Self Portrait

Who Am I?

     The following is a portrait of who I perceive myself to be at this moment, whether or not this is how others perceive me, I cannot say, but ultimately the only perception that truly matters is my own. I re-enrolled in college two semesters ago, after a fifteen year break. During that time, I married, (much too young, at eighteen) had a child with that husband, divorced after four years, and after some time as a single mom, married my current(and final)husband, with whom I share another child.  My husband and I own our own business, a small construction company, which allows me the flexibility and financial means to attend school, for which I am extremely thankful.
 
     My college experience this second time around is vastly different than when I first attended right after high school graduation. At that time, I wasn’t interested in school at all; to me college seemed more of an obligation than a privilege. I was more interested in going out “clubbing” than I was interested in learning. This time around I appreciate the opportunity so much more; I’m like a sponge, eager to soak up all the knowledge I possibly can.  It saddens me when I see some of the younger students in my current classes have much the same attitude as I did at their age, not appearing to care or put much effort into their learning experience. I feel like shaking them and telling them, “Pay attention! This is your life, don’t waste it! If you’re going to come to class make the most of it! Don’t let your future slip away by wasting your college years, drinking, doing drugs and clubbing; life is about so much more than those things that seem so important right now.”

     So, besides being married with two kids, working in our family business, being back in college after an extended break, who am I? That’s not all that makes me, me is it? I hope not.  I am someone who wants to experience every moment to the fullest.  Some things I enjoy in life are: the sun, reading mystery novels and non-fiction related to neurology, cheering for my kids as they play on their sports teams or perform on stage, flying across the surface of the ocean in our boat,  eating good food, experiencing the beauty of nature, photography, Dove milk chocolate, being in a place where there is complete silence, painting water-colors, driving by myself-75 miles per hour in my convertible with the top down and music blasting,(late 80’s early 90’s mostly, think Beastie Boys and Tribe Called Quest, to freestyle like Debbie Deb) going to the beach, yoga, scrabble, Sudoku, live theater, opera, art museums, going to the movies, being pampered at the spa, but what I like most is laughing and making others laugh with me.

     Looking at myself at a deeper level, my core values, or what is most important to have in myself and find in others with whom I choose to spend time are: honesty, kindness, dependability, a strong work ethic, determination, curiosity, a sense of humor, playfulness, adventure, and a positive outlook.  If I am able to complete the following list during my life, I will have met all my goals. Wish me luck.

1.    Work to keep my relationship with my husband strong, so we will continue to stay connected and enjoy living life with each other throughout the years as we grow old.

2.    Love, encourage, and guide my kids to believe in themselves, and grow into well adjusted, productive members of society. Keep our family relationship strong throughout the generations.

3.    Continue my college education through the doctoral level in the field of neurology, but always keep         learning, no matter the degree I achieve.

4.    “Pay it Forward” and inspire others to do the same.

5.    Travel the world to experience different cultures, taking photographs, painting and writing about the trips    along the way.

6.    Stay present and appreciate each moment as if it were the last.

      Well, that about sums it up, who I am, who I want to be, and what I want out of life. I have learned and experienced many things these past thirty-four years, and I am excited about living the rest of my life, moment by moment.

Groups

QUESTION #1
    I found the results of the experiment described in the assigned article, “If Hitler Asked You to Electrocute a Stranger, Would You? Probably” somewhat surprising, and definitely disappointing. When I think of Americans as a group, obedience is not the first characteristic that comes to mind, though perhaps my perception is colored by my personal upbringing.     I was raised by a single working mother, and grew up watching her be very outspoken, unafraid to dissent from any “group think” type situation, so challenging other peoples’ ideas comes naturally to me. My mother has a fondness for advertising her personal beliefs via bumper stickers on her car; two particular bumper sticker slogans I remember are the following: “Question Authority” and “You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists.”  In my opinion, these two statements express the core beliefs of why America was founded, and thus the results of Milgram’s experiment sadden me, to learn just how far Americans have diluted these concepts is disappointing. Since Milgram’s experiment was conducted in the 1960’s, I wonder if the results would differ at all if conducted in our current year of 2010.    
    To answer the assignment, I have determined that I am a part of the following social groups: church member, co-worker, family, student, and friend. The power of these social groups in my current life is in my opinion at a healthy level of influence.  I am unable to think of a recent specific example where as an adult I have been uncomfortable with the level of influence any group has had on me. As a teenager however, I chose to allow my close friends to have an overly significant amount of influence on the type of activities and behaviors I engaged in. At the time I wasn’t uncomfortable with their level of influence, but looking back, it definitely was not healthy, since I allowed their influence to guide me into many dangerous situations. However, to a certain extent, I believe this type of risk taking behavior is a natural part of adolescence, and fortunately I did not suffer any lasting consequences. Today, as an adult while I choose to respect authority, I also require myself to first question it, which I believe is the reason I am able to keep group influence in healthy perspective.

