...example of social constructionism. Social construction is the frame through which society views an idea. It could be the idea of a crime (for example, drug abuse is a socially constructed crime not an inherent crime) or the idea of an event (for example, the beating of Rodney King as police brutality instead of necessary to protect the officers). Nothing is black-and-white, there are many different ways to view a situation. Juries are selected to be a group of peers – this is what our justice system is based off of. If an objective peer would do the same thing in the same situation, perhaps you’ll be acquitted. However, the peer-based system is flawed. The first reason is because it can be hard to find a peer for some groups. The more educated a person is, the less likely it is that their jury will be intellectual equals. On the flip side, with an extremely under-educated person, the same principle applies. The juried system works best with an average person sitting before an average group of peers. However, this same idea – of average juries for average citizens – can skew the trial in an unfair direction. Legal studies professor Hiroshi Fukurai wrote about the peer trial being a detriment to justice, giving the example of Ku Klux Klansman trials shortly after the Civil War. These men were tried for murder and torture of abolitionists and escaped slaves, and many were found not-guilty by a jury of white Republican males (Fukurai 1999). The social construction of the...
Words: 508 - Pages: 3
...dynamically constructed group identities while integrating. Before uncovering group identities, though, we must define so-called social construction. According to Nancy Foner, social construction refers to “how physical characteristics and/or putative ancestry are interpreted within particular social contexts and are used to define categories of people as inferior and superior” (12). In the U.S., a group of intolerant native-born Americans known as nativists have ranked immigrant groups as inferior and superior based on national origin, physiognomy, economics, religion, and language. From multiple scholarly perspectives,...
Words: 1030 - Pages: 5
...CheckPoint Social Construction of Reality Aldonia Bailey SOC/120 11/29/2013 Carol Parker Currently I work in a chiropractor office where, I have been for a little over a year. My coworkers at first knew me as the quite one but as time went by they got to know me. So now they know me as the feisty one in the office, because I rarely put up with clients ignorance. My coworkers also think I’m antisocial because I’m not fond of going out after work or going to many office functions. I mostly agree with them, because I feel like I should treat work as a professional space. In the beginning I felt different, I socialized with my coworkers by going out on weekends and after work, but as time went on I felt like all my coworkers did was go to clubs and get drunk. However this may work for some people its just not the lifestyle I’m comfortable with. Even though my interaction now is limited with my coworkers I think I’m more open and sociable with my family (mainly my aunt). My personable social status is determined by my family dynamic, mostly because I feel comfortable where I can let my guard down. When considering how my social status influences my view of the world, I instantaneously think of my childhood and the way my mother treated me. My childhood was stressful mainly because my mother wasn’t the most financial or emotionally stable individual. With that being said she was also very physically and mentally abusive towards me and my brother so the cops and DPSS were always...
Words: 333 - Pages: 2
...This essay will discuss the sociological imagination and social construction. It will offer insights of problem families and will look at it from a feminist theory and functionalism theory it will discus oppression and the impact on social institutions and underpin social work practise and the relevance. Charles Write Mills was an American Sociologist. His most famous was The Sociological Imagination, where mills states that personal troubles should become issues of the public. (mills books) By sharing these personal troubles with society will help a person realise they may not be alone and others maybe going through the same thing for example if a husband with his wife and children loses his job and is struggling to find another one. By...
Words: 1009 - Pages: 5
...An example of social construction is money. In reference to my topic of social welfare, I will talk about social welfare spending. Social welfare spending deals with programs that support low income households. These programs include health initiatives such as Medicaid and state child health insurance programs (SCHIP); cash assistance programs such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) or cash payments under AFDC’s replacement, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); and a wide variety of other service programs providing child care, foster care, low-income energy assistance, services to the homeless and those funded by the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG). I believe that states of less fiscal capacity spent less per capita spend less on social welfare than states of higher fiscal capacity. Medicaid for example spending grew rapidly among all states in the late 1980s and early 1990s, even after controlling for the high rates of inflation in health care services. But the strongest growth occurred among the poorest states, probably a consequence in part of federal Medicaid expansions in eligible populations, services, and special funding for health care providers during those years. A flurry of policymaking around AFDC waivers and TANF cash assistance occurred in these and many other states in the middle and late 1990s. By 2003, however, TANF and its policies drew little attention from legislators in these six states and changes in earned income...
