Socioautobiography Choices and Experiences Growing up

As I think about my choices and experiences growing up, I used to believe my personality, choices, and experiences were personal to me and things I actually decided. However, I realized my choices, experiences, and identity were shaped and influenced by someone else’s contribution to society. Sociologist C. Wright Mills defined sociological imagination as “the awareness of the relationship between personal experiences and society.” Agents of socialization such as family, school, work, and media are key influences in my life.

(CO1)

Parents influence their children’s choices and experiences in many ways. As children we are influenced by what we see our parents do. Whether we try to mimic our parents’ actions or choose to avoid being like our parents those are all things that shape our identities. As I was growing up my mom was my role model. My mom was a single parent juggling family, school, and work. My mom would set expectations for our family, but it was not always easy especially with little money attending school and working full-time to support her family. However, my mom stayed hopeful because she was determined to provide a quality life and endless opportunities for her family. As I advanced to adulthood, the actions I saw my mom perform as a child were instilled within me so when I started my own family, I replicated my mom’s actions I saw as a child with my own family. My most influence came from my mom and she is still my role model till this day. (CO2)

Growing up I remembered my mom worked a good job and we were able to move out of my grandma’s home and everything was great. After a few years, my mom was laid off due to staff reduction. My mom did not work for a few months and depended on financial help from my grandma and we eventually moved back in with her. My mom went back to school to get her degree and eventually got a career in the medical field. We experience upward and downward mobility due to a change in my mom’s employment; however, advancements in my mom’s educational background and career we were experiencing upward mobility once again. Because of that in my upbringing I was always told that education was a great equalizer. Functionalist believe working hard and performing well in school you can achieve anything. On the other hand, conflict perspective addresses the racial gaps, income, structural features, and other issues outside of the student’s hands that affect their education. From a functionalist perspective education helps people learn new ideals about the world, interacting with people from different social groups, and helps society function. A conflict perspective would argue that is not always the case for some students trying to obtain an education. For example, students that come from high income families are more likely to succeed in school because their schools are usually well funded with quality teachers and supplies and access to better resources than a student that comes from a low-income family. Both perspectives make sense in the world we preside in. The functionalist perspective shows the positive and the conflict shows the negative. These perspectives can either help or hinder students, but I believe it depends on the student’s work ethic. I came from a point of disadvantage. I attended school within the lower-class area predominately filled with minorities. I turned my situation into an advantage and pushed through to acquire a quality education to have been exposed to different backgrounds and social groups to get a clearer understanding of society to build and create new ideals and entities. (CO1 and CO4)

Another societal aspect that shapes my life is gender. Gender discrimination and sexism were the norm at one point in history. As a girl, I was given tasks and toys focused on domesticity and nurturing. These tasks and toys were preparing me for the life of a homemaker because women have been depicted as subservient to men and solely responsible for taking care of the home and children. There have been significant improvements for gender equality but there are still huge disparities between women and men in the workforce. Women juggle many responsibilities such as: cooking, cleaning, taking care of the home, and working. However, women are still treated as less in the workforce. Gender inequality is an issue affecting myself and other women by not providing us with same equal power and opportunities for financial independence, education, and personal development as men. As a woman in the workplace I sometimes find it difficult to express myself because my ideas and thoughts are constantly overlooked or not heard because I am a woman. (CO4 and CO5)

Applying the sociological imagination has led to self-discovery where I have realized my decisions, experiences, and identity were based on cultural norms and values as a result of someone else’s contribution to society. I have learned about different backgrounds and social groups to have a better understanding of the society I preside in and how I can shape and produce culture around us.

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