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Social classes and behavior
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Socialization is the process by which people learn how to behave in society. At the very initial stage, a newborn individual is molded in such a way that he would interact with surrounding people keeping in consideration the expectations and social values of a culture in mind. With time and growth, a person comes to know about the social class he/she belongs to. In our society, we could see that there are some social classes that divide us into certain groups i.e. poor, middle class and the elite class. According to the researches, people always feel comfortable within the class they belong to. It is important for all the individuals to know the basics on which social classes are being created. According to Karl Marx, income inequality is the mean cause that categorized people into certain social classes. The parting line between the “Haves and have nots” makes them aware about restrictions and ways they have to socialize with others. Mainly it teaches them about the group of people with whom they have to social. A person sees which type of people his parents interact more and following them he/she is going to interact with some kind of people. According to other researchers race and ethnicity are other key factors that teach people about social restriction and social groups. Race from with a person belongs teach him about certain social norms that make him/her different from the rest. One finds it easy to communicate with those who share the same norms and values. People believe that members of the group or the social class he/she belongs to would understand him better than others as they have more commonalities among them.
I think the above-mentioned factors are the main causes why people are being categorized. They are being taught by their surrounding people about their class. I believe that financial conditions and surrounding people are the driving forces that let a person know his/her social class. Family is the first social institute that teaches one about his/her identity. Family is the institute that teaches one about the behavior. With time, a child starts learning about his social identity. We took our parents as our first teacher or guide who make some rules and restrictions for us. Abiding by the rules being made by our parents let us know who we are, what our boundaries are and these boundaries include our social circle (friends, colleagues an people we usually interact with). It has generally been seen that we follow the footsteps of our parents and accompany by the people who are socially and culturally like us (Afonso,et,al,2019). We feel comfortable interacting with people who are like us. According to most of the sociologists, a person’s class is defined by education, occupation level, family impacts, and income etc.
This fact cannot be denied that a person also engages himself/herself with a social class that his/her parents interact with the most. I have personally experienced this that parents influence the social behavior of a child. Bing a member of the working class, like my parents I have always found myself being surrounded with middle-class relatives and friends. Almost all of my friends are from a mediocre family.
It is a fact that we socialize with the kind of people our parents socialize with. For example, a child from elite class would feel happy while interacting with members of the same social class. Similarities and difference are the other main factors that make us aware of the social class we belong to. One of the best examples that I have ever seen is of my friend who belongs to a mediocre African family. His social interact has been shaped by his surroundings and especially by his family. In simple words, it won’t be wrong to say that age, race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality and religion are the main factors that shaped up his personality. In most of the cases, he restricts himself considering which social class he belongs to and which background he came from. He used to confine himself and his actions by keeping his social group is considering (Ntim,et,al,2019, p. 29-39). He wanted to be surrounded by people of his ethnicity and social class. Rarely, he makes friends out of his race. He does not feel comfortable in the presence of elites who makes him feel that he is someone odd one out. Like his parents, he loves to be surrounded by middle-class people and people who are socially and culturally like him. Taking a look at the social behavior of my friend, I would say that we are being trained by the two major social institutes i.e. family and society.
Another thing that I observed is that some factors force people to deviate from the normal path. These factors include education, thirst for economic stability, and an instinct to do something extra-ordinary that has not been done by your social class. Deviating the normal path is mainly for changing the history that has been followed by the rest of the members of a social class. Karl Marx’s theory of inequality could be seen as the major driving force that forces people to deviate the normal path. Karl Marx believes that for understanding the behavior of an individual, it is important to consider his/her economic conditions and social class they belong to, as both these factors greatly influence the behavior of an individual.
So as a whole, it could be promulgated that the social class position of a person is being defined by his/her surroundings. His parents are the main institute who must be held responsible for the social behavior he/she shows. Parents teach him how to interact and with whom.
References
Ntim, S., & Manu, M. O. (2019). Delinquent Behaviour as Dissociation between Prescribed Aspirations and Socially Structured Avenues: The Case of Stronger Social Bonding and Secure Attachments. International Journal of Applied, 9(1), 29-39.
Afonso, S. (2019). Universal tumor screening for lynch syndrome: investigation of patient reported distress levels(Doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh).
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