Destin Cretton’s film titled, Short Term 12 depicts the struggles of young woman named Grace with a tough exterior and how that exterior slowly disintegrates as she learns to deal with her troubled past. While the former troubled teen learns to come to terms with her past, she works as a supervisor and acts as a guide for troubled teens at an at-risk group home. Furthermore, in analyzing this film from a medical sociological perspective, I will focus on the characters and their experience of being a mental patient. Given there were many characters who were deemed as mentally ill, I will focus my character analyzation on Jayden. In discussing Jayden, I will also compare her experience and the experience of other characters to two of this week’s …show more content…
concepts: the social stress theory and the sociological model of mental illness. While discussing the sociological model, I will briefly discuss Freud’s Psychoanalysis theory. According to this week’s concepts, ethnicity, gender and social class all have an effect on rates of mental illness.
For example, the character Jayden is a white female from a low social class, and these demographics have an effect on her character. Jayden’s troubles derive from her abusive father. When Jayden begins to act out because of the problems she has at home with her father, she is sent to multiple group homes and is diagnosed as being mentally ill. As mentioned in the reading, a white Non-Hispanic female, is more likely than any other ethnicity group to suffer from mood disorders. Depression is a common mood disorder among women who suffer from chronic stress because they believe they do not have any control over their life. One could assume that Jayden suffered from depression and maybe other mood disorders because of the issues she suffered at home with her father. Like Jayden, many of the other teens suffered from chronic stress due to social problems they faced at home. This film does a great job highlighting how ones social issues give rise to mental …show more content…
illnesses. The social stress theory looks at how one’s mental illness is a product of the social problems they face. Additionally, the social stress theory explains the link between social class and mental illness. Those of a lower social class suffer dramatically from mental illnesses, because of their inability to handle stress. For example, in the film Grace suffered from mood disorders because of the emotional stress she faced as a child from being abused and raped by her father. Grace was unable to handle and interpret the stress she received as a child and she suffered greatly. Stress is not abnormal, but how we deal with stress can be. Underserved people like those in the film, act out and carry on in a way that is unacceptable in the eyes of society. If they are unable to find a doctor to label them as mentally ill, underserved individuals are usually sent to jail. Many of the teens in the film, like Marcus, had been sent to jail before being diagnosed as mentally ill. However, no way is being labeled mentally ill a better alternative, because people problems become medicated rather than solved. Also when one is labeled as mentally ill, that means they are now seen as deviant and abnormal in comparison to the rest of the society who is not. Mental illnesses are labeled as deviant because they violate societal norms. According to Rose Weitz, the sociology model of mental illness is defined “through subjective social judgments.” Essentially, this model looks at how an individual’s social setting and behavior or biology influences their chance of being labeled as mentally ill. Further, this model looks at how medical treatment may not help an individual with a mental illness, but instead could hurt them. For example, in the movie, the teens in the at-risk group facility had a designated time to take their prescribed medication, but if viewers noticed the medicine did not regulate their behavior. Jayden for example, acted out that day when her farther did not come to pick her up. Jayden did not start to get any better until she learned to face her problems and not run from or ignore them. Moreover, this supports Viennese doctor Sigmund Freud belief that the only way to cure a mental illness is to help the patient overcome the root issue that caused the developmental crisis. Additionally, patients must find a resolution to their problem in order to overcome their mental illness. Overcoming a mental illness is hard, especially if society has labeled you because of your gender and ethnicity.
Also one’s socioeconomic status plays a big role in whether you overcome that illness, because depending on one’s social class, they may not have the available resources to overcome that illness. Mental illnesses come from the stress we face in our social environment. Short Term 12, demonstrated through characters like Jayden and Grace how hard it is to overcome social problems without support. Many people of a low-social class lack the support needed to overcome mental illnesses. The social stress theory states that our level of stress depends on our social class and that both have a direct effect on whether one develops a mental illness or not. People of a low social class are more likely to develop a mental illness than someone of a higher social class. Those in a lower-social class are more likely to go to jail because they lack the financial support needed to seek professional help. Those that are labeled by doctors as mentally ill only become a label and still have to suffer with being ill. The sociological model states that the medicine given to medicate the problem, could hurt the patient. Moreover, the only way to overcome a mental illness is by dealing with the societal cause of the illness. Short Term 12 illustrated how hard it is for people to overcome social issues, but the movie also demonstrated that it is
possible.
