Human Behavior: Social Movements
For the past decades, there has been an explosion of empirical and theoretical writings on the nature of social movements and their role in defining human behavior. In an attempt to discuss the subject, important researches are being conducted in different disciplines such as sociology, psychology, communications, history, and communication. The field and subject of social movement are thriving and as a result, diverse groups from various disciplines are giving out their contributions. The purpose of this essay is three fold; to provide a summary of the vignette’s key points as related to the social movements it represents, discuss the effects of the identified social movements on the individual described, and provide a summary of service methods that be used to support this person.
Summary of the Vignette
The pamphlet provides a case study of Carole, a twenty-five-old white female, who was faced with life issues. Carole’s story portrays how the influence of formal organizations and social structure contributes significantly to an individual’s behavior. As indicated, Carole grew up in the lower-middle-class family in the small town known as the Midwest. At the age of 17, Carole dropped out of school and began hanging out with a group of teens who were frequently in trouble with the law. Carol began smoking marijuana, drinking daily, and taking prescription pain medication. After she turned 18 years, Carole parents asked her to leave. Carol became angry and felt betrayed by her parent. Carole did not have any place to land to despite being given by her parents $100 to support herself. As a result, Carole managed to get an accommodation from her friend and often she ate 99% hamburgers.
The young girl began providing sexual favors for money to support her drug and drinking habits. At the age of 25 years, Carole discovered that she was pregnant. Because of bitterness she had with her parents, Carole did not contact her parents concerning the pregnancy. Carole discontinued from providing sexual favors, but occasionally smoked marijuana and cigarettes. One day, Carol noticed that she was bleeding. She wanted to see a doctor but she could not access the health care because she did not have the resources. In the middle of her pregnancy, Carole began having contractions and returned to the emergency room. She delivered a premature baby boy who had multiple complications such as feeding difficulties, blindness, and respiratory problems.
There are various factors related to the social movements that one can identify when reading the above case study. For instance, the social behavioral perspective may view Carole’s behavior as influenced by the interactions with her friends and social movements occurring in the environment. As indicated, Carole interacted with friends who often engaged into drugs abuse and alcoholism and as a result, this influenced her behavior. Karl Marx was an influential figure in sociology who left a remarkable legacy in his research on social movements. Marx believed that social movements develop from basic economic and social relations to initiate change in the society (Hutchison, 2010). The theorist focused attention on how an individual would engage in various activities to resist change, exploitation, and things occurring in the environment. This is evident in Carole case study in that, she was affected by her peer’s behavior and work environment.
Marx showed that social movements play a crucial role in defining human behavior (Walker, 2012).As argued in the case study; the young girl dropped out of school and began hanging out with bad company. Carole was rebellious and she was searching for identity from her peers. Additionally, Carole was resisting the counsel given by her parents to support herself. Things became worse when her parents told her to leave. Because of stress and frustration, Carole ate a lot of junk food, which in future would affect her health. From the case study, it is evident that Carole was resisting change and this caused her to exchange sexual favors for money.
The Effects of Social Movement
Mass society theory portrays that social movements occur when individuals unite to change some aspects of their social milieu (Wolf, 2007). Mass society theorists emphasize that most people who initiate social movements portrays some elements of cultural confusion and social heterogeneity (Casimir, McCormack, Djurkovic & Nsubuga-Kyobe, 2012). Thus, they are likely to riot and become violent. This is evident in the vignette’s case study in that, Carole was rebellious in life. Carole desired to initiate change in her immediate environment. For instance, she became angry and bitter when her parents told her to leave. Despite her parents viewing her as an adult, Carole believed that her parents had the rights to support her financially. This explains why she could not look for jobs to support herself.
When Carole left her parents, she was emotionally affected because she could not support her drug and drinking habits. Her environment and interactions pushed her to exchange sex for money and eventually she became pregnant and did not know who the father was. She became frustrated and lacked interest to interact with her parents. Carole delivered a premature baby who had multiple complications. She was uncertain of how to meet the needs of her baby.
Service Methods
The humanistic perceptive may be used to help Carole identify her purpose in life. The humanistic approach of Maslow and Rogers may be used to enhance personal growth in Carole’s life. The two theorists believed that personal growth and fulfillment of goals should motivate an individual to work hard and embrace every challenge that comes along. Through humanistic perceptive, Carole would change her mindset and look for ways to fulfill her dreams. Carole would realize that she had rebelled and thus, choose to start a new life. This approach would help her to avoid bad company. The developmental perspective would help Carole to change her behavior and become responsible in life. This would push her to look for jobs that would cater for her basic needs. This perspective would also help Carole to understand how she has gradually messed up with her life.
References
Casimir, G., McCormack, D., Djurkovic, N., & Nsubuga-Kyobe, A. (2012). Psychosomatic model of workplace bullying: Australian and Ugandan schoolteachers. Employee Relations, 34(4), 411-428.
Hutchison, D. E. (2010). Dimensions of human behavior: Person and environment. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE
Walker, E. T. (2012). Social movements, organizations, and fields: A decade of theoretical integration. Contemporary Sociology, 41(5), 576-587. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1041085110?accountid=45049
Wolf, J. P. (2007). Sociological Theories of Poverty in Urban America. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 16(1-2), 41-56.
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