Words: 379 - Pages: 2
...The essay focuses on the social construction of crime, and the possible reasons for these social constructions. In the first section, the essay explains what crime is, and the constructionist perspective theory. In the Second section my essay focuses on the crime as socially constructed and why it is socially constructed. In the third section essay explains, three levels of explanation in the study of deviant and criminal behaviour. In the final section, it focuses on the historical theoretical periods, which plays an important role in revitalising past discoveries. Crime is a term that refers to many types of misconduct that is forbidden by law. There are a number of different reasons as to why crime can be viewed as a social construction. There cannot be 'social problems' that are not the product of social construction - naming, labelling, defining and mapping them into place - through which we can 'make sense' of them' (Clarke, 2001). In this essay I will explain what is social construction, also what crime is, and why we think, that crime is socially constructed. Furthermore, I will explain how media construct crime and the stigma of black crime. In the last paragraph I will explore the importance of Marxist and Durkheim's theories on the emergence of crime....
Words: 1816 - Pages: 8
...Nicely written! I have found one of the most fascinating aspects of this course to be the idea of social imagination. Using it to "think outside the box" and coming to a conclusion that may seem far-fetched or implausible it very useful, especially when looking at the topic of race. Growing up, you never really think of why we classify people by race or the science behind it, you just kind of accept it and go with the flow. But when you apply your social imagination to this topic, you see how flawed it really is and the way in which it truly originated. I never realized that, according to sociologists, race is a myth. It is something that we humans essentially made up, which is why they refer to it as a social construction. When I first read...
Words: 251 - Pages: 2
...of different factors. Race can be defined as a variable that is shaped by broader societal forces, whether it is political, social or economic forces. It is also important that views on race differ from country to country because of different agendas, whether it be to exert dominance or power over other groups. Race can be considered as a social construction because it is used to maintain hierarchies, as seen through it’s lack of biological support and shifting societal views on race. Race is a social construction because it is constantly changing due to shifting societal views on race. First, it is important to note that a socially constructed concept is an idea that is defined as “a perception of a group, individual or idea that is constructed through cultural or social practice” (Dictionary.com). In other words, society creates an idea of what race is, and how races should be distinguished from one another. Race does not have a consistent definition, and can change based on the society that is being examined. In “Racial Formations”, Omi and Winant discuss the use of race as a social concept and conclude that the definition is not rigid, but is used to maintain domination. Omi and Winant believe that this domination is a result of racial formation”, or the “process in which race operates as a central axis of social relations, which then determine social, economic and political institutions and practices (Omi and Winant 19). Racial formation is subject to constant change because...
Words: 817 - Pages: 4
...Social Construction of Whiteness The concept of whiteness, or white privilege, for centuries has been ignored as a potential area of study because it has been widely accepted as the societal norm. Many whites have benefited socially, economically and politically without understanding that most of the privileges they have historically received are solely due to their race and/or gender. The purpose of this review is to analyze the social construction of whiteness from a theoretical perspective, whites understanding themselves and their social status, in addition to the evolution of whiteness. Many studies have been undertaken on the social construction of whiteness. These studies shed a lot of light on the different perceptions on whiteness, gaps in research, areas of highest research interest, strengths and weaknesses of the various methodologies, and direction for future studies. In the study done by Hartmann, Gerteis, and Croll, the focus was on the theoretical aspects of whiteness studies. The findings led the researchers to estimate that in the United States, 15% of the population exhibit what may be called ‘categorical whiteness’ (404). The study by Hartmann, et.al, was carried out using data obtained during a recent national survey, which helped provide an empirical assessment of the theoretical underpinnings of whiteness studies (Hartmann, et.al 404). Three propositions regarding the awareness and conception of whites about their own racial status were analyzed. The...
Words: 3906 - Pages: 16
...In addition to that Fearfull mentions that social construction skill can give results that may be either positive or negative. She also differentiates skills as genuine or socially constructed. The reason for this is because a social construction is focused on the vulnerable areas of the work place. She gives an example as those who are highly feminized when they should not be, and all of this is due to a social construct. In a feminized environment clerks are not seen as actors but rather as the pillars that hold the rules and regulations (Fearfull, 5). This causes a stagnation and a plethora of distorted information. She discusses that one of the important findings was the interaction of young people working in the clerical sector. The reason...
Words: 972 - Pages: 4
...Checkpoint: Social Construction of Reality I have been a chef for most of my life and now I live in an area where being a chef is seasonal. I have tried to make a living here as a chef but it is hard when you get paid really well for 5 months and get paid really bad for the rest of the year. I was forced to do other work because I have 3 children and a mortgage and was taught to always be the provider. I was taught this by my father through watching him and listening to his teachings. I have already started teaching my oldest son this same lesson. When I first moved down to Florida from Pennsylvania it was a culture shock for me. Everyone here was nice and pleasant and where I was from was gang central. I grew up with a mix a races and a different set of rules than most people. Even in the gang I was in, family (the gang members) was the most important thing. I still have not educated my children to believe that, they fight like cats and dogs everyday. My upbringing once I left home was a variety of cultures and races. Whites, Hispanics, African Americans and Orientals were the cultures and races I grew up with. For me everyone puts their pants on the same way and we all bleed red. I do not see any difference in anyone based on race or culture. I treat people they way they treat me. When I first met my wife and her family I felt like my social status did not even come close to theirs. I was an ex gang member and they had more money than they knew what...