From the very beginning of the article, Solomon expresses his views on how such horrific disasters can be controlled and avoided if it was not due to the flaws in society. Starting from the title of the article, Solomon lets his readers understand that incidents such as that of Aaron Alexis’s are avoidable by using the phrase “Avoidable Tragedy” (Solomon). With this strong title, Solomon guides the readers towards the idea of stigma and how mental illness is directly attached to a strong social stigma. Stigma, which means disgrace, has a powerful negative affect in the society. The stigma that society imposes upon mental illness “causes them [people] to hide their mental-health status from those around them” (Solomon). With this statement, Solomon is trying to get across the idea that society’s corrupt thinking of the negative and spiteful outlook on mental illness is causing people to hide their troubled mental health from everyone. This leads to tem n...
However, when concerning one topic in particular -mental illness- it seems the industry is forever stuck with obscure, somber colorations. It is dated back to the earliest productions of cinema where the antagonist is characterized as having a mental illness which elucidates his or her actions. Not only does this create false pretenses of psychiatric disorders, it fuels public stigma that those suffering from an illness are either a danger to society or a public nuisance. In order to condemn such standards, the audience as a whole can urge directors, especially those new to the field, to research proper characterization of personalities to make the fictional character more true to life. Or, on the other hand, to directly influence the production team, become part of a social movement to disown films that represent the mentally ill in a unfavorable fashion. Hence, although exaggerations of mental illness have been present in film for decades, deceptions still hold a firm grip on the cultural awareness, support, and treatment of psychological disorder; however, there are ways to foster projects that encourages society to expand its spectrum in order to gain a proper understanding of how people relate to one another on a scale of humanity - illness or
In my interview I chose my girlfriend's neighbor. Hector is of Mexican decent and he is here because in Meigs county the produce fields hire Mexican laborers on worker permits. Hector started out doing this then he became the boss about five years ago and received his green card and now is an American and can speak very good English. He explained to me that in Mexico there is no age when you can start working so there are young boys working at six to ten years old to help support his needy family. He also stated that women do not usually work they are only aloud to go to the village markets and get goods for their family's and raise there many children. I asked about minimum wage and he kinda laughed and said some teens and men who work are lucky to get a dollar an hour, but he said the people who are lucky enough to get to do what he got to do make there family's a lot of money. He said when he started coming to America to work he was picked like a lottery pick because there are only so many jobs for little positions he and his entire family was dirt poor, but now he said his family is the richest in the village. He said that he has also got to move all of his immediate family to America.
Growing up in Nottingham allowed me the great privilege of experiencing a diverse childhood, meeting people from all walks of life and living in a strong tight-nit community. I came to know many people who could be considered ‘under-privileged’ due to their cultural and economic background along. I have always asked myself the question “Why?”, Why are these people where they are? Why can’t they escape it. As I grew and matured I began to gain a greater understanding particularly from my study of sociology. The more I learn, the harder I find it to remain impersonal on the issues our society faces and before I had even realised it, I had developed fierce passion for social action and change.
Culture is defined in many ways, but it derives from the word culminate from the 1900’s. Cultures are the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group. Learned behavior and accumulated behavior are a few of the different characteristics of culture. Cultures also share similar race and ethnicity. Learned behavior includes social behaviors in a large or small group, work ethics, spousal interaction, and treatment of family and friends. Learned behavior determines actions and reactions to situations and people. Accumulated behavior is the time it takes for a behavior to be learned through social contact. Culture refers to the accumulated beliefs, attitudes, value system, religion, and work ethics that we accrue over time through social interaction. A good example would be our very own Army values that we have lived by for many years.
“Society is an organized group of persons associated together for religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes” (Dictionary.com, 2015). Sociologists are interested in knowing how people from different cultures involve in other societies. They are interested in what problems people face that relate to a larger sociological perspective, from culture shock to social class. “According to C. Wright Mills, the sociological imagination in his article, The Promise, is the ability to perceive the interconnections between personal troubles of milieu and the public issues of social culture” (Mills). In this essay, I will highlight the personal problems which I had by growing up in a high class family in Pakistan.
