Social change, in sociology, the alteration of mechanisms within the social structure, characterized by changes in cultural symbols, rules of behavior, social organizations, or value systems.

Throughout the historical development of their discipline, sociologists have borrowed models of social change from other academic fields. In the late 19th century, when evolution became the predominant model for understanding biological change, ideas of social change took on an evolutionary cast, and, though other models have refined modern notions of social change, evolution persists as an underlying principle.

Other sociological models created analogies between social change and the West’s technological progress. In the mid-20th century, anthropologists borrowed from the linguistic theory of structuralism to elaborate an approach to social change called structural functionalism. This theory postulated the existence of certain basic institutions (including kinship relations and division of labor) that determine social behavior. Because of their interrelated nature, a change in one institution will affect other institutions.

Social change can evolve from a number of different sources, including contact with other societies (diffusion), changes in the ecosystem (which can cause the loss of natural resources or widespread disease), technological change (epitomized by the Industrial Revolution, which created a new social group, the urban proletariat), and population growth and other demographic variables. Social change is also spurred by ideological, economic, and political movements. (https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-change)

Demography – the study of the size, composition, distribution and changes in human population 

1. Fertility rates: the average number of birth rates per 1,000 people in the population 
2. Mortality rates: the average number of deaths per 1,000 people in the population 
3. Migration – the movement of people from one geographic area to another for the purpose of resettling 

Environment – natural world 

Environmental sociology – study of interaction between society and the natural environment 

Increases in global temperatures since the late 1800s have led to shifts in the ranges of many animals. Insects in particular are sensitive to changes in temperature, with consequences for the transmission of vector-borne pathogens. Mechanistic models, capable of explaining how recent climate change has affected vector distribution and abundance, could be used to predict future disease risks , but existing studies often rely instead on statistical correlations.

In general, the ways in which climate change will affect infectious disease burden in sub-Saharan Africa is poorly understood because of a lack of empirical evidence. It has been suggested that requirements for accepting a ‘causal’ relationship between climate change and changes in human health outcomes for vector-borne diseases should, as a minimum, include evidence of biological sensitivity to climate, meteorological evidence of climate change, and evidence of entomological and/or epidemiological change in association with climate change. (https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002675)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrNWJhhSfy8

The Youtube video shares some very interesting facts about leisure and media. I find it so interesting how much time kids spend lost in social media. I didn’t have any social media until I was in high school and I think I benefited greatly from it. I strongly agree with the statement that kids who spend more time on their phone and watch a lot of TV have a lower vocabulary than those who don’t. I think we should spend less time on our phones, and more time with our families.

Family

My mind was blown to find out that people’s marriages decrease when they have kids. I never realized the strain kids have on parents and their marriage. It’s crazy to me that a family can be considered two people. Coming from a very large family, it is hard for me to understand that some people have very few cousins if any at all. Sociology of the family is a sub-field of sociology in which researchers examine the family as one of several key social institutions, and as a unit of socialization from a variety of sociological perspectives. The sociology of the family is a common component of introductory and pre-university academic curricula, as the family makes for a familiar and illustrative example of patterned social relations and dynamics.

Sociologists who study the family also look at how other institutions affect and are affected by family systems. For instance, how is the family affected by religion and how is religion influenced by the family? Likewise, how is the family affected by work, politics, and mass media, and how are each of these institutions affected by the family? The topic of parenting is a large one. It includes things such as the socialization of children, parental roles, single parenting, adoption and foster parenting, and the roles of children based on gender. Sociological research has found that gender stereotypes influence parenting even when children are at a very young age, and manifests in a gender pay gap for children’s chores. Sociologists have also examined whether being in a same-sex couple affects parenting. (https://www.thoughtco.com/sociology-of-the-family-3026281)

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Why do sociologists study religion? For centuries, humankind has sought to understand and explain the “meaning of life.” Many philosophers believe this contemplation and the desire to understand our place in the universe are what differentiate humankind from other species. Religion, in one form or another, has been found in all human societies since human societies first appeared. Archaeological digs have revealed ancient ritual objects, ceremonial burial sites, and other religious artifacts. Much social conflict and even wars have resulted from religious disputes. To understand a culture, sociologists must study its religion.

What is religion? Pioneer sociologist Émile Durkheim described it with the ethereal statement that it consists of “things that surpass the limits of our knowledge” (1915). He went on to elaborate: Religion is “a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say set apart and forbidden, beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community, called a church, all those who adhere to them” (1915). Some people associate religion with places of worship (a synagogue or church), others with a practice (confession or meditation), and still others with a concept that guides their daily lives (like dharma or sin). All of these people can agree that religion is a system of beliefs, values, and practices concerning what a person holds sacred or considers to be spiritually significant. (https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontosociology/chapter/chapter-15-religion/)

The following video does a great job at explaining in depth what religion is when we talk about sociology. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIgb-3e8CWA. I think that religion is a big part of society because it plays a huge roll in who we are. You build another family through church and that becomes a new community. For me, some of my oldest friends are people that I met in church. I think that church had a huge impact on my life because I was willing to do anything to respect my parents and our religion and from a very young age, I had a set of rules and morals that I would strive every day to fulfill.