QUESTION #2
    Had I been born into an extremely rich family and been a member of the upper class, my experiences would have been vastly different than those of my reality. Instead of a poor Florida public school education I would have benefited from the best possible available private education.  This type of education perhaps would have kept me more engaged, and consequently I may have furthered my education immediately after high school, instead of as I am doing now, at the age of thirty-four.  A better education would have inspired me to work towards a specific career path instead of just being relieved to be done with high school, and consequently obtaining menial jobs that barely afforded me the salary to remain afloat.
    While I concede that monetary security is comforting and can provide some benefits, such as a good education, I do not think if given the opportunity I would choose to relive my childhood as a member of upper class society, but instead choose to be take a more proactive role in obtaining a better education, perhaps by seeking scholarships from better schools.  I believe because I grew up as part of the lower class, I was exposed to many more of the harsh realities of life that the majority of Americans encounter, as opposed to the relative absence of these situations as experienced by the sheltered upper class.  The exposure to those more unfortunate than myself instilled in me a sense of empathy, and a strong desire to help others.  As an adult, I have been exposed to many social situations where the majority of persons in attendance were of the upper class. While I have met a few people of the upper class that seemed “down to earth” and likeable, overall I personally have found those of the upper class to be pretentious, judgmental, and uninspiring.
QUESTION 3.
    I remember the shock I felt hearing the not-guilty verdict for the defendants in the Rodney King vs. Los Angeles Police Department trial and watching the ensuing L.A. riots on television; it was frightening. In preparation for this assignment I re-watched the video of Mr. King’s beating, along with a recent interview with Mr. King, and heard audio statements from interviews with several of the jurors of the case. Analyzing the King beating from the framework of the assigned, “ Police Accounts of Normal Force”, article leaves me with the same conclusion I had reached before reading the article, which is that the officers were clearly abusing their authority. 
    However, the article did provide some insight into how it was possible for the officers to be found not-guilty, purely due to semantics. The fact that police are endowed with the right to use force but aren’t given clear direction for its use in real life situations leaves the perfect opportunity for abuse of power. Our textbook defines legal force as coercion necessary to subdue, control, and restrain a suspect in order to take him into custody. The King beating video clearly demonstrates the officers continued to beat Mr. King after it is apparent he was more than “subdued”. Officers are able to relieve themselves of responsibility for any questionable conduct with the excuse that the behavior is due to emotional or physiological states precipitated by circumstances of work, such as car pursuit, as was the case with Mr. King, which is viewed as a challenge to their authority. Adding to the  murkiness of the necessary force dilemma, is the definition of normal force, defined as involving coercive acts that specific cops on specific occasions formulate as necessary or natural response of normal police to particular situational exigencies. That definition pretty much seals the deal, whatever the acting officer says is correct force is correct, evidence be damned. While I respect the police force and appreciate the men and women who are brave enough to work in this field, I cannot in any way condone, or accept as justifiable force the behavior exhibited by the officers in the King video.  It is clear the officers were out of control, and should have been stopped. In addition to the four officers who took part in the beating, I condemn all of the officers who stood by and watched, doing nothing to intervene. I wish at least one of the observing officers would have shared the sentiment of the following quotation given by an officer in our assigned article, “The only reason to go in on a pursuit is not to get the perpetrator but to pull the cop who gets there first off the guy before he kills him.”

Teens and Risk Taking Behavior

      As a mother of a thirteen year old girl, the assigned topic of adolescent risk taking is particularly engaging to me. It is always important to me that I submit well thought out class work, but in this instance, I have a much deeper drive to make sure I understand the issue fully.  My fear as a mother is that my daughter will become a part of the statistical percentage of teens that make the choice to cross the line that separates normal adolescent development type of experimentation behavior as an assertion of independence to that of engaging in serious risk taking activities.  Often, teenagers move through the world under the veil of their personal fable, which erroneously conveys to them a sense of invincibility.   According to the book, Adolescent Risk Behaviors, written by Drs. David Wolfe, Peter Jaffe, and Claire Crooks, the most common risk taking behaviors adolescents typically engage in are: the use and abuse of alcohol and drugs, school failure and dropping out, delinquency, crime, violence, and unsafe sexual practices. All of these behaviors could potentially impact the future mental and physical life of the teens, and some are dangerous enough to be life threatening.