Sociological theory creates ways to understand the social world by having different theories to explain understand social life. It aids to make sense of this social world. It draws together a wide range of perspectives to help provide the fullest picture. (Macionis & Plummer p.36) It shows that one theory can explain something that another cannot. My aim is to answer this question with reference to both functionalism and conflict theory. This will be done by comparing and contrasting both theories in relation to their perspectives on both suicide and gender discrimination as social issues relevant to this day and age. Functionalism and conflict perspectives are both macro theories. This means that they focus on the big picture, for example social structure, social institutions and economic change.
Many people suffer with mental illness in today’s society. Mental illness comes in many forms and different levels of severity. In this essay, I will discuss my own personal experience with mental illness and how it relates to socialization, sociological theories, social determinants of health, trauma and perceptions of mental illness in the media. Throughout my short life, I have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. I was first diagnosed with a mental illness at the age of thirteen. Since then, I have experienced an array of ups and downs, including new diagnoses and new supports. The sociology of mental illness course has taught me a lot about myself and my mental health
1. Sociologist may be accused of looking into the obvious but their ability to "make the familiar strange" counters the argument by bringing into account the fact that sociologist question everything. Sociology makes the most sure person even a little unsure. It questions what commonsense is and why it is commonsense. Sociologist look to find deeper meaner in all aspects of society.
Macrosociological Theory is the analysis of the organization and structure of society and its ability to create an environment that is conducive to criminal activity. In other words, “Is the whole of society interrelated or interdependent, if so, how does it affect crime?” or “Does society influence crime?”
Noah William Isenberg (2013) Weimar Cinema: An Essential Guide to Classic Films of the Era Publisher: Columbia University Press, 360
Sociology is the complex study of the development, structure, and function of human society. Unlike many of the other social sciences, the study of Sociology utilizes impersonal empirical and critical analysis to develop an understanding of human social interactions. Through distinguishable methods from notable sociologists such as C. Wright Mills- whose concept The Sociological Imagination, known as, “...the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and the wider society,” is used when trying to theorize the dynamics of a society. Many modern societal issues are approached using this method; one that has been questioned for more than half a century focals around unemployment rates within two specific ethnic groups.The Bureau of Labor reports that African-American men aged twenty and older have a national unemployment rate that nearly doubles that of white male counterparts, staggering at 12% in comparison to the latter 5.5%. When juxtaposing these vastly different statistics one must perceive the issue whilst withholding their own personal experiences ultimately stepping inside the Sociological Imagination. When viewing societal issues within this mindset, one must separate themselves from their own rituals and perceptions in exchange for the ability to perceive things on a more grandiose scale-unveiling mechanisms operating within economical, political, judicial, religious, academic, and domestic institutions. Within these institutions lie race and gender relations; dynamics that comprise our society. Racial discrimination within all of the social institutions, also seen within The Bureau of Labors qualitative findings, is still very much present. Let us work our way up from the most basic to the most complex instit...
I agree with many aspects of the different perspectives within sociology. Through my applied experience I have gained an awareness of the various social issues within our community and have developed insight into the numerous crisis problems individuals within our community experience on a daily basis. As mentioned above many people within our community do not recognize the various issues that are taking place within the community as they are not directly affected, some possess an awareness of poverty by what is observed in the media or what is communicated to them by their distinct culture. As a result, there is not a thorough awareness of the societal issues within the community. I believe that various issues are contributing to many problems
Sociology Miss Rowbotham Education Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the contribution of functionalist sociology to an understanding of the role of education in society A) Explain what is meant by ‘streaming’. (2 marks) Streaming is when you organise children into different classes in school depending on their ability. B) Give two examples of ways in which the school curriculum may be seen as ethnocentric. (4 marks) The school curriculum may be seen as ethnocentric as they only teach main culture/religion subjects and they do not give children a broad education.
Sociology is a field which developed over a millennia ago, but it was not until the nineteenth century that it came into the fore as a bona fide social science, in need of its own classification apart from other social sciences. Sociology, 'the study of the process of companionship';(pg.396, Ambercrombie,Hill,Turner), is a discipline, which is not exclusively independent in and of its self, yet borrows from many other disciplines such as: history, geography, and anthropology.