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Before taking this class, I was not 100% sure of the difference between the terms “race” and “ethnicity.” Sociology uses and critiques the concepts of race and ethnicity, connecting them to the idea of majority and minority groups and social structures of inequality, power, and stratification. “Race” refers to physical differences that groups and cultures consider socially significant, while “ethnicity” refers to shared culture, such as language, ancestry, practices, and beliefs. (http://www.asanet.org/topics/race-and-ethnicity)

It is extremely hard to live in today’s society because you will never be good enough. Even the “most perfect person” is still not good enough for society and the images we create in our head. When it comes to race and ethnicity, people will always question you and wonder as if they have a say in it. This video that I found on Youtube hit very close to home and I related to it so much. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFd96USLjbM) This girl talks about her hair and how she wanted long straight blonde hair because that is what society defined as “beautiful.” She goes on to say that she is in control of her own identity and there is no such thing as being “black enough” for her hair style. I have never understood where stereotypes come from and why they are so effective on our lives. I appreciate when she says “they look at my hair and think, oh what is she, but for once, I just want them to notice me.” That stood out to me so much because I felt the same way when I was younger. I never understood why it mattered where I was from or “what I was.” I am who I am and that’s all there is to it.

When I was younger, no one would believe that I was a Mexican. How could this white girl with green eyes be Hispanic? I was always so embarrassed when I younger and hated speaking in Spanish because my peers would bully me. I knew Spanish before I knew English and that was my family’s primary form of communication. Looking back now, I am ashamed that I was ever embarrassed about my race and ethnicity, but like I said, growing up in this society is so hard. I was never “dark enough” to be Mexican. I had the “wrong color” of eyes. I was “too tall” to be Hispanic. Who says? Why do these people have so much control over our own identity? I believe that everyone has their own identity and only they can decide that for themselves.

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Social class is defined as a division of a society based on social and economic status. The classes are divided into 5 groups. Upper Class – Elite. Upper Middle Class. Lower Middle Class. Working Class. Poor. I never thought much about social class when I was younger mainly because I didn’t really know what it was. At a young age I recognized that I had a lot more than other kids my age, but I also recognized that my parents worked really hard to give us a good life. In the following article, https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/19/income-inequality-continues-to-grow-in-the-united-states.html, there was one specific sentence that stood out to me the most. “To be in the top 1 percent of earners in the United States in 2015, a family would have to have brought in $421,926 in pre-tax dollars.” That is more than 8 times the amount the average american makes in one year.

My parents always made sure that we had everything we needed and some. They also made sure that we never took it for granted. My family has never known struggle and if my parents did struggle, they never let us see it. My dad always mentions how he started working in the fields since he was 6 years old and had to go to work everyday before and after school. My mom was raised by a single parent and that was not an easy journey either. My parents never had anything handed to them so they worked hard to give us a better future.

When I was 16, my parents bought me a brand new car. I was bullied tremendously by my fellow classmates. I was called spoiled, rich girl, and brat. What my classmates didn’t realize is that I worked hard in school and got straight A’s to make my parents proud and I felt like I earned it. It was a privilege and I felt completely blessed and grateful. I never felt like my parents were obligated to buy us nice things, they just wanted us to have a better life than they did.

Similar to my car story, this article explains how kids are being bullied for not being able to afford school lunch. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/19/social-class-wealth-inequality-children-parenting. In the article it talks about a time a mother heard kids chanting derogatory comments at her son’s game. “The taunts continued: “Can’t your parents afford to feed you? Can we call child protective services?” At another game, players sang “That’s all right, that’s OK! You will work for us someday!” I can’t imagine hearing kids bully my kid because I didn’t make enough money. I think if the world looked at people’s heart and character, and not at paychecks, the world would be a better place.

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In sociology, deviance describes an action or behavior that violates social norms, including a formally enacted rule, as well as informal violations of social norms. While doing research, some of the most common acts of deviance that I came across were: wearing pajamas in public, invasion of personal space, and the most interesting to me, shutting down the government to get your way. In the following article, this idea of normalizing deviance is discussed. https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2019/01/20/commentary-normalization/

In this article, a quote that really stood out to me was, “when we accept dangerous incremental change, we’ll eventually pay for it. This is “normalization of deviance:” We violate our own norms of behavior, suffer no immediate consequence, and accept increasingly unacceptable risk. Then we’re surprised when disaster strikes.” This stood out to me because I feel like we just brush things off and let them slide but as soon as something bad happens, we cannot seem to figure why or how it happened.

I found it interesting that invasion of personal space was considered to be deviant behavior. In this video, we can see how people react to someone being in their “bubble.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LBe8ZRugXQ I never realized how uncomfortable some people get when another person is too close to them because growing up, I had to hug and kiss everyone I said hi to. We would cram 4 or 5 kids on one bed at sleepovers and stuff as many of us into the back of my grandpa’s truck on the farm. I was never taught personal space so that is not something that I always remember.

