Summary Of Erickson's Talk About Boundaries

Social life and the way in which society acts and behaves is thought to be learned behaviour, otherwise known as the structural- consensus theory. For Pip et al (2011) structural consensus was the way humans learn their behaviour and act in ways that is expected of them within society. However different cultures and societies think and behave differently as they have been brought up with different views on what is appropriate behaviour; therefore humans learn to interact with others who have been socialised similarly to themselves. Consensus sociologists believe that the rules within cultures structure the behaviour of its members. Once you are born into a society you are confronted with their 'social world' and you begin to learn how to appropriately

Throughout history the benefit of fitting within a social group has been discernable. That old adage “We’re stronger together” has had its roots in the very conception of society. You can accomplish more with a group of people than you can alone. The more this group of people expands, the more intricate their function in the society becomes, and therefore, the more influential that society is. However, what happens when, within the complex labyrinth of society and the members needed to keep its mechanisms moving, that society is faced with a piece it cannot work in to its machinery? The great coils of that society shutter at that idiosyncrasy, they ostracize it, but what

What does community really mean? The definition of community is, “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.” I believe community is more than just a definition. Community means sticking together and accepting those within the community

Imagine a double headed arrow. The arrow at the bottom, pointed down, is the individual. This individual is connected to something bigger, the upward arrow. This upward arrow explains the social system or “larger than us”. Johnson (1999) explains “We are always participating in something larger than ourselves…to understand social life and what happens to people in it, we have to understand what it is that we’re participating in and how we participate in it.” (39). To picture this, Johnson (1999) uses the analogy of a forest stating, “…a forest is simply a collection of individual trees… a collection of trees that exist in a particular relation to one another,” (39). He goes on to say that “…the key to understanding social life isn’t just the forest and it isn't just the trees. It’s the forest and the trees and how they're related to one another.” (Johnson 1999: 39). This is sociology and the rule that people are not systems and systems are not people (Johnson 1999).

All social interactions take place with a social structure, including those interactions that redefine social reality, for purposes of study, sociologist breaks down any social structure into six elements which are, Statues, Social Role, Groups, Social Networks, Virtual Worlds and Social Insinuations. Society is nothing more than the shared reality that people construct as they interact with other people, Society is a complex, ever-changing mosaic subjective meanings. Firstly, Status is a slot or position within a group or society. They tell us who people are and how they “fit” into groups, status can be ascribed or achieved. Secondly, Social roles are expectations for people who occupy a given social position or status, Thirdly Roles are a significant component of social structure, for Example her in Belize, we have the Belize Police Department, as to where by the police are expected to protect us and apprehend criminals. At fourth place we have Social Network which is the web of direct and indirect ties connecting an individual to other people who influence its

When people are part of a group, they often start to deviate from their personalities, and tend to focus on the opinions and actions of the group. Groups can generate a sense of engaging energy, which can lead to behaviors that a person would not typically engage in if they were alone. People seem to believe that certain behaviors are acceptable when they are in groups that would otherwise not be acceptable if they were alone. Many people believe they cannot be held responsible for their actions when they are with a group because they see the

(society determines what the groups are, where the boundaries are, what the hierarchies are) - therefore the consequences are social

In today’s society, “dividing lines” see to come up on a daily basis. People are divided by race, religion, cultures, and income levels. Society seems so wrapped up in other people and what they are doing that they do not seem to have time for themselves. In the text it states “As individuals or groups, we habitually define ourselves by our differences from others, drawing a line between “us” and them.” This statement has a lot of meaning in only a small sentence. If people were to be more understanding and empathetic of other races and their cultures, I think we could live in a more peaceful world.

Humans interact and go on about their daily life unknowingly following rules that society establishes as well as common social norms. Although this is a strange concept to grasp, this phenomenon is how society acts as a whole and how we as individuals are. Social norms are ways of acting, thinking, and feeling that exist outside a person but exert social control over each person they interact with. These are the rules that we abide by and are ingrained in our heads but what happens if one breaks that social norm.

that the existing social structure produces a culturally dissimilar class of individuals, such as the

In the 1800's, Ferdinand Tonnies, a leading German sociologist, developed the idea that social relationships fall into one of two categories: "community" and "society." These terms, however, are differentiated by Tonnies by whether or not they have

A society with an internal consensus of social norms and cultural values is essentially the BASIS of a social system. Contrarily, this system is labeled socially disorganized when there is a breakdown in social control or SOMETHING among its elements. The theory suggest the absence or reduction of cohesion and solidarity in a community, will result in a increase of crime rates and deviant behavior. To support these

Boundaries of Society Rules are what keeps society in tact. Without rules there would be a lot of chaos and everybody would be free to do whatever they like. People need some kind of restrictions in their lives. During the play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Hamlet seems to struggle through his mission to kill his uncle for killing his father. The reasons for that are obvious, you can’t just kill anyone out in the obvious.

Imagine someone rich or powerful committing crimes without the fear of serving consequences. The crime may include murder, robbery, or stealing. Deviance is a label for an action or behavior that violates social norms. Social norms are rules or expectations which usually guide members of society. Deviance is nonconformity to these norms. Social norms can vary from culture to culture and is defined in numerous ways. Many researchers believe that deviance is a violation of social norms. Some believe deviant behavior is breaking the law or acting in a negative manner. Sociologists use specific words to classify deviant actions from a sociological perspective. There are crimes that are deviant actions and not deviant acts. For example; this

Tonnies discusses the concepts of Community and Society in great detail, from the differences between the two to the wills that fuel them. Perhaps the main argument in the book is the differences between Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft, or Community and Society. Tonnies defines Gemeinschaft as a more intimate grouping of people who rely on each other and have shared goals that places emphasis on the cohesive unit. On the other hand, Gesellschaft is the impersonal grouping mainly found in city and urban areas. Societies are made up of people more interested in personal goals and the places an emphasis on individualism. I agree to an extent that communities are more personal and intimate and can foster stronger relationships within it. Communities require people to be more dependent on each other than cities and metropolitan areas and as a result the chances for tighter bonds are higher. However, present day Society and Community are vastly different than the time it was written. With technology and travel, communities can grow all over as well as virtually and can be present in a society location.