. Introduction Siegel (2002) says that the social relations encompass more than just one kind of relationship. It encompasses the mother and daughter, mother and son, the father and mother relationships and so on. However the main thing that needs to be realized in this aspect is that the relationships, the social relations are always calling in for some expectations. There are some demands that are placed by the social relations in this case and demands or on other words the desires by these social relations need to be fulfilled so that the social relations are strengthened in a proper manner. Parkin, and Stone (2004) discuss that for a woman, her husband, her children including the in laws are the most important. Similarly for an unmarried woman her siblings and the parents are very important. For any man, same is the case as being married the children and the spouse takes the importance and the priorities in relations. In any case, the importance and the priorities are associated with the relationship that makes that relationship worthwhile. There are some demands and the necessities of these relationships that need to be fulfilled in a manner that makes these relationships even more stronger. The strength of the relationships is increased by realizing the needs associated with the relationships. Morrison (2006) says that with these relationships, there are some material demands that are associated with the relationships. These are the material demands that are the testing phase of any relationship. As the demands of the children for their toys or in the case of a husband the gift of a lighter or a tie need to be fulfilled in any case where they are the proof of the love that the wife has for her children and for her husband. Miller had a research done in this perspective and he has brightly explained the way the relationships are in demand of the material things. As the interview that has been conducted by Miller shows that the women who is giving the interview is the one trying to achieve all the demands that are being made by the husband as well as the children. This is reflected by the fact that the women is aware of eating habits of her husband still she is trying to make better changes to the eating habits of her husband by introducing the vegetables to his diet. Miller (1998) says that to meet the demands of the family people women have to go through a lot of hard work. As this is the women here adds to that her son likes pasta more than anyone else in the family therefore she cooks pasta for her son even separately. Fresh changes are what is needed by the family members and therefore this woman instead of making the lives of the loved ones more monotonous tries to make changes that are welcomed by the family members. These changes make the relationships grow stronger. In addition to this the main fact that adds up to the relationships is that the social relations are the ones that are built on trust and being aware of the others likes and dislikes. This is makes the social relations better. This can be reflected by the fact that the women as a mother tries to buy toys for her children or other gifts and for her husband she tries to buy some gifts as ties, apparel or even a lighter. We see that the transient and the temporary desires for the material needs goes along with the relationships. The woman that has been taken into consideration is the one who respects the involvement of an innovation and a change in the household. The woman is in constant desire to provide the best for her husband and the children inclusively. This includes that they should eat the best food that is healthy and nutritious. She wants them to wear the cloths that not only look good on them but also the clothes should be the ones that give an outlook of being respectable. All the desires that she has for her children and her husband are inspiring, educative and finer. Lewis (2005) says that the woman and the concerns in her life is an example of the concerns that we have in our social lives. Children, wife or husbands, parents and friends are the relations that are the most important to us and we are concerned about them. In some cases the children demand the toys that are not unacceptable so the mother being concerned tries to make them believe that wring products can have bad effects. There are some general beliefs in relation to the social values that we hold and these are the beliefs that shapes up the social relations. Kedia and Willigen (2005) says that as compared to the model of love that every person has built up in the minds, the real social relations are generally built up on a set of expectations on which the relationship moves on where these expectations stay as they are or increase in there magnitude. If a link of materialism is associated with the social relations, material demands are the ones that cannot be ignored as in the case of the housewife as an example. It can be seen that the children do make the demands of the objects that they want however the objects are sometimes rejected by the mother as she needs them to have much better of these objects because she has an affection for the children and she wants them to be using the better of the things as they demand. In this respect there are some ethnographic evidences suggest the shopping for the material goods reflects the subjectivity that an individual has for the relationships moreover the emphasis here is in the affection and the love that the individual holds for the family members and the loved ones. If these relationships and the strength of these relationships is taken into context there is no better explanation for this other than love. Goldschneider and Elffers (2003) says that a womb known what material needs her husband has and she tries to fulfill all the demands. As the husband might be in need of the cuisine that is all meat and no vegetables and this is the demand that she tries to fulfill so as the relationship between the two keeps strengthening. The main roles that the housewives incorporate in the activities is the educative, moral positioning as well as the responsibility to be the better mother and a better and a responsible wife. Bellini (2007) says that he homemakers somehow do realize that these are the roles that are encompassing there love for the family as these are the roles that are defined by this emotion. Looking after her children and the needs of the husband being the main responsibility where she is not being paid for that thereby she needs to be appreciated for what she is doing. The children they need better cooked home food that tastes better while the mother prioritizes nutrition over the taste so she cooks the cuisine that tastes better and is nutritious. In this way, both mother and children are satisfied. Gingrich and Fox (2002) says that males work outside the house and they are paid the wages to work outside the house and it may be associated with the extra appreciation coming in from the rest of the employees. While the women in the house does not get paid for the work that she does for the betterment and the wealth of her family. Thereby this is the appreciation which tales