     The authors examine the development of risk taking behaviors in the lives of adolescents and the connection between these behaviors and the influence of peer and family relationships in addition to physical, cognitive, and emotional factors. The strongest influence in determining on which side of the risk taking behavior scale the teens will fall appears to be the quality of relationship and sense of connection they feel with their school, family, peers, and community. It has been determined that risk taking behaviors almost always occur in the context of a relationship. The relationships are made up of interactions that shape the teens’ attitudes and provide a base from which they learn to make either safe or risk taking behaviors.

A recent advance in how adolescent risk taking behavior is understood is evidenced in the conclusion that many risk behaviors are interconnected, directly contradicting the previous understanding of adolescent behavior, which was that each risk taking behavior issue was independent of every other.  A possible strategy for reduction and prevention of teen high risk taking behavior is offered in the book, Adolescent Risk Behaviors.  The authors assert that while there have long been government and social agencies assigned to provide programs for at risk adolescents, due to funding and mandate[s], the agencies are often limited to addressing one risk taking behavior issue, pulling the focus from youth as a whole, to instead be more problem focused.  The proposed inclusive approach would provide the teens with knowledge about the dynamics of healthy relationships, provide them with growth opportunities, help them understand life’s challenges, responsibilities and how to develop the necessary skills to be successful in life. This approach would empower them in turn making them less vulnerable to, or accepting of the non-healthy examples of risk taking behavior they come into contact with daily.  While I agree that the authors’ plan is a very good idea, I don’t have the time to wait or help organize a program to be implemented in our community. My personal plan on how to keep, or at least minimize my teen from engaging in risk taking behavior, is simply to invest time into our relationship, spending much of that time talking with about her future life, helping her set and work toward achieving goals, encouraging her to stay on a positive track. Wish me luck!

Socilogy Research Post

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear the words, “common sense” is the American colloquialism regarding assumptions, “When you assume something, you make an ASS-of U &-ME.”  The validity of this saying is what makes it commonplace, as it is not only unwise to make assumptions, it is also unjust. I view the reliance upon common sense information in relation to the field of sociology, as similar to that of assumptions.  Common sense can be defined as, a form of knowledge not based on formal investigation, but instead, knowledge gained by ideas taken from our social circle mixed with abstractions from our own life experiences.   Though at times common sense information is true, many times it is also inaccurate, since one individual’s common sense is not necessarily the same as another’s, evidencing the issue of inadequacy as it applies to common sense.  The better way to verify information is by performing a method of sociological research to test the validity and accuracy of the information or ideas. 

According to society rape is a medicalized social problem, suggesting that rapists are psychologically damaged, and thus unable to control their behavior. I believe this illustrates the faulty use of “common sense”.  The assumption that rape is a medicalized social problem is in direct contradiction to empirical evidence that links sexual aggression to environmental variables, indicating it is learned behavior and not due to psychopathology. Additionally,  it has been determined that there is no consistent pattern to discriminate rapists from other groups of men, and the statistical frequency of rape  makes it doubtful that the act is committed by only a small psycho-pathological subset of society. In order to answer the question of why men rape, it is necessary to pose another question, “what do men gain from the act of rape?”  The overarching reason for why men rape, appears to be the cultural promotion of sexual aggression as rewarding. Additional motivators or factors have proved to be; revenge, punishment, domination, control and even male camaraderie, as is the case in gang rape scenarios.  In some instances of rape victims are viewed not as an individual person, but instead are objectified as commodities, or seen as a category representative of all women, all of whom are deserving of punishment.  Conversely, victims are also used as substitutes for a specific woman in the rapist’s life on whom he wishes to enact revenge.  In the case of “date rape” what the rapist gains is conquest of what was not offered, to him a justifiable means of compensation.  Sexual access has also been determined a factor in why men rape.  Victims are deliberately chosen due to the belief that in “normal” circumstances the victim, being of higher status, would not be attracted to him, as is the case of some interracial rapes, also a sad reflection of our society’s contemporary racism.   Rapists have described the violations they perpetrate against women as having a positive impact on their own feelings, likely due to the success of domination and control of the victim. Scully and Marola end their article re-framing the original question to instead ask men who do not rape, why they don’t.  Personally, I believe men that do not rape, probably do not find sexual aggression exciting, and also likely have a strong respect for women in general, possibly due to a good maternal, or other female authority relationship, and the benefit of growing up with healthy male role modeling.

