February Blog Post

Being “dropped off” into a society, not exactly knowing what is going on or what your position in that society is can sometimes be difficult.  To explain, these experiences can even occur at birth, and more specifically, during adoption.  Simply, an individual is put into this world with the need to learn how to survive.  The individual is put into a society with others who may not share similarities with the individual.  In order to survive, the individual must learn how to interact.  However, even if there has not been any interaction, individuals can still influence and teach each other.  “How we see affected by what we know and believe and by time and place…” (Ivey 2018), or perception, can be defined widely by aspects defined by culture and sociological perspectives, and more specifically, through definitions of norms, positionality, even, stereotypes. 

            Once born, it is clear each person has different characteristics, whether it is physical, mental, or emotional.  With that, each individual goes through different though processes, and views the world in a unique way.  The first term that explains these scenarios is norms.  According to Webster’s online dictionary, a norm is “a principle of right action binding up on the members of a group and serving to guide, control, or regulate proper and acceptable behavior” (Norm.).  This term simply explains the guidelines and basic “rules” that define what happens in a society, and it can help an individual understand how they “see”.  Another term is positionality, which can be determined from class notes as “where we stand in relation to various categories or elements of difference” (2018, February 13).  This concept relates to the main idea because it is also explaining how societal differences exist, which can be more challenging when attempting to find your place in society.  A final concept that explains the main idea is stereotypes, which is defined in our text as “easy conclusions about people that reduce them from unique individuals to predictable types” (2018, February 2).  This definition can be useful when explaining the idea of “belief” or believe, as used in the main quote.  Stereotypes can definitely affect an individual’s beliefs, which, in the end, affects how they see people.  In the end, a society can be extremely difficult to enter into, especially if you are not aware of the outcomes.

Ivey, C.L., Ph. D. (2018, February 2). How do cultures communicate?  How are they communicated? Lecture presented at Class Lecture: Week 5 in Boise State University, Boise.

Ivey, C.L., Ph.D. (2018, February 13). What is identity? How is it constructed? Lecture presented at Class Lecture: Week 6 in Boise State University, Boise.

Norm. (2018, February 19). Retrieved March 01, 2018, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/norm