Social Norms and Their Influence
Social norms often grow out of the social value and serve to show a difference between the human social behaviors from those found in other species. These norms can be described as the regulations and rules that various groups tend to follow and a device for "social processing" and "impulse management" of tensions (Melton 1938, 672).
In most cases, two norms are considered essential. The first comprises of culturally defined goals, interests, and purpose which consists of an aspirational reference frame. These goals tend to be integrated together to varying degrees of sentiment and prestige. However, the cultural goals are linked to the unique motivations of a person. Nonetheless, the people do not determine them. The second concept is that social structure is used to define, control and regulate the acceptable ways of fulfilling such goals. Most social groups tend to couple its scale of wanted ends with the institutional or moral rule of necessary measures for achieving these ends (Melton 1938, 673).
Conformity to Social Norms
However, it is apparent that most people tend to follow social norms and conform to the society's expectations. Conformity is often an alteration in belief or behavior towards a standard of a group due to its influence on a person. It can also be looked at as a type of social power where group members share behavior standards and similar beliefs. It includes the processes in which group members meet on a particular standard of behavior or belief and the pressures that they exert on each other to uphold the relevant standards. Therefore, it is evident that people can move from one alternative to another as they engross in diverse social activities. This is mainly due to the idea of the social norms that may surround the individual and force him or her to change his or her behavior. There are numerous reasons as to why people conform to the expectations of the society. For instance, adaptation, which is in two forms Adaptation I and Adaptation IV. Adaptation I involves adjusting to both the cultural goals and the means, and it is often one of the most common. In this, a mesh of expectations that establishes the social order is maintained by the moral conduct of the people who fall into the first category (Melton 1938, 677). On the other hand, Adaptation IV comprises of rejection of means and goals. The people who fall into this category speak strictly in the society but not of it. This group of people does not share a common frame in regards to the community. They tend to associate with a group that they can relate to, and since this group has their own set of beliefs or rules and regulations, they try to do what that group of people expects them to do. The people who fall into this category include drug addicts, chronic drunkards, chronic autists, outcasts, pariahs, vagabonds, psychoneurotics, and tramps (Melton 1938, 677).
The Influence of Class in Social Expectations
The issue on class is another concept that can make people fall into the societies expectations. The question on societal class has been in existence for many years till it is now a norm. Social class is more than how much money an individual makes, but it is also about the lifestyle of the person in regards to the clothes they wear, the music they like or even their neighborhood. Therefore, it is apparent that class often comes with its expectations. For instance, three clusters are used in the class analysis in which each is linked to different sociological theory. The first often identifies the qualities and the material life surroundings of a person. The second emphasizes on the manner in which positions in society can give a person control over the economic resources. The third approach looks at classes as somewhat structured by the mechanism of exploitation and domination in which some areas in the economy give some people power over the others. It is important to know that the first approach is taken in stratification research, the second happens to be the Weberian perspective while the third is linked to the Marxist tradition (Wright 2009, 102). Therefore, it is apparent that people are expected to possess specific materials. The materials may include the places that they live such as pleasant mansions or suburban communities, squalid apartment's adequate income or a lot of wealth and so on. In conclusion, it is also ideal to put into consideration that the social norms are not always harmless. For instance, they might encourage some prejudices, and it is not good for a person to go against the proverbial current. It is still unfortunate that social norms tend to come from every culture. Therefore, it is up to any person in this situation to decide on whether to follow the social rules or not. Though it might be difficult to resist some norms and social expectations, it is essential for an individual to assess his or her lifestyle and live within their means.
Question Three
In the quest for a better understanding of environmental interactions and certain vital aspects of human identity tend to pose both an opportunity and a challenge for clarification. Age, race, gender, and class are complex traits that are often useful and vital for each tend to include the social dimension needed for understanding its influence in society. These concepts affect how the participation takes place in society. In regards to race, the idea of racism dates back to the colonial era. At the time, the minorities of whom included people of color were highly discriminated. However, it is evident that in most cases there is an essence of "Survival of the Fittest." In numerous communities, there is continuous stress between the races and a massive variance in the growth of the "lower" and white races (Du Bois 1940, 49). Therefore, in society, it is apparent that there are many perceptions that people have when basing an argument on race in which some of the concepts are often in favor of the white race. For instance, in some museums, a series of skeletons that are organized from a small monkey to a tall well-structured white man (Du Bois 1940, 49). Also, when looking at the prison system, the majority of people in these facilities are often of black descent, which in a way portrays that there is a problem between these two races. Therefore, it is evident that in regards to social participation based on race, there is a sense of imbalance.
In regards to gender, all societies tend to have a cultural account towards gender. This brings about the concept of masculinity which assumes a belief in personal agency and individual difference. Therefore, it is built on the conception of individuality that started in early modern Europe. However, the concept tends to be inherently relational. Therefore, it would be ideal to realize that the society that doesn't treat women and men as carriers of the polarized character kinds or principle doesn't understand the idea behind masculinity in regards to American/European culture (McCann 2013, 252). In the past, before the eighteenth century, it is evident that women were looked at differently as men, but they were different in the sense that they were inferior. This affects the participation of people in society till today. For instance, there are cases where there are considered to be more efficient when carried out by women instead of men. For example, in the hospitality industry, a large number of the employees are women. However, there are those careers and professions that are considered ideal for men, and a considerable percentage of the staff are male. Such occupations include engineering, construction, and many other jobs that need a lot of energy.
In regards to age, older people tend to move far less than the younger people. This participation is beneficial for people of older age. This is mainly because the activities help them to preserve their cognitive and physical energy and can lead to an onset of dependence that is linked to aging. Better health and functional status are also connected to the higher levels of social participation. The idea can also be looked at in regards to the daily activities in society. For instance, young people are considered reckless and at times full of morale. This is a concept that makes it hard for the society to allocate the young people some serious responsibilities.
Lastly, class affects participation through exploitation and domination. In this scenario, one particular group tends to benefit by restricting access to specific resources or positions. Furthermore, this group can control the labor of another group to benefit them. An excellent example of such participation is contrasting two classic cases. In the first case, the owners of the land tend to take control of mutual grazing lands. The farmers are stopped from gaining entry to the grounds and reap economic rewards from having control of that land. In the second, these landowners, who have seized control of lands used for grazing and left off the farmers, then bring some of those farmers back onto the ground as agricultural workers (Wright 2009, 107). In this second instance, the landowners do not only gain from regulatory entry to the land, but they manage the farm workers and exploit their labor (Wright 2009, 107). In conclusion, social participation is often influenced by age, sex/gender, race, and class. These are factors that play a vital role in society, but they tend to have both positive and negative influences. Therefore, positive efforts and attitudes that target to increase opportunities to encourage people to stay socially engaged should be supported. These factors should not be biased towards one group but be neutral to everyone to foster a stable and friendly society.
Works Cited
Wright, Erik Olin. "Understanding class: Towards an integrated analytical approach." New left review 60.1 (2009): 101-116.
Merton, Robert K. "Social structure and anomie." American sociological review 3.5 (1938): 672-682.
Du Bois, William Edward Burghardt. Dusk of Dawn: An Essay Toward an Autobiography of a Race Concept: The Oxford WEB Du Bois. Vol. 9. Oxford University Press on Demand, 1940.
McCann, Carole, and Seung-Kyung Kim, eds. Feminist theory reader: Local and global perspectives. Routledge, 2013.