Of the six types of sociological research methods, those that would most appeal to me personally are secondary analysis and experimental research.  Secondary analysis involves using data from previous research conducted by other sociologists, and studying it for correlative aspects. This method of research seems like the researcher starts out with an advantage, much of the work has already been done.  The second method, experimentation, is very rare for sociologists to use, due to the possibility of harm to subjects, and the general desired focus of sociology lying in broad features of society.  Experimentation research is conducted for the purpose of identifying cause and effect relationships. In order to measure the occurrence of change, before starting the experiment the researcher must measure the dependant variable, and again after the introduction of the independent variable. The experimentation process involves the division of the subject population into two groups, the experimental group, which is to be introduced to independent variables, those factors that are changed, and the control group, which is not to be exposed to the independent variables.   This research method answers the experiment hypothesis statement by studying the cause and effect relationships.  Changes (the effect of the relationship) in the dependent variable, those factors that are changed, are due to what the experimental group was introduced to, the independent variable, (the cause of the change).

Elder Abuse

It stands to reason that the more time and money we commit to something, the more value we place on it.  Unfortunately, if we look at the issue of America’s elderly in this regard, the implication is that the elderly are not valued.  Instead of being revered for wisdom gained through years of life experience, often times the elderly are treated as an annoying obligation, and worse, they are often abused by those entrusted to their care.  Since values determine the parameters of behavior that is considered socially acceptable, this does not speak well of America’s value system.

     It is estimated between 1 and 2 million Americans aged 65 or older have been hurt, exploited, or mistreated by someone they depend on for care. Elder abuse can take various forms such as, financial, physical, neglect, and psychosocial. Of these types, the latter is the commonest.  Ironically, statistical information indicates while American’s life expectancy length continues to rise, overall health and disability continue to worsen.  The resulting frailty of the elderly and their dependence on the help of family members or care givers leaves them vulnerable to the potential abuse from those providing support, and thus is a risk factor for various forms of abuse.  

Isolation from community and forms of mental instability, such as dementia, are key risk factors in elder abuse, in both the family care home environment, and residential facilities.  When a dependent person is isolated from community, it makes detection of the abuse nearly impossible, whereas, the existence of social relationships can provide a level of protection in preventing abuse.  Additional risk factors include, depression experienced by either caregiver and/or dependent, dependent’s denied victimization, and stress experienced by caregivers.  Furthermore, in a living residential facility additional risk factors for abuse have been identified as, institutional regimen, improper work organization, selection of unqualified employees, and understaffing. 

In order to help ensure the safety of this population, some key proponents are increased public awareness, with easy access to information and services for victims of elder abuse, support groups for family caregivers, enabling a reduction in their stress level, along with stricter requirements for residential facility care givers, such as mandatory background screening of employees. Social work professionals, gerontologists, service providers, the law enforcement community, and the general public must be aware of and vigilant to the warning signs of abuse and equally as important, they must know where to turn for help. A first step would be to contact the National Center on Elder Abuse/NCEA (www.ncea.aoa.gov ) to obtain information on local reporting laws, and local assistance available.

Sadly, Americans somehow have become more selfish throughout the years, perhaps in part due to the capitalistic society that encourages greedy, selfish behavior.  While I believe individualism is good in a sense, it seems to have been taken to the extreme in modern society, the value of community has fallen by the wayside.  We need to recognize the importance of helping and caring for others, not just for the recipients benefit but for the providers as well.

Sociology Perspective Discussion Post

1. Explain your understanding of the field of sociology.

The field of Sociology encompasses the academic discipline centered on the scientific study of human behavior.  Sociology provides a framework for perspective on everything people do in life, and holds the stated purpose of furthering the understanding of other people and ourselves. Sociology is based on the concept that changes in social setting, or arrangement, affect behavior and consequently in order to change an undesirable or unacceptable behavior the social situation must first be changed.

