Every person is a member of the society. People interact with each other and in such a way they create their social understanding of the world and people in it. Social groups that surround us define our ways of communication and understanding of social rules and my personality is not an exception.
I would give a following list of the groups that influence me:
Family.
Friends.
Peers.
Community.
Media.
My family has been the first group of people that has established for me social rules and norms. My Mom and my Dad are my role models for communication. I have always looked upon my Mother’s ability to be patient and happy with everything that my Dad does. Their behavior has become my role model that I am applying in real life.
The second group that has been defining my social rules is my friends. People say that you behave just as five people with whom you spend most of your time. I can only agree with this statement. I have noticed that I behave the same way as my friends. For example, it is rarely that me and my friends are arguing. It is the same in my family. Therefore, I am a very peaceful person in the interaction with other people.
Also, my school environment defines me as a person. Sometimes I take over the behavior of other students in class. However, I find it highly inappropriate to interrupt the professor or to eat during the class. It does not matter to me if the other students do so. I still believe that there are certain social norms that cannot be violated even though someone else does so.
Community is a defining factor. I have lived throughout my life both in big cities and small towns. i have noticed that the pace of life in big cities is much more faster than in a smaller towns. Therefore, when I come to small towns I tend to be more polite and slower with the pace of life that I lead. However, when I live in a big city, I notice that people are not as polite. So I become less polite myself.
Media takes the last place on the list. First of all, I do not watch a lot of TV or read newspapers or magazines. However, I know that media shapes people’s opinions about many issues. However, I believe that media does not have a great influence on my personal socialization with the others. Also, I have to admit that I have a friend who believes everything that she is being told on TV. She can also be obsessed with a certain TV show and want to become one of the character on this show.
In conclusion, I would like to say that there are many different factors that can shape a person’s understanding of social norms. Different groups of people have influence on our social skills. However, every person defines his or her own priorities in this area. As for me, my family and friends mostly create the example of social norms for me that I am following in my life. However, there are people who are being influenced by the other groups. Although, people need to analyze what social norms they have to oblige and follow in their lives.
