Socialization is an aspect of human life that entails people coming together and leaving as one. There are many things that come together to form the social life of an individual. These range from socialization aspects, religion, culture, education, status, and roles. All these fit into a social portrait that can best describe an individual in the sociological perspective. The family, education, culture and social class play a key role in shaping an individual socially.
I am a male of a mixed ethnicity, specifically from an Aboriginal father and an Indian mother. I am the first born in a family of four. I have one brother and two sisters. Both my parents were born in the country after my great grandparents moved to the United States of America back in the 1930s. My mother’s family focuses on businesses with many hotels that serve traditional Indian foods being their main line of work. On the other hand, my father’s side is into construction business where every son and daughter plays a role in running the business. This makes us a middle class family, as we have never struggled for much. Both families have enough to go by with my mother being a doctor and my father managing his family business. My parents have been in a better position to send my siblings and me to school and encouraged us to pursue career paths of our choice. As the eldest child in the family, I have various roles that come with this status. I have a duty to guide and act as a role model to my younger siblings. This entails acting in a mature manner and helping them solve problems. These responsibilities do not end here as I need to uphold the family values and traditions.
A person’s social class plays a key role in their upbringing, the opportunities, roles and statuses they assume later on in life. The challenges parents face while bringing up their children depends on their view on life. In my case, my parents believed in finding the intention for doing actions instead of using assumptions. They did not deal with the negative consequences of my actions, but rather put much focus on the reasons behind an action. Autonomy is part of my character, as my parents believed that being autonomous is the key to one being successful and independent in life. As such, my childhood was full of opportunities that warranted my siblings and I take on any chance that came our way to better our lives. This increased my sense and desire for self- achievement and evaluation to a completely new level. Being a middle class family has its advantages and its challenges. It gives the children the pleasure of getting leisure that those from lower class families lack. This gives one a chance to explore their strengths and use their hobbies to build their futures. My brother and I use this to our benefit and we try to help others by identifying new talents and using it to make their lives better.
In issues of education, I chose to attend college and pursue a major in computer programming. This is after having a good start education wise. My passion for computers and how technology is useful in transforming the world drew me to pursue a career in the field. The challenges that come with computer programming intrigues me as I try to master the field. This brings about different roles that I have to fulfill as a computer-programming student. These roles vary from having to wake up every morning to go to school to attend lectures, ensure that I complete my assignments and hand them in on time, study for exams and be on time for lectures and examination. I am passionate about studying and solving issues. I do not, however, forget that there are people who are not as fortunate as I am to have all the resources I need at my disposal (Rahman & Jackson 2010).
Being a child from a mixed ethnicity means that I have exposure to two different cultures that may be difficult to conform to. However, my family is content with small cultural practices and most of the cultural experiences seen in the family are in the food and the manner of dressing for some of our relatives. Indians are known to be highly traditional in their mode of dressing and the value of family.
I believe that culture is an important aspect of my life and without it, one loses their identities. My father’s side is not as culturally molded, as is my mothers’ family. My grandparents and aunts believed so much in the Indian traditions and wear saris every time. However, my sisters do not wear them unless they feel like doing so. No one is compelled to do anything they do not believe in and if one wants to try something new that is not part of our culture then it is up to them. Personally, I value our cultures and tradition and I pick a few from each side to help me identify with those around me. As my mother’s family is closely knit, I have come to value how they treat each other with a lot of respect. In our house, cultural practices are minimal, but our parents managed to come up with hybrid practices that ensure we are respectful to others, have a sense of belonging and ensure we treat others the way we want to be treated. Religion is also an important part of my mother’s culture. Being from a religious family, she made sure that everyone had some from of faith in as Supreme Being. I believe in Christianity and the teachings of the bible, which act as a guidance on what to expect in life (Rahman & Jackson 2010).
All these tiny bits make up my social circle and define who I am as an individual. My family being the main aspect that exposed me to some of the important social aspects that helped build my overall social portrait. The connection between various aspects of my social life comes from how each aspect connects with the other to shape my overall view of life. Social class plays a vital role in providing a child with opportunities to explore various fields. Those who are lucky to be born in middle or upper class families get a good start in life and are well equipped to face the future as compared to those from low class families. Different socialization aspects and settings may influence one person differently and helps shape their life choices. This explains why everyone has a unique status and roles in life.
References
Rahman, M., & Jackson, S. (2010). Gender and sexuality: sociological approaches. Cambridge: Polity.
