Sociological Analysis

Sociology is not just about studying societies, it also involves finding out how we as individuals fit into the society. By studying sociology, “[it] can help us in our everyday lives to better understand out beliefs and actions and to make more informed choices.” (Witt, 2015, 398) For instance, by examining the social norms, looking at the ‘world beyond’ and taking into account of perception of self, we can learn quite a bit about the social world around us and how our actions are affected by society and this can lead us to making informed decisions based on our findings. One way in which we can discover how society affects our beliefs and actions is by defying what is considered ‘normal’ and reflecting on the social norms we discover. Using this method of experimentation, we can find out just how much of our day is done on autopilot based on what is considered normal in society. For instance,

That is, we can understand how our “I” (our acting self) and our “Me” (our socialized self) interact to determine our actions and ideas. This knowledge of how our “I” and “Me” interact can show us how much we rely on society to form our actions and thoughts. For instance, if our “Me” is in control, we generally follow the status quo and do not deviate from the social norms society has decided upon. however our “I” does not care as much for following social norms and instead relies on our own unique p personalities in order to determine our actions and thoughts. “The self is something which has a development; it is not initially there, at birth, but arises in the process of social experience and activity…” (Mead, The Self) Hence, since our Self is something that develops from our interactions, we can make more informed decisions by telling our “I” take more action as opposed to our “Me” so that we worry less about the norms of society and more on our own unique Self that we have