In this field journal, one theme that has truly become evident is social behavior and how it is affected by social factors. When it comes to social behavior, one might think that they are acting the way they are because they choose to for themselves. However, by using sociological tools, one will see that it is actually more complicated than that. This theme is significant in learning about how people’s behaviors are affected and influenced when it comes to the structures of their society and environment. Three readings that are cited in this field journal, chapter 2 of McIntyre’s core book, “The Sociological Eye,” Kluckhohn’s article which is the article 8 in Mcintyre’s reading book, “Queer Customs,” and Zimbardo’s article which is the article …show more content…
To elaborate, this deviance assignment was necessary in order for me to get a good grade for my sociological class. As much as I did not want to break a simple folkway and attract a crowd- albeit, it was a small one-, I still went through and broke a simple norm. Somehow, against my will, I did something that was not favorable in my opinion, yet circumstances led me to what I did. Also, another experience that I was able to gain from completing this field journal was during my social volunteer work. If I never gave a thought to my actions, I probably would have just thought that I was merely acting normally during my volunteer. However, thinking twice, I also caught myself acting in a different type of attitude during my social volunteer work. Better yet, it was a temporary personality that I wore in order to fit properly in the social environment. I was assigned a social status, and that was a volunteer, and in this case, volunteers were expected to follow any task that was given to them, and that is exactly what I did. To be perfectly honest, if my sister asked me to hang all her clothes and her pants for her, I would have immediately rejected the offer. Still, this is exactly what I did during my volunteering. I at least hanged a hundred pants and shirts total. To simply put it, somehow, I automatically knew not to reject the task they gave me and simply follow their orders. The status I was given had expectations that I needed to meet, and in the end, I followed those
“Deviance in sociological context describes actions or behaviors that violate cultural norms including formally-enacted rules (e.g., crime) as well as informal violations of social norms.”
The title of this odd social experiment is Parental Permission. The title will make more sense once you become more familiar with the project. The aim of this project was to break an everyday social norm; a social norm is a set of rules or behaviors that are considered acceptable in society or among a group. As citizens of a society we all adhere to many social norms, a very common social norm is tipping a waiter or simply wearing clothes.
As a society, we feed off of each other for what a proper response to something may be. As children, we first look to see our mother’s reaction after falling down; if she is calm, I should also be. We look to each other for what a definition of things should be, as well. In the 1950’s, it was generally obscene for a woman on television to show her belly button, whereas today we will show nude breasts on primetime programming. This follows the sociological theory of symbolic interactionism, where society and individual social interaction provides a subjective meaning to deviant behavior. Many social definitions change for the better, however some change for the worse. One such example was once viewed as normal, with no second thoughts given to it, but now is seen as an actual social problem affecting some groups aversely. This is the topic of homosexuality, a subject that has been on the receiving end of both accepting and discriminating cultures for thousands of years.
After this experiment, I learned that it is frightening to go against the unspoken rules of society. It is uncomfortable to participate in deviant behavior, especially when you are cognizant of how others are viewing you. Conducting this norm violation taught me that it is much easier to conform. Deviance can be functional to society, as the functional theories of deviance hold, and deviance can also be the cause of labeling and stigmatizing others, as some symbolic theories of deviance hold. In general, it can be agreed that no one wants to be the person committing the deviance because it will be accompanied by criticism. Anyone who breaks society’s norms is a very brave individual. For certain rules in today’s society, we need more courageous people who will challenge the norms. However, as far as staying quiet in the library goes, I think that rule can
In Sociology, social action is defined as any intentional actions carried out in order to bring about possible changes in the social life (Glassman, Erdem & Bartholomew 2012). When considering social action on issues related to gender and sexuality, it is necessary to acknowledge that such issues have been of significant importance to the LGBT community for a long time. In fact, it is necessary to remember that the LGBT community, its members as well as its allies have been
This paper will continue on, researching the societal change/acceptance in the gay and lesbian community as no longer being unorthodox and with the stigma coming from the gay community itself.
