Sociology and Perspective

A family is â€Å"a set of people related by blood, marriage or some other agreed-upon relationship, or adoption, who share the primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for members of society. † (Schaefer, 2009) A family is considered a social institution. This social institution is one that can be applied to all three sociological theories which are functionalism, conflict, and interactionism. The first sociological theory is functionalism. A functionalism perspective is a â€Å"sociological approach that emphasizes the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability. Schaefer, 2009) This simply means for in the instance of a family that the family in a whole is stable because each family member has a role that they must fulfill. They are dependent on each other to help fulfill their role. If one family member was to leave then there would be dysfunction until the family finds someone to fill that empty role or learns how to deal without that role being fulfilled. Dysfunction is â€Å"the element or process of a society that may actually disrupt the social system or reduce its stability. Schaefer, 2009) Another dysfunction for a family could be a new member being introduced into the family. The new member would then have a new role to play for the family and the family would have to figure out how to deal with this new role. Until the new role is figured out dysfunction will leave the family unstable. The second sociological theory is Conflict. Conflict perspective is â€Å"a sociological approach that assumes that social behavior is best understood in terms of tension between groups over power or the allocation of resources, including housing, money, access to services, and political representation. Schaefer, 2009) This perspective relates to a family in two ways. Family The first is inner structure of a family. Within a family you have members that sometimes fight for roles. Example is who will be the breadwinner and the one who makes all the decisions for the family. These types competition in families to see who will be the more successful and who will have what role can cause a lot conflict and resentment within the family. The second is the outer elements. The family as a whole is always having tension from being in conflict with other families for status. The phrase â€Å"keeping up with the Jones’s† is a prime example of how two families compete with each other to see who makes more and who can climb the social ladder first. The third sociological theory is interactionism. The interactionism perspective is â€Å"a sociological approach that generalizes about everyday forms of social interaction in order to explain society as a whole. † (Schaefer, 2009) This is a view that looks at what we do and how we do it. This approach takes a in depth look at our daily routines. For example like the way we interact at work, school, in other public places like a bus stop or even our behavior in small groups. This is also known as mircosociology. When taking this approach a person sees meaning in objects that includes materialistic things, one's actions, other people's impacts on us, relationships in our life's, and even can include symbols. Symbols can be especially important because they have shared social meanings that can be understood by all members of society. Symbols are nonverbal communication. For a family institution the similarities that these three sociological theories share is based on one common characteristic. That one similarity is that none of them would be effective without some sort of structure. All three of these theories view a family as a group of. Family individuals that are always interacting with each. Their roles are almost always dependent on the other members in their family. That each member has a role to play in order for the family to function effectively and keeps the family as a whole stable. Their roles are based on their actions and how those actions effect the other members of the group. Though all three of these perspectives have this one major characteristic in common they also have some differences. For instance the functionalist perspective sees an unconscious smoothness to how the family interacts with each other. It is like a well oiled machine that each piece is important and without that one piece the machine will not work properly or at all. Functionalist view these interactions as something that is positive and rarely have many conflicts to overcome. While the conflict perspective seems to view consent struggles with many aspects of the family. There is first the conflicts that fill the inside of the family. Those are the struggles a member has with other members of the family for roles within the family. The other is the conflicts the family has as a whole with other families. These are usually over status's such as power, money, housing, political representation and etc. Families competing against other families to have more than the other families. Basically they want to outdo and be more important than others. Interactionism perspective is a mixture of both the other two perspectives. It is mircosociology and looks at every action to see meaning in them. They tend to look really close at how one thing effects other things. The best way to describe it is a cause and effect. Interactionism also looks at the dramaturgical approach. The dramaturgical approach is â€Å"when people are seen as theatrical performers. † (Schaefer, 2009) They look at how people. Family can change roles from one environment to another. For example a person might act a specific way at work or school a more serious role and then at a party they may play a different role, a role of a cool and laid back. It is to say that interactionism looks at the mechanics of the workings of a institution. The affect that the theories perspective has on the individual's view that is part of the family is different for each perspective. Each perspective has a different view of what makes the institution come together and work as a whole. A individual's view on the functionalist perspective would see how the dynamics of the institution comes together and support each other to be make the family as a whole stable. The individual would see how important it is for each person to fulfill their role for everything to work. For example the individual would see how even a person who would normally be considered dysfunctional can sometimes play important role in a families structure. A person for example who is always ill may actually be a strong way for the family to form a closer bond and to connect with each other and keep them even closer than they were. The individual will also be able to see how dysfunction can cause the family to slip from stable to unstable. If the person who was in charge of