Crime

Along with deviance, comes crime. I did not know that there are 7 different types of crime. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSyY9RRR6ds In this video, the different types of crime are explained and from there, we can now talk about how crime is tied to deviance. Sociologists who study deviance and crime examine cultural norms, how they change over time, how they are enforced, and what happens to individuals and societies when norms are broken. Deviance and social norms vary among societies, communities, and times, and often sociologists are interested in why these differences exist and how these differences impact the individuals and groups in those areas. In an article I found some very important definitions that will completely explain how the two connect. “Some sociologists approach the study of deviance and crime from a structural functionalist standpoint. They would argue that deviance is a necessary part of the process by which social order is achieved and maintained. From this standpoint, deviant behavior serves to remind the majority of the socially agreed upon rules, norms, and taboos, which reinforces their value and thus social order.”

The article also states that Conflict theory is also used as a theoretical foundation for the sociological study of deviance and crime. This approach frames deviant behavior and crime as the result of social, political, economic, and material conflicts in society. It can be used to explain why some people resort to criminal trades simply in order to survive in an economically unequal society.

Finally, we can read in the article that labeling theory also serves as an important frame for those who study deviance and crime. Sociologists who follow this school of thought would argue that there is a process of labeling by which deviance comes to be recognized as such. From this standpoint, the societal reaction to deviant behavior suggests that social groups actually create deviance by making the rules whose infraction constitutes deviance, and by applying those rules to particular people and labeling them as outsiders. This theory further suggests that people engage in deviant acts because they have been labeled as deviant by society, because of their race, or class, or the intersection of the two, for example.

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Culture is one of the main aspects about what makes a person unique. Everyone is different but culture makes you who you are. One of the main parts about your culture is hand gestures. Around the world, hand signals can mean very different things. In this Youtube video, you will see the difference around the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCo3wSGYRbQ

When my family and I visited Paris, we often found ourselves receiving bad looks. We did not understand what we were doing wrong. Until one man told us the hand gestures we were making were very derogatory. We did not mean to do so and we felt horrible and embarrassed after.

Chapter 4: Costumes

In chapter 4, we discussed this topic of costumes. When I think of the word costumes I think of Halloween, but this is definitely not anything like that. This is more of an act within yourself rather than a physical outfit. When I think of costumes, the first thing that comes to mind is a person’s customer service voice. Typically when people work in customer service, they put on a different face and a different voice to meet the needs and expectations of the customer. No matter what kind of person you are, the customer is always right. There is a video on Youtube and it shows perfectly what not to do and that clearly some people do not put on a costume for the proper audience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTbHwnxCGaI

I truly believe that it can be difficult to keep your persona correct with certain people. Especially if you are with two separate groups at the same time. It is a hard pill for me to swallow that I have to act different around certain people because I would like to think that I can just simply be myself but what does that really mean? Can you ever truly be yourself if you are constantly having to put on a show for people?

Gender Socialization

We are taught at an early age that blue is for boys and pink is for girls, but at what age do we realize that blue and pink are simply colors and not a label? It is difficult to tell someone that they can do and be anything they want except for XYZ. I think it is important to teach kids at a young age that they can like any color they want or have any profession no matter what their gender is.

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Sociology is a fairly new subject for me. I think I know more than I really do. I enjoyed learning about what sociologist do and study and how much sociology surrounds us every single day. In class, we watch a video about the Asch Experiment. I had never heard of this experiment but it really stood out to me. For me, I understood it as peer pressure. Even when you know you are not supposed to do something, you do it anyways just because everyone else is doing it and you want to fit it. With that being said, I was reminded of this clip that I found a while ago on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl3RPRvI5JE

In this video, one kid is pressuring other kids into doing illegal stuff to prove that people do anything to fit in. What I appreciate most about this video is that there are kids of different races participating and not all one race. I found it humorous that most of the kids didn’t even have an explanation as to why they decided to do it.

I think a lot of people can relate to this because often times, at least for me, people tend to “just go with the flow” and it almost always never ends well. I truly believe that you should follow your gut instinct.

Another thing that was discussed in class was this idea about culture shock. I had never heard of this term before class but I picked up on the idea very quickly due to personal experiences. Culture shock is defined as a sense of disorientation that occurs when entering a radically new social or cultural environment. A few years ago, my family visited my grandmother in Colima, Mexico. My siblings and I were so thrilled to be going on a vacation to Mexico. We could not wait for the tropical beaches and endless smoothies in a coconut. Um, newsflash! This was anything but that! The houses were on the ground meaning no fancy 5 star hotels. On top of that, it felt like we were working to survive there. We had to hike miles and miles to get fresh water and one night we even fished for our food… yuck! It was a major culture shock for us to see the poverty town my grandma lives in and made us very appreciative of what we have in the United States (like McDonald’s).

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Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton