The Foundations of an Ideal Society: Values, Norms, and Socialization

Abstract

Instructor’s Name Introduction Society entails various components, and sociology gives more information about communities. Sociologists have defined different perspectives in defining an ideal society. The achievement of an ideal society is subject to inequalities and social differences. This discussion will discuss the various elements in society from a broad perspective. Key Components Values, norms, and norms of a society are assumptions of what is ideal in every society. Values provide the legitimacy of social behaviour and what is right and wrong. The ideals entail abstracts such as equality among all persons in society. Chong argues that social values define societal patterns and behaviour, while norms are blueprints of stabilized societal relations (2000). interactions have limits, especially in relation to social norms as the standards of group behaviour. Examples of social norms include; siblings should not have sexual relations, children should respect their parents, and parents having an obligation to care for their children. Social norms represent abstracts that are abhorred in society. Society is a chaotic place when there is no social order. However, society has set ideal standards to define appropriate and inappropriate behaviour. Values, ideas, and social norms provide a standard of behaviour in society and restore order. For instance, society stipulates that abortion is wrong, killing is a norm, and crime is abhorred. Societal expectations deter people from immorality and deviance. People find a sense of belonging in society through socialization. There are various modes of socialization in society, for instance, in social institutions such as churches, schools, and workplaces. People can also socialize in clubs, play and watch games, and have social gatherings. The picture shows a congregation socializing in church. Retrieved From; https://helpfulprofessor.com/secondary-socialization-examples/ Generally, we cannot avoid socialization when we step out of our homes. Norms and values differ across society, and most of these differences have been documented. Members of society learn the cultural norms and beliefs through friends, teachers, parents, church, and family. Society uses certain sanctions to enforce socially acceptable behaviour, terming its social control. Social control entails educating and creating awareness, ridicule, sarcasm, and disapproval. Some institutions that exercise social control are family, the states, peers, schools, and workplaces. The social institutions create a social structure and rules, creating a peaceful society with overall balance and safety. The state promotes law and order using law enforcement agencies. Religious institutions embrace biblical scriptures to pass the message Workplace and schools promote a culture of integration and order, maintaining balance in society. Society is perceived as a large social group and consists of small groups that act as the building blocks of social life. The eminent groups are primary and secondary. Primary groups are more innate and identify with strong emotional ties. The picture below shows a group of innate friends representing a primary group. Retrieved From: https://unsplash.com/photos/QJda_c6OSag These groups include family and some peer ties, for instance, friendships, large groups such as athletic teams and co-workers are emotionally bonded and fall as primary groups. Primary groups provide comfort and belonging in good and bad times, identified with loyalty and emotional ties (Bruhn, 2011). The Groups are sometimes not ideal since they can be very violent. According to (Straus et al., 2017), many families are prone to physical and sexual violence in a family setting in the United States. Primary groups are innate, and we value them, but we belong to secondary groups more than primary ones. Secondary groups exist for a short time to achieve the desired purpose. The picture below shows a mass of people enjoying a music show. They are in for entertainment. Retrieved From: https://unsplash.com/photos/nPz8akkUmDI Emotional ties are weak in secondary groups, such as government institutions, civic organizations, and religious institutions. Another category of groups is reference groups. The secondary and secondary groups constitute reference groups, regulating behaviour and attitudes. People will refrain from engaging in unruly behaviour for fear of what their families think of them. Deviance plays a role in understanding the occurrence of violence and crime in society. Sociologists use deviance in investigating unruly behaviour. Deviance is a steering wheel for positive social change and strengthens the bond of those who react to deviance. It acts as a tool for clarification and conformity to right and wrong in society. The society ranks people according to wealth, income, power, race, and education through social stratification. Social stratification identifies hierarchies of power and resources; through this, sociologists can deduce various societal problems. Social stratification emanates from social class, distinguishing the poor, the rich, and the wealthy. The United States is divided into various social classes. Henslin et al. argue that the US population is divided into five equal groups the capitalist, upper middle, lower middle, working class, working poor, and the underclass (2015). Social class determines the distribution of power and resources among distinct groups. Gender roles in society are definitive on how we groom, dress, talk, and act based on the assigned sex in society. Gender roles place distinct differences between males and females in society, assigning feminine and masculine roles and expectations. Every society has reservations about gender roles based on ethnic and cultural classifications. However, these roles are dynamic and still dominant and traditional on a huge scale. The picture below shows women dominant in the kitchen while office work is for the male. Retrieved from: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/lack-attention-pretty-young-woman-apron-[phone] Today we see...