The butterfly effect is a concept indicating that minor causes may have vast effects. It is best explained in Chaos theory by Edward Lorenz where he derives the concept from the exact time a hurricane is formed and the path it takes during its occurrence under the influence of a minor change such as a distant butterfly previously flapping its wings for several weeks. While studying the behavior of his weather model he noted that a very minor change in the initial conditions had resulted to a considerably different outcome. As a result, butterfly effect concept is the subtle dependence on conditions that are primary where small changes in the condition of a deterministic non-linear structure may lead to a major difference in a condition to be later incurred (Hawthorne, 2005).
An example of the butterfly effect concept is exhibited in the video games played today. In these video games sole or numerous choices in the entire game may change the way the game is supposed to end. The effect has also been reviewed in quantum physics as well as semi-classical physics with some researchers arguing that extreme necessity on the preceding conditions is not to be anticipated in pure quantum treatment with other researchers suggesting that it is possible to view the butterfly effect in quantum systems during the development of quantum systems with minor differences in Hamiltonians where the quantum systems are subjected to experiments to determine their sensitivity in relation to small changes made to their respective Hamiltonians.
Significance of social imagination when viewing social problems and/ or issues
Social imagination is a method of approaching social problems that involves the perception of different situations or predicaments in a much wider social scope. It involves answering sociological questions by thinking away from the normal familiar daily life routines and approaching it from a different perspective. It is a term used in the sociology discipline which was developed by an American psychologist, Wright Mills, in 1959. He described it as a having a vivid sentience of the connection between personal experience and the wider society. This approach to sociology has held great relevance over the years especially in reconciling the concepts of individual reality and social reality.
Social imagination holds great significance in combating the social problems that we experience in the society today. It discourages a specialized approach in the study of sociology and instead advocates for a much wider perspective in the application of sociology. When it comes to social problems, this technique recognize that the individual problems we often face in our daily lives are actually rooted in the issues that stem from aspects of the society. This suggest that members of the society cannot entirely blame their own personal and moral failings for the difficulties they are faced with and that this problems are not theirs alone.
Given this, social imagination allow people to make sense of the changes in the society as well as their cause and consequences to be able to deal with them appropriately. As argued by mills, the main goal of this approach was to convert personal problems into public concerns for a more adept understanding (Mills, 1959). Also, it recognizes that some of the social incidents taking place now may be linked impersonal historical forces. This way, individuals are able to connect their impersonal issues such as poverty and identify their roots which are often linked to the structure of the society.
Feminization of poverty and the relevance of the term today
Feminization of poverty is a concept that explains the norm which suggest that women make up a disproportionate percentage of the poor population globally. As such, it predispositions the changes in the global poverty levels against women or households that are headed by women. It is a term that first gained popularity in 1978, when a researcher, Diana Pearce, saw that many women were within the United States were struggling with poverty. It gained global recognition as the burden borne by women due to poverty increased especially in developing countries.
This phenomenon manifests itself I may different ways and is cause by several factors. Its causes lie mainly the kind of societal and government structures present in the word today. The norm is mostly associated with the lack of adequate income within households that are headed by women as well as fixed gender roles within the society. However, feminization of poverty is not only a result of inadequate income, it also suggests a high level of deprivation of opportunities as well as biases in gender, in this case, the female gender. These opportunities may be in terms of education and/or employment.
Today, feminization of poverty is a term that serves many purposes. First, it explains the bias against women in terms of opportunities that is present in the society. Also, it seeks to recognize create awareness of the economic disparity as well as the socioeconomic issues that are faced by women around the world (Gimenez, 1987). This is important since as the population of women who are burdened by poverty rises globally, it becomes necessary to examine the diverse factors that have a proverbial effect on the level of poverty amongst the female population round the world.
Works Cited
Gimenez, M. E. "The Feminization Of Poverty: Myth Or Reality?". Critical Sociology 14.3 (1987): 5-30. Web.
Hawthorne, Susan. The Butterfly Effect. North Melbourne, Vic.: Spinifex, 2005. Print.
Mills, C. Wright. The Sociological Imagination. New York: Oxford University Press, 1959. Print.