making the decisions for the family dies the family will be unstable because there will be problems caused by the lack of decision making. This dysfunction can through the family out of balance for a length of time that is really unknown. Sometimes the family can overcome the loss and one of the other members will resume the role of decision maker. Other times it may be that the family will find a new person to bring into the family to take this role and in some cases the family then falls apart. Family and goes their own separate ways and the institution is then destroyed. This view is usually of one of harmony. The view the individual might have with the conflict perspective is one of consent chaos and struggle. They will see how each member of their family seems to always be competing with each other to become the decision maker or the breadwinner. This is a type of dysfunction that is continuously happening and keeping the family from becoming fully stable. The family is seen as a dysfunctional family but yet at the same time a family that works. This individual may also view that the family that is stable as a unit may still always be in a consent struggle with other families. The individual could see how their family works together in harmony to obtain its goal. For example if the family would like to achieve more money than the family would work together to find a way to achieve this goal or if they are trying to achieve a certain political status the family would work together. This has been very obvious these recent years as we watch not only the candidates go out and give speeches and campaigning, but also their spouses, children, and other family members have even been out campaigning for them. Another great example is African American families not as much now but several years back were always under a consent struggle to have rights and be treated as everyone else. The struggle that they endured seemed to hold their family together by a common factor. This view would show that the family comes together because of the constant struggle that they are always under. Family Interactionism perspective a individual in the family would view this as the a way to study how exactly it is that a family functions together. How their family interacts with each other and also with others in society. The individual would view how the members of their family act differently around different members because of the different types of relationships that they have. For example a individual who is a daughter, mother, wife, and sister will act towards their parents, their child, their husband and their sibling differently. That individual will change her role to fit the need for that relationship. Interactionism calls this a dramaturgical approach because it is as if they are a theatrical performer switching characters for different circumstances. Along with how the individual would view the workings of the how the inner family works they also view how the individuals and the family as a whole interacts with people out in society such as people at church, school, work, the store, and in small groups. They are able to view and understand many nonverbal communications that their family members make to each other as well as universal gestures with others outside of their family. This view is in depth and finer workings of how the family functions in many different ways. Social change has different effects on different types of institutions. Depending on what social change has taken place probably would have different effects considering that some social changes might not be relevant to the family while others might have many different effects. Family The affect a family with the functionalist perspective would have on a social change such as gay's having all the same rights as straight couples would help to stabilize many new families. This type of social change could help the stability of many families because in today's society gays are becoming more open and wanting to have families of their own. With the acceptance of gay people having the same rights it will allow for new families to be formed and those families to take on the structures without the struggles that they once incurred. That will allow these families to be able to find the balance that is needed and a unstable family to become stable. A family with the conflict perspective can be affected by a social change such as terrorist policies may find themselves struggling against stereotyping and prejudice because of their ethnic background. These ethnic families could find themselves in a continuous tension between different racial groups because they are suspected of being terrorist because of their racial group. This could easily throw the family into a major struggles to argue and defend themselves to others. Interactionism perspective may not really have any affect on a family with social change. Instead interactionist would view how these social changes would affect the family and it would also view how they interact with others. An example would be how a African American family would interact with others in their society of other racial backgrounds or vice versa. Another would be how our own family interacts with gays who can marry and have families together. This perspective is one of fine beauty no matter if the outcome is good or bad, stable or unstable it is still a amazing thing to see how everything and everyone comes together. Family Society views the institution of a family differently. Some people are more likely to prefer one perspective over others. Many in our society view a family that portrays the functionalist as a prefect family everyone has their place they fulfill their roles and do it well. They are stable with little disruptions. The society tends to view conflict perspective in different ways. One is that if the conflict is within the family that family is considered a dysfunctional family. It is usually chaotic and strange. Another way to view if the conflict is the family as a whole against another element as a strong family that works together hard to achieve a goal. These families could be considered close and competitive. Society under the interactionist view may watch different groups of families to see how they interact with others in society and then base stereotyping which can lead to discrimination based on the majority. The one thing about all of these perspectives is that they are all dealing with the way that families are interacting with each other and others outside of the family. They are all intertwined with each other and shows how the structures are formed and how they are dependent on each other. I personally find that there is truth in all three of the perspectives and I feel that there is true beauty in the complexity of this institution.

