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 where I take it out for feeding before 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 where we get to discuss important issues that should be done 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 where 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 as I go through work-related emails. Work begins immediately after the meeting to 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 to do in the coming weekend. The day ends at a few minutes past three where 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 define s 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 do 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 o 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 always to 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 are supposed to be done by my wife are what 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 are now assuming 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 guest. 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 to conduct their sessions. At some point, men would move to help instructors to 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 rule, which extends 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 of behaviors, norms, and how we think. It is through these interactions that norms in the 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 change 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 lack of which will create disharmony in society.
Institutions are part of important components in 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 were inexistent, it would have been hard to see e working to date. The gym and the laundry are other social institutions that improve our welfare. The services provided ease some of our problems as well as 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.
