Introduction to Sociology

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Recommended: Positive and negative effects on society

In this paper I will be talking about the Nicholas Christakis video “The Sociological Science behind Social Networks and Social Influence” and explaining how society works. This video and chapter one of “Sociology: a brief introduction” is eye opening to how people influence our choices. Studying humans and groups of different humans are very interesting because of all the different types of religion and race.
In the YouTube video “The Sociological Science behind Social Networks and Social Influence,” Nicholas Christakis explains that the actions which people take every day are based upon the actions of the people around us. With sociology being “the scientific study of social behaviors and human groups” (Schaefer, 5) we realize that our behaviors may not just affect us but everyone around us and everyone around them and so on. Christakis starts this video with a little background information about his profession as a surgeon but ends up wanting to help groups of people not just the individual.
The video explains that even if you make your own choices there may be something influencing the choices that are being made. Christakis video is all about structure vs. agency. Structure being “Social constraints and opportunities” and Agency is “individual choices and actions” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wadBvDPeE4E). Throughout the video Christakis talks about the differences between structure and agency; especially when it comes to sociological intervention, the sociology of suicide, obesity in America, and in many things.
This video was very eye opening to me because; I didn’t know how much of an influence on other people’s choices have on the choices that I make every day and talks about natural science, the physical things ...

... middle of paper ...

...rd be me because of me being a human service person I work with people who lack certain social standards. I think that sociologists would love to study my past. My past is very messy and dysfunctional, not what social thinks it should be, as a child and I could have possibly influence my childhood friends.
Throughout this paper I have written about the video and the book and how society works in today’s world. The most interesting thing was when Christakis Nicholas speaks about suicide and the golden gate bridge. Sociology seems like a very interesting subject, the study of people is one of the most interesting things on earth.

Works Cited

"Nicholas Christakis: The Sociological Science Behind Social Networks and Social Influence." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 28 May 2014.
Schaefer, Richard T. Sociology: A Brief Introduction. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2004. Print.

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