Care Ethics Essay

Did you ever stop and think long and hard about what type of person you are? Whether you put your needs before the needs of others, or if you care for others more than you care for yourself. The word â€Å"care† can mean many things. The ethics of care is a normative ethical theory about what makes actions right or wrong. It implies that there is moral significance in the elements of relationships and dependencies in human life. Care ethics normally seeks to maintain relationships by promoting the well-being of each other. The word â€Å"care† involves meeting the needs of not only our self, but others as well. It is inspired by memories of being cared for and the idealizations of self. Since â€Å"care† depends upon the contextual considerations, it is difficult to define. There have been at least three distinct but overlapping meanings that have emerged in the recent decades. It can be known as â€Å"an ethic defined in opposition to justice, a kind of labor, and a particular relationship. † In ethical literature, ‘care’ is most often defined as â€Å"a practice, value, disposition, or virtue, and is frequently portrayed as an overlapping set of concepts. One of the most popular definitions of care is â€Å"a species of activity that includes everything we do to maintain, contain, and repair our ‘world’ so that we can live in it as well as possible. That world includes our bodies, us, and our environment†. Care ethics was first most explicitly articulated by Carol Gilligan and Nel Noddings in the early 1980s. Gilligan, a graduate student at Harvard, wrote her paper outlining a different path of moral development than the one described by Lawrence Kohlberg, her mentor. Gilligan believed that her mentor Kohlberg’s model of moral development to be gender biased. She posed a different view and found that both men and women articulated the voice of care at different times, but pointed out that without women, the voice of care would nearly fall out of their studies. Later, Gilligan resisted readings of her work that suggests care ethics as relating to gender more than theme, and even established the harmony of care and justice ethics, but never fully abandoned her thesis of an association between women and relational ethics. Nel Nodding’s published Caring, in 1984. Caring developed the idea of care as a feminine ethic, and applied it to the practice of moral education. Nodding’s understood caring relationships to be basic to human existence and consciousness. She identified two parties in a caring relationship—â€Å"one-caring† and the â€Å"cared-for. † She stated that both parties have some form of obligation to care and meet the other morally, but not in the same manner. Nodding’s located the origin of ethical action in two motives. One is the human affective response that is a natural caring sentiment. The second is the memory of being cared-for that gives rise to an ideal self. She also identified two stages of caring, â€Å"caring-for† and â€Å"caring-about†. There were a number of criticisms that have been launched against care ethics. Some of the critiques include: slave morality, and that care ethics is empirically flawed. Care ethics as a slave morality is one of the first objections. The philosopher Frederick Nietzsche came up with the concepts of slave morality. Nietzsche believed that oppressed people tend to develop moral theories that confirm traits as virtues. This interprets the voice of care as emerging from traditions characterized by severely enforced sexual divisions of labor. Issues against caring practices are warned because women perform the work of care for their own economic and political disadvantage. This objection further implies that the voice of care may not be an authentic or empowering expression, but a product of false consciousness. Another critique is that care ethics is empirically flawed. People started to question the accuracy of Gilligan’s studies. She has been criticized that her conclusions are too narrow and that her studies were performed on an overly homogeneous groups. Critics argued that wider samples would be more accurate and yield more diverse results. Since care ethics has an association with women, it is often seen as a feminine ethic. Care ethics, feminine ethics, and feminist ethics are frequently seen as synonymous. However, not all feminine and feminist ethics are care ethics. The connection between care ethics and femininity has been subject to challenge. The idea that there may be a feminine approach to ethics can be traced far back into history. Assumptions of feminine ethics are that women are similar enough to share a common perspective, and that characteristically feminine traits include compassion, empathy, nurturance, and kindness. There is also the chance that it could be acknowledged that women are diverse, and that some men exhibit equally strong tendencies to care. It has been proven that many women, in actuality and in myth, do not display care. There are other factors known to correlate with care thinking such as: social identity, ethnicity, and class. But nonetheless, care is assumed to be a feminine trait. All in all, care ethics has a vigorous set of definitions and it can be understood in many different ways. It really can make you think of what is right or what is wrong on a daily basis. After learning about care ethics, it really makes me wonder about the ideal concept of it and what it means to me as an individual. Taking a look at the critiques of it, and whether or not you believe the critics or the philosophers who articulated it.