There are various perceptions of gay and lesbian couples that they represent a more egalitarian relationship. (Civettini 2015:1) However, when same-sex couples are observed there is still a tendency to believe that the relationship contains a masculine and feminine figure following the heterosexual model. So, it is necessary to address both how these couples deviate from society’s norms as gay individuals but might still be reproducing the same behaviors as heterosexual couples because the ideologies are so deeply rooted in social institutions. The stereotypical connotations of masculinity and femininity influence all aspects of American society and gender display relies heavily on meeting those given expectations. So, in the case of this article, the author Civettini views a connection between sex, gender, and sexual orientation when it comes to displaying
Those people who are labelled as deviant may seek out others in the same situation. They provide understanding and support since they share the same problems. Within this group a deviant sub-culture may develop in which a deviant lifestyle is a major concern. This can be seen in certain gay communities particularly in the United States. Those forced into ‘deviant communities’ now see themselves as different from the wider society and act accordingly.
Assignment 2 The social construction of deviance is defined by how an individual or group breaks a society’s cultural norms and values. Deviance occurs by certain behaviors of a culture that goes against the everyday behavior of a specific sect of society. A specific example of this is the women rights movement during the late 1800’s and ending in the 1920’s. Women who wanted to work or have the same rights as men were seen as deviant because women were meant to be housewives. Women’s right activists argued that women are equal to men.
Whilst facilitating an enrichment project for KS4 learners, it was my pleasure to work in collaboration with a ex-pupil of mine (who had left the school two years previous.) in order to explore the issue of homosexuality, homophobia and briefly touch on stereotypical views in society.
Within any culture lies an array of definitive demeanors and actions that are deemed socially adequate and inadequate. Depending on the distinguishing behavior of a given individual and the society that they live in, there are invisible “laws” that prevent people from acting a certain way. If the individual’s behavior is adverse to the superior, predominant norms of their society, the actions of that individual are considered to be deviant. Social deviance in shown in a variety of dissimilar faces: within physical appearance, actions done to oneself and others, and religious groups.
selves. In doing this they live their lives to the fullest and not wishing they
The dominant group—men, white people, upper and middle class people, and heterosexuals—are considered the “norm” and all assumptions are created off of this “norm.” The media today creates the “norm” by showing boys and men as being tough and manly, and girls and women as passive, yet also sexy and sophisticated. Also, in school we are taught that girls should not take woodworking class, and instead should take cooking or health classes. By learning these rules and roles of our gender at school and in society, we are reinforced by what we have learned at home. The article about the cycle of socialization justifies that the media, our cultural practices, and the assumptions on which our society is built “all contribute to the reinforcement of the biased messages and stereotypes we receive.” The messages from the media, culture, and our own homes have embedded in our minds what is accepted in society and how to act. In the cycle of socialization, the institutional and cultural level of socialization is enforced constantly; therefore, the people who go against societies “norms” are immediately oppressed. The results of the cycle of socialization are disturbing, for the majority of society plays their roles and simply does nothing to change the “norm.”
Individuals in society are inherently subject to collaborative norms and values that have been instilled in humanity, with the consideration that this varies across cultures. The paradigm between collective action and individual desire results in the formation of what is deemed socially acceptable, such as gender roles, sexual orientation, gender performance etc. “It is social norms that provide the constraints by which the interaction between the basic dyad of self and other is governed…social norms also provide the source of identity between the individual action, the complete system and the overall social order itself resides in the identity between the action and the system” (Jinks, 2005; 78-79) Deviations form societal norms
Another form of social influence is obedience. Obedience occurs when an individual acts in response to an order by a person in authority whether that order goes against what they know to be right or not. This can be done to gain acceptance or to avoid punishment. Obedience accounts for a large amount of the medication errors that happen in hospitals each day. An example of this is a nurse following a doctor’s order even when the doctor’s orders go against her professional obligations. This was demonstrated in an experiment conducted by C. Hofling. In Hofling’s experiment 22 nurses who worked at a hospital were contacted by a staff doctor that they did not know. They were told to give twice the highest dose of a drug to his patient. If the nurses did what they were told they would be going against three different rules. First, they were not to accept doctor’s orders over the phone. Second, the dose called for by the doctor was double the maximum for that drug. Third, the medication was not on their authorized list of medications. Of the 22 nurses 21