2. Based on the lecture, discuss the origins of sociology.

The origins of sociology reach far back in history to the seventeenth century. New scientific discoveries by Galileo and Newton were the foundation for a change in how people thought and viewed the world.  This new thinking resulted in the emergence from the dark ages of superstition into the new light of the Age of Reason. This development of society also brought about a series of revolutions that caused much turmoil and death.  Scholars believed in order to predict or control this new society it was necessary to study it in a scientific manner.   The first of the three founding fathers of Sociology is Karl Marx, known for his historical approach to the study of society.  He held the perspective that the only way to look at society was through the Conflict Approach, which stated that conflict is natural, always was, always would be, and was necessary for society to function.  However, Marx also stated that the destruction of any society would be due to its own internal contradictions.  The second founding father of Sociology, Emile Durkheim is noted as the first professor of Sociology and credited with the institution of Sociology as a discipline.  Durkheim defined the perspective of Structural Functionalism as the belief that each of the many different institutions of society, such as family, religion, military, and law and order, held its own clear cut function.  He further asserted that the mutual dependency created by the division of labor between mutually hostile people in society was the catalyst for its functionality.  The final founding father of Sociology is Max Weber, credited with the perspective of Symbolic Interactionism, or Humanistic Sociology.  This perspective pulled the focus of study from solely observation of social facts, to an interpretative understanding brought about by getting closer to people and directly inquiring why they behaved in certain manners and circumstances.  


3. With the help of examples, explain the term "the sociological imagination".

C. Wright Mills, noted to be the greatest modern American Sociologist, put forth the concept of the sociological imagination which states that in order to understand society, one must understand life and society together.  Mills encouraged the quality of mind to look deeper into how the relationships between man and society, biography and history, self and world affect ones experience of life. According to Mills, there are three specific questions that must be answered in order to understand any society. The first addresses the type of structure of the society as a whole.  For example, due to the current structure of capitalism held by the U.S., it is one of a very few developed societies that does not provide health care to its people, effectively designating an individual’s health as a commodity, and thus level of care is determined by one’s ability to pay. Question two looks at the society’s standing in human history. With the U.S. again serving as example, we find its relative youth perhaps significant with age, accordant with level of wise judgment.

Mills final question addresses the varieties of men and women prevalent in the society and period, and the `human nature' as revealed by the conduct and character observed.  As a last example the U.S. due in part to the answers provided from the previous questions show instead of a healthy distance between the groups of industry, military, and government, a close intertwining in order to benefit each other, amassing a huge amount of power which has led to its corruption.

Middle Aged!

     Since I tend to approach issues primarily from a logical perspective, I researched the statistical prediction of my life expectancy, which was determined to be 77, meaning that my own personal “middle age” begins at age 38.5.  That statement just seemed wrong…very wrong…logic and statistical evidence be damned. My grandmother lived to age 90 and my grandfather to age 97, so I feel justified using them as a standard for my life expectancy, thus providing a mean of 93.5, making my middle age really to begin at 46.75…ah…much better. Using this same formula, middle age should last 23.75 years, with old age to begin at 70.12. This dictates that middle age begins for me just 13 years from now, which seems pretty soon.
  I expect my middle age years to be the best of my life. My youngest daughter will be graduating high school and starting her own journey into adulthood, and my oldest daughter will be well along on her journey. I imagine I may feel a little sad about our “empty nest”, but most likely I will feel more joy than sorrow. I very much look forward to my middle age years. I plan to use this time to travel the world, to see, learn, and experience different cultures.
The accomplishments I expect to have met by the onset of middle age are the same as what I hope to accomplish by then.  My main goal is to have properly prepared and raised my children to be well adjusted, productive members of society, who remain emotionally close to our family unit. Another goal I have and expect to achieve is to have helped grow our family construction business to the point where we will have a secure, comfortable economic situation for the middle age years and beyond. Additionally, I hope and expect to have furthered my education to the doctoral level.  Finally and most importantly, I hope and expect to have invested enough time, attention and love into my marriage that my husband and I continue to appreciate, value, honor, and enjoy each other as we grow into our old age years. Almost 9 years ago my husband sang the following song to me at our wedding ceremony before we exchanged vows, and I believe it sums up how we both feel about our future.
I wanna Grow Old With You
I wanna make you smile
Whenever you're sad
Carry you around when your arthritis is bad
All I wanna do, is grow old with you

I'll get you medicine when your tummy aches
Build you a fire if the furnace breaks
So, it could be so nice growing old with you,....

I'll miss you, Kiss you
Give you my coat when you are cold
Need you
Feed you
Even let you hold the remote control.

So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink
Put you to bed when you've had too much to drink
Oh I could be the man that grows old with you
I wanna grow old with you.