UK House Prices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

UK House Prices - Essay Example Any government has the power to regulate the economy of a country and not only does it regulate the economy, it has a vital role to ensure that the economic condition remains stable. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that all the aspects of economy maintain a stable level so that the country can grow and expand. Government regulates many things in an economy including inflation, exports and imports, prices of many vital commodities, and also property prices to a large extent. Government of England has entrusted the job of determining the monetary policy, in the hands of Bank of England. Bank of England looks into many other big issues. One of the most important issues is that of ensuring monetary stability in the economy, which can be achieved through a combination of stable prices of goods and services across the economy coupled with a low inflation level and level of confidence of the investors in the currency of the country. The Bank comes out with the monetary policy in order to ensure a certain key objectives like, delivering price stability with a low inflation level coupled with an objective to support the Government's economic objectives of growth and employment. Price stability is taken care of, by the Government's usual inflation target of 2%. There is a need to contemplate the crucial and critical role played by price stability in achieving the aforesaid economic stability, and in providing just the right conditions for a sustainable and longe r living growth in output and employment. (How Monetary Policy Works) Inflation is a very sensitive concern that is one of the major economic factors and is generally impacted by the prices of different articles prevailing in an economy. For example, any increases in oil prices is expected to feed through into inflation over the next few years, and the gap between the value of imports and exports is growing to record levels, prompting expectations of a decline in the value of sterling, which is a welcome sign for the exporters but will hit the importers, as they will have to shell out more money for importing their raw materials leading to a further increase in inflation. Any decision is taken after considering the condition of the whole economy and all sections of the society at large and there are several other methods to tackle the prices of properties, but it will always be better to increase the rates at a slower but steady pace, rather than giving a monetary shock. Rising Inflation, if not tackled properly and at the right time may create a cycl e, wherein the inflation keeps rising due to no change in interest rates. Factors Influencing Property Prices in UK Assessing the price of a property is not an easy job, there are three main methods besides the economic factors that determine value, namely "Comparable Sales Method", "Income Approach" and the "Cost Approach" (Property Valuation for Home Buyers), but these methods are just a tool for a prospective seller to determine the price of the house they are going to sell and this price definitely influences the price at, which the transaction actually takes place. Let us now analyze how the concept of value plays a role in determining the prices and what

Euthanasia Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Euthanasia - Term Paper Example Burgess (2005) explained the conditions that enable natural selection: 1) Genetic variation must be present to propel evolution, where the root is â€Å"random mutation† that pertains to the DNA making copying errors during cell division; 2) Nonrandom selection of genetic changes happen because of the adaptive needs of surviving in the environment; and 3) Organisms have mechanisms that pass these changes from one generation to the next through a â€Å"self-copying DNA molecule† (p.5). Hence, the basic foundation of evolution is genetic diversity. Euthanasia can be studied from an evolutionary perspective, in that it can either support or oppose it, depending on whose thinking and principles are involved (Stewart-Williams, 2010, p.269). The evolutionary perspective can provide justifications for it, or rejection of its fundamental proponents’ assumptions and arguments (Persaud, 2007, p.340). When searching keywords in â€Å"euthanasia,† â€Å"evolution*,â €  and â€Å"anthropology,† in EBSCO database and Google, however, it becomes apparent that not many studies focus on examining euthanasia from an evolutionary perspective. ... The writer of the paper has heard of friends and distant family members, whose elderly or very sick relatives called for euthanasia. None of them admitted, however, of approving such requests, because they thought that euthanasia is inhumane and against their personal and religious beliefs. They did not think that it was right to take another person’s life, no matter how much that person wanted it. They assert that life is sacred and that even suffering is not enough reason to support euthanasia. The writer wants to further understand the evolution of these beliefs using relevant articles, especially tracing back euthanasia practices in ancient times. Thus, the main rationale of conducting the study is to respond to the literature gap and to further study a personal concern regarding the evolution of beliefs in and practices of euthanasia. Preliminary Review of Literature Euthanasia generally refers to the taking of someone’s life after the express request of the latter , with the main purpose of ending suffering and pain. Today, there are two kinds of euthanasia, which has its variations: active and passive euthanasia. Passive euthanasia refers to removing the life support of a person, and allowing nature to take its course for the dying patient. Some examples are removing respirators or stopping medicine provision. Active euthanasia, on the contrary, consists of direct action, usually through a doctor. Several examples are administering lethal injection or giving medicine that can hasten death. Some forms of active euthanasia may involve relatives of the patient who approve of euthanasia because the latter is no longer conscious for a long time and may have no hope of being awake again. Active euthanasia may

