I Need To Write A One Page For Each Question Essays Example

3 Sociology Essay Questions
1. Given that Paraphilias are informally broken into two categories: coercive and non-coercive, do you believe we should eliminate the non-coercive paraphilias as sexual disorders and only keep those that are or can be coercive under the category of Sexual Disorders?
I believe that either paraphilia should be kept as a disorder into the category of sexual disorders, which includes both categories, coercive and non-coercive paraphilia, or both should be taken out of the that categorization. I believe so because the underlying condition which leads to sexuality outside of the norm of what is deemed normal, is the same regardless as to the form of it’s expression. Separating one as a disorder and one as not would be on par with taking a condition like schizophrenia and separating it into two categorizaitons, those who harm others and those who do not, and classifying those who do not harm others as not suffering from a mental disorder. Regardless of the manifestation of the condition, the underlying condition is the same.
What leads to a paraphiliac being coercive or non-coercive has less to due with the underlying condition and is more a function of other aspects of the person’s personality, such as self-control, history of violence, and their individual temperament. Sexuality for many people is not static, and different people fall on different ends of the spectrum. Biology and environment all play a role in determining a person’s sexual orientation. Most people are fortunate enough to have sexual desires which fall in line with the society deems as normal and legal. People with a disordered sexual orientation, as defined by the society, are not to blame for their condition, but are held to the standards of what is legally permissible. Violations of this, while they stem from what is arguably a mental condition, do not let people off the hook. In summary, paraphilia is a term applied to a broad range of conditions, but those conditions should be looked at in a vacuum and not weighed against what is legal to determine whether or not they should be categorized as mental conditions.
2. Since many disorders have either drugs (alcohol is considered a drug instead of a beverage) involved as a part of that disorder (abuse, dependency), what do you see as the best approach to treatment of these individuals? Currently we are using a criminal approach and/or a medical approach and/or a psychological (psychiatric) approach. (Note: 40% of criminals in state prison have drug involvement in their case.)
In the United States, we have a problem. We have 25% of the world’s prison population but only 5% of the world’s population. It comes as no surprise then that 40% of the prison population ended up incarcerated because of, or partly because of, a substance abuse problem. When it comes to illicit substances, such as marijuana, cocaine, or heroine, our system views individuals users as engaging in criminal activities for which the legal system punishes rather than viewing them as individuals with a mental health disorder who need treatment. Other systems, such as Brazil and Portugal’s system does just the opposite. They have their system structured to view individual users as needing mental health services instead of jail time. From what I have read about the outcome of implementing systems like this, it is arguably more effective then the US system.
The mere fact that we have so much of our population locked away, is proof enough that the current system of locking people who are using illegal drugs, or who commit crimes while engaging in addictive behavior is not working. Conditions like substance abuse are more difficult to see past than a condition like, say, cancer. But in the end, they share more similarities than one would initially see. The central consideration is one of choice. Our system punishes people who make the wrong choices. A chronic user of heroine, if caught by the police with the drug on them, will be seen by the system as someone who is making an illegal choice that they should be punished for. But from a clinical psychology perspective, it is the drug, not the user, who is really in control. Our criminal justice system should be structured to deal with that reality.
3. When should we begin treatment for gender disorders or should we move to consider the category of transgender as another or a transitional category of sex/gender? There are tribes (cultures) which have a third category of sex for these transgendered individuals.
With the same sex marriage debate still raging in political circles, this question is an issue that we as a culture and country should be having an open dialogue about today. Gender, is a societal construct. Different cultures assign different roles. Historically, there are cultures, some very successful in which gender was understood as very different than it is today. It was not uncommon for heterosexual Greek males, some the rulers of their country, to engage in homoerotic relationships with other men. This makes the case for gender and sexuality as being part of a dynamic interaction between nature, nurture, culture and environment.
Our society, as we progress and move to recognize the rights of individuals who have a different sexual orientation as the norm, should not rush to impose categories of sex and gender. We certainly should move to consider a third category of sex/gender that is distinct from the traditional male/female. Those in power today, most of them belong to one of the former categories. But those in power should have the sagacity to recognize that they should impose a gender on others, but instead leave it up to the individuals to discover and assign themselves a gender.