Sociological Perspective free essay sample

The African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s focused on attaining the most basic rights for African Americans. This Movement focused on the fundamental issues that for White Americans were a basic right. They were freedom, respect, dignity, and economic and social equality. This was a movement of ordinary people who made the difficult decision to stand up for what they believe in. They did this knowing that there would be a price to pay, whether it be being jailed, assaulted, or in some cases even killed. The sociological and psychological motivation behind this Movement, and what drove ordinary people to stand up for what they believed in, and accomplish extraordinary achievements for African-American Civil Rights is that of strength, and determination to stand up for what is just. From a psychological perspective it is important to understand the period before the Civil Rights movement was born. This struggle had been fought since the post-Civil War years, when African-Americans fought for the emancipation of slavery (Farber, 1994). Bernard McGrane suggests we adopt a beginners mind and that we should see everything from fresh yes while making no assumptions about how things are supposed to be (19). While using a sociological perspective, many advantages can result. A person sees an occurrence with impartiality in a sociological way. This may involve the vital evaluation of certain things while still accepting what the reality is even if it is not very agreeable. This perspective helps us in thinking about several experiences critically with respect to sociology. As a result, many questions often arise, which enhances an individuals knowledge. Another advantage of this perspective is that by racticing it, a person is able to observe the different ways in which people behave. The observer can understand a particular persons behavior with respect to his or her surroundings and their experiences in life. These actions assist in creating different relationships between behavior and other variables. Once these relationships are established, it is easier to study how they develop over a period of time and how they are influenced by other factors as the time progresses. Using the sociological perspective in our everyday lives, one can study the behavior atterns of poor and homeless people or the behavior of people with a classy type of upbringing. Criminology, why people commit crimes, is a core facet of sociology. The sociological perspective, when it comes to crime, seems to be far from the current American policy of dealing with criminals. Sociological research suggests that crime, like all other decisions, is not something that someone simply chooses to do. When we examine the data, we see a strong correlation between crime and factors like poverty, low levels of education, and deviant activity by family and peers. We may think of marriage as the simple product of personal feelings. Yet, the sociological perspective shows us that patterns involving our sex, age, race and social class guide our selections of partners throughout our lives. Consider the decision by women to bear children. Like the selection of a mate, the choice of how many children to have would seem to be a personal one. Yet, there are social patterns here as well. The average woman in the United States and Canada has slightly fewer than two children during her lifetime. In other countries however, the choice could be anywhere from poor countries have less funding and fewer economic opportunities, they are more likely to remain in the home, and are less likely to use contraception. Clearly, society has much to do with the decisions women and men make about childbearing and mate selection. Thats why the sociological perspective exists: to eliminate the tinted shades of nationality, race, religion, or gender. It exists to give credibility to the sociological science so that anyone can look at data and realize that it is fact and not fiction. The sociological perspective helps us see the opportunities and constraints in our lives. Sociological thinking leads us to see that, in the game of life, we may have a say in how to play our cards, but it is society that deals us the hand. The more we understand the game, the better players we learn to be. Sociology helps us size up the world around us so that we can more effectively pursue our goals. The sociological perspective empowers us to be active participants in our society. The better we understand how society operates, the more effective citizens we become. Personally, I think that the sociological perspective weakens the general populations idea of self identity when theyre not allowed to determine for themselves what they in fact want to do with their lives. The less amount of influence you have, the more the individual has to determine whats the best path for their lives and the most efficient and self sufficient course they must take. If we apply the sociological perspective to our daily lives, we are likely to feel that we are simply following a blueprint for a society in which only the people who idealized it will appreciate.