Sociological Concepts

I’ve decided to do my term paper on option C. I have many acquired skill sets and values, although I consider the fact that I speak fluent Italian and my athleticism valuable skill sets and norms that I have acquired through nature and nurture. Many of agents of socialization such as: friends, school and family play an important role in my physical and psychological development. That being said, my essay will typically talk about how I have obtained these skills by looking at the sociological concepts (nature and nurture) and the role of those specific agents of socialization.

To begin with, I grew up in an Italian-Canadian family. My parents are both originated from Italy. In fact, I am trilingual, and I learned to speak Italian above all

else. I consider my fluidity in speaking the language was due to my family through nurture, more specifically my grandparents since I’ve spent most of my childhood around them. In the psychological perspective, according to John B. Watson’s theory on behaviorism, the idea of nurture is essentially where behaviour is learned and not instinctive. Therefore, the inherited potential depended on how I was raised and the environment that I grew up in. Originally, I live in the West Island, a very suburban area far away from the city. Every morning, my mother would bring me to LaSalle in a predominantly Italian neighborhood, to stay with my grandparents while my parents were off to work.

At first, I did not know how to speak Italian but I slowly started to grasp it. Furthermore, if it weren’t for my grandparents who spoke to me in Italian every single day, I would never have learned how to speak Italian. Essentially, Italian is my first and primary learnt language. I consider this to be one of many of my strongest set of skills and talents. I can now communicate with people of a different culture and understand their way of life. I would have never learned how to speak Italian if it weren’t for them since I felt like I absolutely needed to know how to speak it since they don’t know how to communicate in English or in French. Therefore, theyre the main reason for my acquired talent. As mentioned, in this particular case, my grandparents are the primary agents of socialization since this particular skill was shaped and influenced through their everyday interactions with me that I’ve managed to soak up. “Family plays a big role in teaching their children skills, values and beliefs”. Lastly, another agent of socialization is the Italian school where I managed to further pursue and perfect my Italian. In this particular

situation, the school is an organized experience where I learnt through formal socialization. Formal socialization is learning skills, values and norms in a controlled and organized setting. In current society, the more languages you know, the more it benefits you such as in the business setting and everyday interaction. It’s obvious that language is all nurtured but did nature help? Perhaps I was born with the ability for me to absorb Italian quicker and with ease since all the generations above me spoke only in Italian. That is where nature comes in play in this particular situation.
Secondly, I consider my skills in playing sports are another strong skill set that I have acquired through nurture and nature.

In retrospect, there are many athletes in my family, most of my cousins and I play more than 2 sports. My father and my mother’s brothers were all very athletic as well. In fact, my grandparents encouraged them to play sports since they believed it was good for their health and they enjoyed it. Furthermore, my grandparents along with my uncles’ and father’s peer group were the main agents of socialization that had to do with them acquiring this particular set of skills. My uncles, including my father, played hockey in a professional intercity league. The role of nature in sociology implies that human behavior is instinctive; that we are born already with a particular set of skills and values. Typically, according to this ideology, I already have these skills, such as athleticism or even my fluidity in speaking Italian, the day I was born. My favorite sport that I have played for over 9 years is hockey. Although I did have to practice every week for more than 6 hours, I felt like it came naturally to me. That is where nature is taken into account that would explain my ease in playing this particular sport since my family members in the generation above me used to be fanatics. If it weren’t for them pushing me to pursue a sport on top of my academics, I would never have learned the sport. Another important agent that contributed a lot as well is my

peer groups, amongst all my friends, there were none who didn’t play hockey. I felt, in that situation, that if I wanted to fit in with them, I had to have that one skill in common with them. That pressured me to continue pursuing the sport that I loved so much. Unfortunately, after those 9 years of playing, I had to stop and focus on school but I still play recreationally once and awhile. If it weren’t for my family or my friends, i would never have acquired this talent and love for hockey.