The study of sociology is the “development, structure, and functioning of human society” (Oxford English Dictionary def. 1). Throughout American history norms established the structure of sexuality that decides what we consider a sexual conformity and deviation in society. Many of these norms are derived from social factors, such as religion, race, and gender to list a few. These social factors affect the functioning of human sexuality. For example, according to Seidman, “Social factors determine which desires are sexual and which serve as identities, which desires and identities are acceptable, and what forms of sexual intimacy are considered appropriate” (2015:5). The sociological perspectives that are used are the feminist perspective, the essentialist perspective, and the constructionist perspective. First, feminist perspectives “…approach sex as fundamentally social and political where they claim that the very essence of what is called sexuality reveals the male wish for control and dominance” (Seidman 2015:22). This perspective is mostly used in the article “Is Hooking Up Bad for Young Women?”. Second, the essentialist perspective believes “that sexuality is a basic and essential part of being human” (Seidman 2015:22). This perspective is applied in the Armstrong’s et. al., “Is Hooking Up Bad for Young Women?”, in Ford, Hall, Kaufman, Thrasher and Whetten’s “Black Sexuality, Social Construction, and Research Targeting”, and in Fetner’s “U.S. Attitudes Toward Lesbian
This topic is presents two main reasons why it is critically important to sociology. First, sexuality refers to a persons capacity of sexual feelings (Little, 2013).
After a careful study and a deeper research on an introduction to sociology, I have come to understand that no problem can be solved well enough if one does not have the sociological perspective which is defined as a way of looking at the world through a sociological lens. In fact, there is the need of the lens that will help one to view situations and have the eye to emerge through different views to solve that problem. This mirror has become a doorway that will help one to have a beginner’s mind to approach problems.
Growing up, almost every parent will tell you, “you can be anything you set your mind to!” or “the possibilities are endless”. But from an early childhood my parents were creating an opportunity structure for my life. Through my 20 years, how I was taught, the places I went to, the people I interacted with and the implications of society and societal norms followed me. As with many other families, my parents focused on setting me up for the best possible future. But little did they know, they were contributing to a society where some people are allotted more privileges and opportunities than others. I will attempt to deconstruct this complex social construction by looking at gender, social class, family influences, race, and socialization; which will be discussed in greater detail further along. When analyzing sociological concepts like gender, social class, and race sociologists use a “sociological lens”. Using a sociological lens will allow me to take the experiences I had and look at them on a broader cultural level. Ultimately sociologists use sociological lenses to better understand how personal experiences not only impact 1 person but how they can be applied in a broader context, allowing individuals to relate to others in society who may have had similar experiences.
In the world of sociology there are many different ways that humans interact with the world. Although we are all human beings, we do not always see the world the same way that others do. Even though not many are aware of the different ways they can see the world, there are three sociological perspectives. Using structural functionalism, the conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism one will be able to decide which view best represents the way they see this world. When asked about my perspective on the world, I view it using the conflict theory due to the examples that society gives us based on events that happen frequently. Even though all three of these theories are socially correct, the conflict theory defines my view of the world more than structural functionalism and symbolic interaction.
In the book American Hookup: The New Culture of Sex on Campus, By Lisa Wade, she addresses the issues and concerns that she sees within the “hookup culture”. Lisa Wade’s book is a mixture of important statistics and personal accounts of what happens in the hookup culture on various college campuses. To define the hookup culture that Wade is addressing, we can look to the book as Lisa defines the hookup culture as essentially casual sex with no strings attached, another sociologist Kathleen Bogle described this as a “new norm” for campuses and that this an be very harmful for women especially (Wade, 2017, p.16). Michael Kimmel a well-known sociologist of masculinity was quoted saying that hooking up is “guys-sex” and that guys run the
The Sociocultural Lens is a group of theories and perspectives that are based on sociology and sociological theory. They focus on broader aspects of society and how these affect human behavior. The premise is that social workers need to understand individuals within their environmental context. C. Wright Mills asserted that most sociological theories reflect the sociological imagination, a term used to describe the relationship between an individual’s personal experiences and the wider society. Sociological models help social workers think more comprehensively and offer a more balanced approach to their work (Rogers, 2016).