Construction Law - Subcontracts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Construction Law - Subcontracts - Essay Example This paper examines various clauses of the Sub-contract and their level of compatibility with the Construction Act 2009 and the Joint Contracts Tribunal rules. The enactment of the Construction Act 1996 on 1st May 1998 made it the sole regulatory mechanism for all construction contracts (Evans, 2005; Teichmann, 2011).   The law was intended to handle issues in the construction industry relating to payments for completed construction projects and the then rampant cases of prolonged and costly legal disputes that were bringing construction activities at the sites to a near standstill. In the Act, different stakeholders in the building industry now reached a consensus about the various provisions which sought rationalize payment issues and establish a new way of resolving disputes that would keep construction projects going on throughout the duration of seeking resolutions to conflicts.  Adjudication was the new dispute resolution mechanism which was brought into the 1996 Construction Act. The Construction Acts are limited to regulating construction contracts only.  Sinden et al (2012) have noted that a construction contract is a working arrangement between two parties with for purposes of implementing construction activities.  In general, construction operations encompass erecting, altering, renovating, servicing, extension or bringing down of any buildings, constructions or works (Lynch, 2013; Evans, 2005).  This broad definition of construction works also includes piping and electrical installations, drainage networks and tunnels, clearing the debris from the site, landscaping and applying finishing touches like painting and decorations among others. In light of these definitions, this sub-contract is well within the confines of a construction project. Owing to the applicability of the Construction Act 1996 to contacts formed in writing, this Sub-Contract was conceived within the law (Teichmann, 2011). Nonetheless, the Construction Act 2009

The creation of Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Essay - 1

The creation of Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) - Essay Example The commission ought to carry out educational campaigns across the various departments of the firm on the importance of safety practices.1 The members of the safety commission have to research continuously on safety measures and emerging health issues. The committee has to cooperate with a companys customers in order to obtain and act on complaints raised by consumers concerning the firms products. In order to do this, the commission tests the products on a random sample basis, analyze the results, and make inferences and deductions on the appropriateness of the product. Further, the commission develops alternatives and solutions in order to achieve consumer protection. The Consumer Product Safety Commission must develop a mission statement to give the commission a sense of direction. The commission draws and properly labels the groups organizational chart and clearly defines every members duties and responsibilities. The composition of the safety committee should have a representative from each department in the organization2. The board appoints a chairperson who will be responsible for presiding over meetings. The appointment of the secretary and vice-chair is similar to that of the chairperson. The chairperson as the head of the committee will discharge duties such as formulating the agendas of the meetings, to oversee orderly meetings, make follow-ups on recommendations and to link management to the commission3. The vice-chair will assume leadership in instances where the chairperson is absent during meetings. The secretary of the commission takes minutes of every meeting convened and disseminates information to every member appropriately4. The commission shall agree on the frequency of meetings whether quarterly, monthly or weekly as circumstances will deem it fit. The safety commission should draft a policy that will guide it in proper selection and recruitment of members.

Anishinnabe study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Anishinnabe study - Assignment Example One of the steps of colonization was identified as being denial and withdrawal. The colonizers deny the availability of cultural and social beliefs for the indigenous people. The second step was denial or eradication. The colonizers destroy any representation of the local people. The third step is denigration of the existing cultural practices by establishing their structures and social systems in the colony. The fourth step is tokenism of the colonial remnants who survive the onslaught of the colonizers. Finally, there is transformation and exploitation. The traditional culture that refuses to die is transformed into the dominating culture of the colonial society The Indian act emerged from the consolidation of the Gradual Enfranchisement Act of 1869 and the Gradual Civilization Act 1857 in 1876. One of the changes in the Indian Act is the ban of Potlatch that was a ceremony of the coastal first Nations in the west. Another change is the 1951 amendments which enacted after the Second World War. The atrocities of the war were most effective on the aboriginal people in Canada. Another change on the Act was Bill C-31 and gender discrimination which aimed to minimize gender bias. According to Johnson, treaties were the instruments that gave Europeans the rights to share resources, build relationships and settle among the natives. He discussed issues of justice system, political divisions, reconciliation law and reconciliation among