ipl-logo

What Is The Theme Of Individual Autonomy And Social Structure By Dorothy Lee

844 Words4 Pages

In this essay I will be discussing Dorothy Lee’s chapter called “Individual Autonomy & Social Structure” and what she believes is the key social problem and her various examples of cultures and societies in which individual autonomy is encouraged and how the deal with resolving issues regarding individual autonomy. I am going to do this by addressing the key social problem and then giving an example relating to one of the themes of language, child rearing, children and work. Furthermore, I will explain what she has shown/stated in the chapter overall and her basic resolution to the key social problem. By addressing this, this will show how we can change our ways and also, learn to respect other societies for who and what they consist of. …show more content…

This is because we have been caught up in the fast paced lifestyles of western society or as she describes it, “speeded tempo of living” (Lee, 5). It may be difficult to state what a certain social problem is within a society, because in many different societies, there are many different norms and ideals. However one can agree with Lee that a society that has gained dependant on social structure because they feel that is how they will gain individual freedom, does have a social problem relating to individual autonomy. The overall outlook of society has changed from child rearing, language, work and leadership. People are more self-absorbed and only care about furthering themselves as oppose to the individuals around them that make up a society and therefore we have lost the true meaning of life and value of existence. In the chapter, Lee discusses other cultures such as the Navaho Indians, and how they have supported and maintain autonomy in their

Show More
Related
1209 Words | 5 Pages

The explorers of the Americas were both fascinated and disgusted by the Native American way of living. The Indians had no structured set of rules or government and did not even have a ruler. Their society was free from social classes based on land ownership, which was common in the Old World. A common nickname for the Indians was the “noble savage,” which meant “the man of liberty living in the natural state” (Weatherford, 1988, p. 124). Although the word “chief” implies authority, each Indian was equal to one another and was spiritually tied to the land they lived upon.

Read More
1262 Words | 6 Pages

Losing one’s cultural knowledge, and therefore the reality of their culture, allows others to have control over their collective and individual consciousness as well as their destiny. In this case, it is clear that the United States government has had the dominant relationship over the Native

Read More
141 Words | 1 Pages

In chapter one of “The Wilding of America”, Charles Derber highlights the importance of wilding in society and explained the different types of wilding that exist in society. Derber (2015) define the word wilding as “self-interested or self-indulgent behavior that harms another and weakens the social fabric”. In the beginning of the chapter, Derber gave us an overview of the Ik society and sharing with us of Ik values of self-interest of individual survival than for the whole society. The author discusses how the Ik society is similar to American society. The two types of wilding are instrumental wilding and expressive wilding.

Read More
809 Words | 4 Pages

Also exclusive was their “sphere,” or domain of influence, which was confined completely to the home. Thus the Cult of Domesticity “privatized” women’s options for work, for education, for voicing opinions, or for supporting reform. The true woman would take on the obligations of housekeeping, raising good children, and making her family’s home a haven of health, happiness, and virtue. All society would benefit from her performance of these sacred domestic

Read More
633 Words | 3 Pages

Living on My Own What government is so cruel that their people lose the right state of mind? Well, in Anthem by Ayn Rand, the government is terrible and unstable, which causes Equality to lose his freedom and individuality. Anthem the main characters live in a dystopian society. This a society where the government laws and code are unfair. The laws are unnecessary because for a small crime, there are big consequences.

Read More
696 Words | 3 Pages

Merrell’s article proves the point that the lives of the Native Americans drastically changed just as the Europeans had. In order to survive, the Native Americans and Europeans had to work for the greater good. Throughout the article, these ideas are explained in more detail and uncover that the Indians were put into a new world just as the Europeans were, whether they wanted change or

Read More
537 Words | 3 Pages

The development of agriculture and the rise of industrialization generated new cultures and innovations in the new world. Native people in early America developed cultural distinct , men were in charge of the fishing, hunting, jobs that were more exposed to violence, and the women stayed closed to the village, farming, and child bearing. The way of life possessed by natives Americans did not compel them to conquer and transform new land. As opposed to European colonizers, Native Americans subscribed to a more “animistic” understanding of nature. In which they believed that plants and animals are not commodities, they are something to be respected rather than used.