Growing up, my life was somewhat sheltered compared to the lives of other people my age. I was raised by both my mom and dad in a Christian household, in which I was taught morals based upon our faith. As a result of this upbringing, my parents and I made the decision to enroll me in a private Christian school in sixth grade. In this setting I was protected from the influences of the outside world. All of the language, violence, and temptations were around me, which I began to recognize as I entered my freshman year of high school. Even the walls of the highly respected establishment could not keep the real world out.
Sociologists can analyze the most important aspects of life such as, love, romance, intimacy, marriage and family. My one piece of media is a song by Beyoncé called “Cater 2 U.” The song is about letting your man know that you appreciate his hard work and showing that it is the women’s job is to temporarily take the stress away. Heterosexual imaginary of appreciation is viewed in the song “Cater 2 U” by the emphasis on feeding the man. The heterosexual imaginary about relationships focus on pleasing a man by cooking dinner. Stevi Jackson a sociologist states, Heteronormativity standardizes gender performances and expands outside of just the assumption that everyone is heterosexual. Heteronormativity gives a standard for what’s expected for a certain gender. The social structure of gender is constructed through women who cannot cook are viewed as undesirable to men. Also, women who do not keep themselves looking attractive for a man, society views that as deal breaker for why a man would leave you. An example from the song Cater 2 U, “I’ll keep it tight, I 'll keep my figure right I 'll keep, My Hair Fixed,” ” this exactly shows us a glimpse of the heterosexual imaginary of women. These things are what women perceive as what a relationship should be. Most men are not viewed as this shallow, when it comes to what they want it is pretty simple. Some women cannot see because of all these social norms,
Sociologists use one or more theoretical perspective approaches to make different assumptions about society three of the most common theoretical perspectives is the conflict, functionalist, and interactionist. Each one of these three major sociological perspectives have similarities and differences among each other.
A sociological perspective on human behavior is connected to the society as a whole. It invites us to look for the connections between the behavior of individuals and the structures of the society in which they live. (Appendix 1)
Explanation of common sense and sociological approaches to the study of Human Societies, with examples.
Sociological Perspectives and Theories Sociologists try to explain how society orders itself but there are many different theories for this, which often conflict with one another. Some of these classic theories include Marxism, Functionalism, and Interactionism. There are also more modern or contemporary theories such as Feminism. Each sociological perspective has different beliefs.
Throughout history, definitions of sexuality within a culture are created and then changed time after time. During these changes, we have seen the impact and power one individual or group can have over others. In the Late Nineteenth Century into the Early Twentieth Century, we see multiple groups of people and or authorities taking control over the idea of sex and how they believe society is being impacted by sex. At this point in time, society had groups of people who believed they had the power to control how society as whole viewed and acted upon sex. Those particular groups and ideas changed many lives and the overall definition of sexuality within that culture.
An employer is an individual or organization who employs one or more person (employee) for wages or salary, while an employee works for an individual or organization (employer) for wage or salary. The wage that is earn is used to cover expenses by the employee, in the form of bills, to cover health, housing, food, utilities, all seen as a necessity.
The Sociological Imagination was a term that was first coined by sociologist C. Wright Mills. It could be said that definition of The Sociological Imagination is having the ability to look beyond personal experience and realise that society is shaped by the cross over between biography and history. Mills thought that everyone in society had the capability to think sociologically and that this was essential to gain a deeper understanding of both their society, and their current circumstance. This approach contradicts a more readily adopted approach by the public that sociologists call “The common sense approach”. The common sense approach is a collection of knowledge that has been acquired through little scientific merit, such as: personal experience, gossip or anecdotal evidence. This essay will discuss and explain the difference between the Sociological Imagination and Common-Sense explanations through the use of examples to explain the topic of sexuality.