Sociological Lens

An experience from my life that I shall analyze using a sociological lens started in elementary school, which I attended after my two eldest sisters had begun a few years before me. I started to be noticed by numerous teachers as their sibling. My oldest sisters both did a notable job in school, achieving strikingly high grades and a well-known acknowledgment for their excellent behaviour. Consequently, my teachers all had established high expectations for me to reach up till grade eight. These set outlooks about how I was to perform successfully was an effective motivator. Accordingly, helping me develop correct behaviours, studying habits and skills appropriate for becoming an achiever which contributed to my high marks. However, these expectations of me took a sudden turn during my grade nine math course after being discouraged for receiving a low graded math test. The conversation that followed between my teacher and I, plus the way they were acting towards me overall gave the clear impression that they thought I would never improve. This had an immense impact on me, losing motivation I passed with a low final grade.
My experience relates to various sociological ideas, one being anticipatory socialization. Brym and Lie (2012) defined this

as “learning the norms and behaviours of the roles to which one aspires” (p.67). This process was exemplified through my experience in school, which involved me wishing to become similar to my sisters, specifically my hopes to become a valuable and successful student as they were. I accomplished this through observing and adopting their etiquette shown while they studying at home. These norms and behaviours associated with an adamant working student was what I aspired to demonstrate and still focus on maintaining, in hope that they will help me benefit my future education and career.
A theory that relates to my personal experience is symbolic interactionism, which follows ideas such as Cooley’s looking-glass self, Mead’s idea of “me” and the self-fulfilling prophecy. Looking- glass self theory claims that the way individuals perceive themselves solely depends and comprises of the manner we believe others perceive us. The way we believe others think of us is how we will regard ourselves. (Brym and Lie 2012:56). This directly correlates to my experience of how I was convinced of being either an excellent or an unsuccessful student merely based on the way I observed my teachers reacting to me, which was either in an encouraging or discouraging way.
Mead, like Freud developed similar categories that composes the self, including me and I.

Their focuses differentiated from each other’s through Mead highlighting the fact that individuals are capable of taking the persona of another, which included roles and behaviours. This is what Mead defined as the “me” self, the one that observes others through interaction as to adopt this ability (Brym and Lie 2012:56). Analyzing my experience has shown this theory’s demonstration in my experience by how I had wanted to be like my sisters and to do so I observed the studying methods they displayed at home and how they approached school duties. In result, I was able to acquire a different role other than my own, as a diligent

student.
Lastly, Merton’s self-fulfilling prophecy also relates to my experience. Brym and Lie (2012) define this as “an expectation that helps to cause what it predicts” (p.61). This prophecy is a type of prediction directed towards a person and whether the individual is aware, its message leaves an immense effect if they believe it to be true. The prophecy may hold false or true claims. However, due to its negative or positive impact it will have on a person, will influence how their behaviour will change from becoming aware of the message being conveyed. The expectations implied through the prophecy and the way one chooses to react, reflecting behavioural changes, will determine if this prophecy will become self-fulfilling (Brym and Lie 2012:61). In my experience, I was impacted by the effects of the self-fulfilling prophecy by how my teachers and family had set high expectations for me to fulfill based off my sister’s previous successes. The fact that they believed I would be able to achieve these expectations made me believe I could, changing my behaviours as to make true their idea of me. Nevertheless, this prophecy had its negative implications, despite its initial positive effect. This occurred when I received unconstructive criticism from my other teacher that implied discouraging expectations of me, causing me to believe them true. Resulting in my lost of motivation exemplifies the harmful associations that can transpire from other people’s words, the self-fulfilling prophecy.
To complete a thorough analysis of my experience, one must use a sociological perspective. This is a manner of viewing the world which enables the viewer to connect one’s personal conundrums with current global problems, while taking into consideration the history of societies and their social structures (Innocente 2016). Taking into account my experience, I recognize that globally, multiple people have been in a similar situation to my own but are affected in different ways. Other people in my situation have had expectations forced upon them by others, however, some are more disadvantaged. People have been discouraged to not succeed more than others within institutions such as schools due to the built in discrimination that has been interwoven into society’s structures, which is a way society ensures hierarchy. By knowing that the history and survival of societies have been reliant on a hierarchy’s existence, dividing people into lower and upper class, I can draw conclusions as to what the functions of this are. The self-fulfilling prophecy is a way to guarantee this hierarchy. Within school institutions the hidden curriculum is to create individuals that will be beneficent working participants of the community. However, for society to function all jobs, including low and high paying must be filled, which is why society must ensure that some succeed more than others. This is certified by one tool such as the self-fulling prophecy which does not guarantee the ones who work hardest will succeed or else everyone would be able to join the high class of society. However, some are unprivileged because of underlying discrimination which act as barriers difficult to overcome, ensuring the discouraged remain in the lower class. Therefore, using the sociological imagination helps us become aware of these unfair boundaries shaping our lives. This contributes to eliminating these limitations, helping society work towards social change.