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Sociological Perspective On Gambling Analysis

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The sociological perspective is a way to look past common beliefs to find other meanings (Sociological Perspectives). In the functionalist perspective, there is a cycle of social unrest, social change, social integration, and stability. It deals with social elements which are a part of society (Sociological Perspectives). An example of a social element would be religion. Thus, gambling would be considered something sinful because it encourages a person to fulfil the desires of their flesh. That would be the first stage of social unrest for a religious organization. An example of manifest function would be the religious organization protesting gambling because it is harming its congregation. Instead of tithing, they are gambling their money away. On the other hand, an example of the latent function might be because of the flak from a large religious organization, the gambler may feel guilty and thus begin to tithe more and the …show more content…

In which culture, would gambling be more acceptable? Are their harsher punishments for women than men? In certain cultures, a husband is believed to be like God to his family. If a husband were to gamble would it be more accepted, then if his wife were to gamble? Sociologists may also consider whether families that cannot pay for loans on their house or car would turn to gambling to pay off debts. It may be a contradiction since gambling could lead to more debt. Psychology is focused on individual behavior. Thus, when studying gambling, psychologists might not focus on societal influences when trying to understand why a person gambles. Mikal Aasved mentions in his book, “The Sociology of Gambling,” that one scientific theory about gambling believes that it is a symptom of a sick mind. A psychologist might agree with this theory since it takes into consideration the mental state of the individual rather than other factors such as the environment they live

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