The Definition of Sociology - Essay Example

Everyday Sociology, 2- Social Problem. Introduction Sociology is the study of human and social relations. In everyday life of a human being, he or she interacts with other people who are also part of the society. The relationships between people in the society matter a lot with the behavior one possess. Bad co-relation results to poor inter-relation and good moral character results to a stronger and inbuilt relationship. This will boost the growth of the society in the long run. How does sociology apply to everyday life? One essential and important study of sociology is the study of daily social life. Daily life and sociology are certainly two distinct terms and situations; however, they hold a dialectical connection. While sociology studies about human interactions, daily life consists of day by day human interaction. Daily life is permeated by human beings interacting with each other, institutions, ideas, and emotions. Sociology studies the relationships with all of these and shows how mere interactions yield into things like ideas and institutions. The sense that we have a daily life in comprising of patterns and streams of ways of existing is what sets a very basis for sociological study and witnessing in what we do, in order to appreciate ourselves better. I use sociology in many ways everyday. For example, when I interpret the people I meet and how I behave around them is one way of sociological life. The sociological concept includes cultures, which is the set of traditional rules, symbols that shapes, and are enacted as feelings, thoughts, and behavior of groups of people. These concepts include also language, which is a system of verbal symbols through which human beings communicate ideas, feelings, and experiences. This is applied in the daily life of human beings for easy communication. Values which are ideas people share about, for example bad, good, desirable, and undesirable are usually very general, abstract, and cut cross variations in the situation (Ellwood 11). Norms are concepts and behavior that constitutes the normality, behavioral rules, or standards for social interaction. This often derives from a value, but also contradicts all things that are applied in human co-relation in every day activities. Apart from culture, social organization is also one of the concepts of sociology that is applied in everyday life of human beings. Social organization includes social status, which defines niches and position of human beings in the society. Roles of human beings in the society have also to do with sociology. The last sociological concept is the social structure, which deals with patterns within culture and organizations, through which social action takes place; arrangement of roles, organizations, instruction, and cultural symbols that are stable over time, often unnoticed and change almost invisibly (Ellwood 29). Sociological theory There are some theories that have been outlined to explain how sociology applies in the everyday life. This includes the conflict theory, which stresses the role of coercion and power in delivering social order. This perception is derived from the work of Karl Marx, who perceived society as fragmented into units that compete for social and economic resources. Social order is sustained by domination, with power in the belonging to those with the greatest political, economic and social well-being (Ellwood 17). Section 2: Social Problem There are various social problems affecting the United States of America. They include; poverty, homelessness, drug addiction, and domestic violence Drug & Alcohol Addiction An approximated 12.8 million Americans, or almost six percent of the domestic population aged twelve and older, use prohibited drugs on a current foundation. This number of drug users has reduced by almost fifty percent from the 1979 high of twenty-five million. This is due to the decrease that represents extraordinary changes in conduct. Regardless of the dramatic fall, more than a third of all Americans aged twelve and older have tried an illicit drug. The drugs abused are marijuana or hashish, cocaine, and LSD. The reason behind this motive is that most Americans consider drug abuse as not being their problem, since there are misconceptions that drug users belong to a segment of society from their own or that drug misuse is remote from their surroundings (Ellwood 58). Use of drugs among the American citizens has resulted into much social effects on health and also crime increase. The health problem related to the misuse of drugs is as follows; chronic problems which are more on white and black Americans. The increase or spread of HIV/ AIDs is also as a result of misuse of drugs, since many people who engage in pre-sexual behavior are those who use drugs. Drug abuse has also resulted to the death of many victims. This is as a result of damaging of inner tissues of the body (Ellwood 39). On other side of social crime, drugs have increased crimes such as robbery, hire-jacking, among other social crimes. This has increased insecurity to the residents. The question behind this scenario is how these drugs are obtained and being accessed especially to the youths. The research reveals that most drugs are obtained through fraud ways, in that there are some people involved in the business of drug trafficking and sell them to the youths at affordable prices. This has increased more access of drugs to the youth (Ellwood 91). How the issue can be explored or solved Drug and alcohol addiction can be explored by educating the youth and other addicts on the effect of drugs to the society. This can be done through seminar organization by the health society, advertisement, and also crusades on the impact of drugs. In addition, the government should step in to regulate the manufacture and selling of drugs without any rules governing them. This will reduce misuse of the drugs among youths (Ellwood 20). Drug and alcohol addiction can be solved or explored via the enactment of policies to regulate the spread of drugs. For instance, the upper house of the United States of America proposed an enactment of the law that regulates the spread of drugs. This was passed by the senate that drugs that are unsubscribed by the manufacturer should be arrested. This has lessened drug trafficking since most recent scenarios have been controlled at a higher rate. Over the past years since the set of rules, at least 7 percent of drug reports have been reduced. The government of the U.S has also fought the spread of drugs by minimizing the factory manufacture of drugs such as tobacco, alcohol, among other dangerous dugs. This is done by invention of the special equipment that measures the level of alcohol. For instance, if the level of alcohol is beyond the recommended level, the victim is subjected to face the law (Ellwood 34). Apart from the government, mass media has also taken the initiative of enabling the control of drugs. They have been on the fore-front in advertising the consequences of misuse of drugs and also to give instructions and warnings to the consumers, for example, do not drink and drive or drink responsibility. This has reduced the level of drug consumption among the youths due to sensitization and gaining of knowledge of the negative side of drug misuse. Further, people at least have been very responsible in taking these drugs in that, there is a regulation in consumption of drugs. The efficiency of regulating drug addiction has resulted to liberal-minded societies and has increased the prosperity of the society in economical, political and social levels. Conclusion Sociology has many impacts in our daily life. Without sociology there is no good co-relationship among people in the society, hence everyone in the society should adhere to these co-values of sociology for the sake of creation of peace, love, and harmony in the society. Work Cited Ellwood, charles A. sociology and modern social problems. kindle edition, 2001. Read More