Words: 349 - Pages: 2
...Social Construction of Reality Your teachers name Your name The date How would you describe my inner mind? Crazy? Genius? They say that both are two sides of the same side. Through my experiences, I shape the world around me, developing a unique perspective from my worldview. When it comes to how I perceive reality you can summarize it in these six concepts: Culture, Meaning, Self, Self-fulfilling prophecy, and scripts, and self-serving bias. My Culture defines me down to my very genetic core it explains why I drive the way I do, how I talk, what is socially acceptable. The culture gives me an already established set of ideas to live by so it’s a major driving force of who I am. My culture gives me meaning it represents how I interpret symbols throughout my life, for example when I see a Christmas tree I think of family, and opening up presents at early in the morning. While others who see could be from a whole different culture and wouldn’t understand the context of why we do what we do. Our culture gives us a script in life based on from our knowledge from the past. My script in life was my parents, they would guide me in the right direction by pushing me to aspire in whatever I did and they were supportive of me of my choices. They also held me accountable for my poor choices and disciplined me for unacceptable behavior. They passed down their guidance to me to pass it on to future generations.This is how our culture thrives and lives on through us. My inner being...
Words: 558 - Pages: 3
...Childhood as a Social Construction Childhood is such a universal feature of human life that we readily consider it a natural stage of development. After all, doesn't every society that's ever existed have some people identified as "children"? As obvious as the answer to this question may seem, variations in culture and over time are dramatic. People in modern Western societies have a widely held, unquestioned belief that children are fundamentally different from adults. We take for granted that children areóand have always beenóinnocent and entitled to nurturing and protection. However, in other cultures (for example, Japan) children are viewed as much more independent creatures who can act willfully from the earliest moments of life.1 We tend to base our Western beliefs about the nature of childhood on biological considerations. Young children are thoroughly dependent on adults for their survival. Infants cannot feed themselves or take care of themselves in any way. A 10-month-old child, left on its own, will surely die within days. A human may remain dependent on his or her parents for several decades. By contrast, other animal babies are much more self-sufficient. A newborn horse, for example, is able to gallop around when it is only a few minutes old. To us, then, laws protecting innocent and defenseless children from dangers like exploitation at work, pornography, neglect, and abuse make sense. It seems inconceivable to us that the protection of innocent children...
Words: 1829 - Pages: 8
...children with each other. So, our differences biologically are superficial, hair texture, some ailments which tend to be environmental, and skin color. Those who want to dismiss the notion of the social construction of race normally do so due to their inherent bias to attribute dysfunctional behavior in minority communities due to a racial makeup instead of addressing more systemic problems that plague these communities. Countless studies reveal that lower income people of all groups tend to follow the same negative trajectory. Racism is the belief that one race or culture is superior to another, regardless of biological evidence that negates this belief. This difference – the perceived inferiority of one race over another – is commonly used and abused as basis for discrimination, whether institutionalized or individualized through social construction. The widespread societal and institutional changes in America since the 1960s have done little to eliminate discrimination faced by racial minorities even after the election of a black president. Race is not just a social construction but a historical construction that has been embedded into each of our lives through social classes and institutions since the day we were born. “Even though race is constructed through historic meanings and social interactions it is as much a part of our national character as themes of patriotism.” (Defending Whiteness, 8) Minorities historically have had less access to quality education. Less access...
Words: 1810 - Pages: 8
...According to Vested Interest: Cross-dressing and Cultural anxiety, “Cross dressing offers a challenge to ease notions of binary, putting into question the categories of a female or a male whether they are essential or constructed, biological or cultural” (Marjorie Garber, Pg. 10) Even though a woman dresses in what is considered masculine clothes, such as basketball shorts and a t-shirt, and does masculine traits such as burping in public, that individual female is still considered a woman. According to Mimi Schippers, “women who have widespread cultural beliefs and social effects, occupying the masculine position and performing its effects the way individuals experience their bodies, their sense of self and how they project their selves to others” ( Pg. 2). Women individuals sometimes want to dress down to feel comfortable that day, or just because it’s their style of clothing that they feel comfortable...
Words: 1826 - Pages: 8