Read More
1260 Words | 6 Pages

As a women’s rights activist, she questions the universality of Emerson’s self-reliance by pointing out the gender bias in his languages and states that women are also capable of self-reliance. In addition, she also explores the possibility of self-reliance in political and social realm—more specifically, the possibility of self-reliance in the institution of marriage. However, she still

Read More
879 Words | 4 Pages

“I came to a clear conclusion, and it is a universal one: To live, to struggle, to be in love with life--in love with all life holds, joyful or sorrowful--is fulfillment. The fullness of life is open to all of us” (Betty Smith). Betty Smith, born as Elizabeth Lillian Wehner, grew up in Brooklyn, New York as the daughter of poor German immigrants. At the time, child labor was legal and Smith began work at the young age of fourteen to help support her family. Smith’s life in the slums and her experiences during the Great Depression greatly influenced her writing.

Read More
1009 Words | 5 Pages

Within my own life, gender socialization has caused me not to pursue lucrative jobs in career fields that are “for men,” while sociobiology could have deterred me from entering the more physically demanding but rewarding field of culinary arts in favor of the less prestigious field of baking and pastry arts. As for Gilman’s Marxist emphasis, my co-worker has unfortunately lost her economic independence simply because she had to give up her job in order to give her son the attention he needs. Overall, while writing this essay, I was disheartened to discover that it was easy for me to identify the aforementioned examples, but I also realized that it is not as bad as it once was for women—it is a lot easier for women to rebel against gender inequality now. Despite these advances in freedom, however, I feel that Gilman’s theory is relevant when it comes to explaining the social world due to the fact that gender inequality still exists today, and it can still have an impact on a woman’s economic independence even though it is not as overt. With that being said, Gilman’s theory will continue to be useful because it helps to identify the roots of gender inequality that need to be eliminated if we ever want complete gender equality within our

Read More
716 Words | 3 Pages

Introduction Norms, values and socialisation are undoubtedly one of the most important fundamentals in sociology, and I have been fascinated by how these social factors affect and influence the “little man.” (Mills 1946) Throughout this short essay, I will explore these social factors influence the individual and society in the world in which we live. Norms Norms are an expectation about appropriate behaviour in a society.

Read More
791 Words | 4 Pages

During the 1890’s until today, the roles of women and their rights have severely changed. They have been inferior, submissive, and trapped by their marriage. Women have slowly evolved into individuals that have rights and can represent “feminine individuality”. The fact that they be intended to be house-caring women has changed.

Read More
900 Words | 4 Pages

Bigelow tries to argue that society alienates a person, but until people realize that separating oneself from a community actually creates that disconnect between common experiences he is so afraid of, we cannot successfully continue as a species. He states, “existentialists worry about the walls of industry and technology which shut us off from nature and from one another” (Bigelow). On the other side, it seems as though people fear relying on the safety nets that society has actually made for us in order to build up relationships and stay connected. This universal truth shows how society does not strip someone of their self, it actually allows for it. Life is so much more free in modern times than it was in the past, all thanks to the reforms society has made in order to let individuals thrive.

Read More
1370 Words | 6 Pages

However, in our today world people and specially adults are getting more independent and not

Read More
869 Words | 4 Pages

Social Problems in Societies Social problems are issues which are considered to affect majority if not all members of a society either directly or indirectly. Whenever people come to live together in a social setting, conflict arises from their differences in opinions regarding political issues, religion, ethnic issues, cultural practices and other health and hygiene issues. In such a situation, we can say a society inevitably develops social problems. The various social issues present today vary from society to society, and as such, we cannot say that all societies face similar social issues.

Read More

More about What Is The Theme Of Individual Autonomy And Social Structure By Dorothy Lee

Related Topics

Open Document