its way to the material needs that the women has. In this case the roles of men cannot be ignored as it is said that the men are the ones who sometime take up the responsibility of shopping for the households that are needed thereby the women are the ones that do the rest of the household chores. View of an anthropologist According to the expansion of the ideas that is done by the anthropologists, Haya cosmology is the concept that deals with the symbols linked to the social relations. It has been said that shopping is not just an activity that somehow proves that the social relationships are more important. The anthropologist makes the discussion in such a way by saying that the shopping is one of the activities that builds up the social relations. There are many authors who have discussed the idea infer the heading of phenomenology of everyday activities thereby they link the daily activities and the social relations. Banton (2004) discuss that by these anthropologists, cooking has been found to be the main activity that is said to be just the brining of the meat or the vegetables and cooking them. However is the context of social relations is discussed in this case then as the anthropologists say it is the activity to feed the loved ones or the family. Here we can see that the woman does not resent to be the house wife however it has to be seen that the only desire that the woman has is to be appreciated as the housewife who cares for the whole family in a unique way. Thereby the services that the housewife have to be taken into appreciation instead of being taken for granted. As it can be judged by the interview that the women does not resent to be the housewife whereas her talk reflects it truly that she enjoys being the housewife. Morrison (2006) says that the study that has been conducted by some of the anthropologists link the symbols and the metaphors to the activities in t eh social relations. Haya cosmology also links the newer innovations as the transport systems and activities as shopping. As Haya perceives the symbolism and the relations, it is said that the innovations are linked in a simple manner to the cooking and feeding. It has been seen that in the case of shopping for others, the shoppers will give up their own desires for shopping as the concern for the others takes the priority. Goffman (1962) says that treat is the term that is being used here in this case. In this case treat means that the children and the husband are given more of the authority to buy the things that they want to buy on the case of shopping. Treat also encompasses the fact that that women of the house out of the depressed situation shops for herself the things that she likes to buy since a long time and these things can be the chocolates, movies or even the books. The depression in this case can be better explained by saying that in the routine life the housewife is the one who does not take into account her own needs and desires and all she cares for is the needs and the desires of the children and husband. Treat help to reassure the women’s own self. Treat can be regarded as the materialistic self-indulgence for the women of the house. Gingrich and Fox (2002) say that there is a difference defined by the anthropologists in the shopping and treat. The shopping is the daily life activity that takes place in a woman’s life so if treat was merely shopping than there would be no need for a treat. Here the point that needs to be emphasized is that shopping is done for others concerns and the treat is for self indulgence and self reassurance. The treat is the idea that explains the fact of the woman being appreciated by the family members. The material needs that the woman has needs to be fulfilled so as the woman feels enlightened and she carried on serving the family in better way in the coming days. Miller& Woodward (2007) say that family includes the husband, and the children. These are the ones who need to be taken care of in every way possible. The social relations and the material needs cannot be separated form each other as these are the material needs that need to be solidified or the strengthening of the relations. Douglas & Isherwood (1979) say that there are some material needs of the husband in this case and the material needs are the ones associated with the relations. These materiel needs can be said to be the measuring scales of the relationships that are vital importance to any person. As the mother fulfills the eating needs, the needs for the toys and the story books as well as the husband’s needs as the books, ties, apparel or even the cologne of his choice. Conclusions To get the appreciation and the love of the loved one in these social relations some of the material needs need to be fulfilled. In the case of a husband it might not only include a good looking and great tasting cuisine but also some gifts that might help reinventing the relationship as the ties, lighters or any book. However it needs to be added that the social relations do not only encompass the husband a wife relationship but in this essay this relationship has been taken into account as it is found to be the strongest relationship that encompasses the relationship of a mother whose love cannot be challenged in any case. A mother is the one who knows the demands as well as the needs of the children. She is the one who can mold there demands into such a way that fulfilling there demands can fulfill the needs of the mother as well as the children. References Banton, M. (2004). The social anthropology of complex societies. Routledge. Bellini, S. (2007). Building Social Relationships: A Systematic Approach to Teaching Social Interaction Skills to Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Social Difficulties. Autism Asperger Publishing Company. Douglas, M., & Isherwood, B. (1979). The uses of goods in The world of goods : towards an anthropology of consumption. Allen Lane. London. pp. 56-70. Gingrich, A., and Fox, Gabriel Richard. (2002). Anthropology, by comparison. Routledge. Goffman, E. (1962). On the characteristics of total institutions in Asylums : essays on the social situation of mental patients and other inmates. Aldin Pub. Co., Chicago, Ill., pp. 1-59. Goldschneider, G., and Elffers, J. (2003). The Secret Language of Relationships: Your Complete Personology Guide to Any Relationship With Anyone. Penguin Studio. Kedia, S., and Willigen, Van John. (2005). Applied anthropology: domains of application. Greenwood Publishing Group. Lewis. M. I. (2005). History and Social Anthropology. Routledge. Miller, D. (1998). Making love in supermarkets' : A theory of shopping. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, N.Y., pp. 15-72. Miller, D., & Woodward, S. (2007). Manifesto for a study of denim. Social anthropology : the journal of the European Association of Social Anthropologists, 15 (3): 335-351. Morrison, L. K. (2006). Marx, Durkheim, Weber: formations of modern social thought. 2nd edition. SAGE. Parkin, R., and Stone, L. (2004). Kinship and family: an anthropological reader. Wiley-Blackwell. Siegel, Bernard J. (2002). Annual review of anthropology. Annual Reviews Inc. Read More