All my days except weekends exhibit some commonalities wing to the nature of the job. My typical day starts at around 5 in the morning when I get involved with activities that have become part of my life. I normally begin my day by tending to the dog, which I take out for feeding before and after a brief interaction. The dog is part of the family, and attending to it in the morning helps to clear the house for the rest of the family members, who will wake up later.
After feeding the dog, I embark on preparing to go to work. The preparation involves brief interaction with my spouse, during which we get to discuss important issues that should be addressed within the day. The interaction additionally helps to remind one another of common projects we need to do as a family and the needs of children. I then drive to the commuter station to catch a bus, and part of my norm is to interact with the driver or any other commuter.
On arrival at work, I usually check on the building and the office to ensure that there is no burglary. It enables me to interact with security officers and co-workers who might have arrived at this time. The interaction is based on social issues affecting the country and the current events in our society. It usually takes a few minutes, after which I eat breakfast and go through work-related emails. Work begins immediately after the meeting and lasts until midday, when I get the opportunity to grab a refreshment as I interact with colleagues, talking about what we did over the weekend and what we anticipate doing in the coming weekend. The day ends at a few minutes past three, and I interact with a security officer on my way to the commuter station. The walk to the station sometimes provides an opportunity to interact with a different person, where different topics become the subject of the discussion. It usually takes me a few minutes to get home from the commuter station, where I get to meet my spouse and exchange a few pleasantries. What follows is feeding the dog and taking it out to play before watching the evening news and taking work clothes to the cleaners on my way to the gym, where I interact with different kinds of people. I usually get back home in time to watch the 9 pm news as I interact with the family before going to bed.
Various sociological concepts apply to most of my daily activities in the log. The social role is a sociological concept that defines the roles of men and women in society. As a person, there are social roles that are supposed to be exhibited on a daily basis. Feeding and taking the dog to play is an example of a social role that I am expected to play on a daily basis. Since I do not have an elder son, I have to take the personal initiative of taking care of the dog. My spouse finds it challenging to take care of the dog since she is not used to interacting with dogs. Additionally, the dog has gotten used to me, which makes it easier for me to always be there and ensure the dog’s welfare I observed. According to Lindsey (2015), gender roles have changed over time, where men are now taking up the roles of women while women are taking over the roles of men. The idea presented by the author applies to my daily schedule. Some of the activities that my wife is supposed to do are those that I do on a daily basis. Initially, a wife was supposed to prepare he husband to go to work. House chores such as cleaning are supposed to be done by the spouse. In his case, I usually find myself taking clothes to the laundry, which is a complete reversal of gender roles. Rey (2014) noted that gender roles had been reversed in pop culture, where men now assume the roles of women. The complete reversal of roles is something that is slowly becoming a norm in society.
Social norms set the expectation of how we should behave in society. They are unwritten but are widely known by all genders. On my normal visits to the laundry and the gym, I usually interact with the receptionists at the counter, whose main work is to receive visitors. These women are normally jovial and provide polite interaction with the guests. They are ever smiling and willing to help and lead you until you achieve all your objectives. The actions of the receptions indicate the social norms, which have developed a behavior among receptionists that they need to be jovial with their clients irrespective of their moods. The norm is a business behavior that must be showcased at all times to promote sales and encourage customers to come again. Emotional labor is the change of feelings that might include creating a publicly appealing expression to impress another party (Chambliss & Eglitis, 2015). The research by these authors serves to support the observable characteristics of receptionists in shaping behavior. Social norms were further exhibited at the gym through the roles men played in helping instructors conduct their sessions. At some point, men would move to help instructors move weights and other equipment used at the gym. Their actions served to show that social norms shape the behavior of both genders. The actions of the people are motivated by unwritten rules, which extend to modifying behavior.
Interaction is a sociological perspective that regulates behavior and expectations in society. Throughout our lives and on a daily basis, we usually interact with different kinds of people who help to shape our behaviors, norms, and how we think. It is through these interactions that norms in society spread, and people get to know what is expected out of a given scenario. In my line of duty, I interact with different people, and we end up discussing different issues right, from politics to work-related issues. Early in the morning, the driver and other commuters provide an interaction that helps me to understand the nature of other people and the kind of challenges they face on a daily basis. The interaction between the security officers and the driver provides a different perspective of looking at issues in society. At work, major interactions involve colleagues of whom we almost encounter similar challenges. The interaction changes on a daily basis, particularly when leaving the office for work. It is through this kind of interaction that I get to expand my social network and understand society better. It is through the same interaction that I can identify with people professionally and know where to find help in the future. Psychologists underscore the importance of social interaction as a means of promoting social order. Human beings are social beings, as such, they need to interact to build networks, enhance friendship and be there for one another in time of need. Social interactions are essential, and a lack of them will create disharmony in society.
Institutions are important components of society. Social institutions play an important role in promoting interactions, developing social norms, and enhancing social roles. Social institutions help to regulate behavior by providing a given set of rules that should be strictly followed to avoid possible conflicts. Right from schools, and places of work to recreation facilities, social institutions remain an important component of society. No single person can survive without institutions. It is through such institutions that we get to work hard to sustain our livelihoods. Part of my daily activities involves interacting with various institutions. My place of work is an institution that helps me to earn a living and sustain my family. I am supposed to follow all the rules and meet the expectations of the employer to retain my job. Additionally, I wake up on a daily basis to prepare for the job. If these rules had been in existence, it would have been hard to see them working to date. The gym and the laundry are other social institutions that improve our welfare. The services provided ease some of our problems and create job opportunities for other people.
References
Chambliss, W. J. & Eglitis, D. S. (2015). Discover Sociology 2E Custom Interactive E-book Edition, 2nd Edition.
Lindsey, L. L. (2015). Gender roles: A sociological perspective. Routledge.
Rey, J. M. (2014). Changing gender roles in popular culture. Variation in English: Multi-dimensional studies.
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