SOCIOLOGY DISCUSSION
Sociology helps us understand how people under particular social structures relate to each other. The social behaviour of a particular society is carried on to new generations through cultural teachings. An example of the societal transition is the children of the United States should learn about the democratic cultural values of America through learning the right to vote. However, the American people’s behaviour and beliefs have changed over the years; this is because the younger generation tends to chat their ideas and attitudes. This reflective writing seeks to study the social behaviour transition from one generation to the other.
Erik Erikson once opined that “Nowadays it is not upon the old to teach the young about life but it is the young who decide on which teachings to adopt.” From this assertion, we can see that the dynamics of transferring the cultural beliefs from the old to the young generation have significantly changed and that the current generation tends to adjust as per their current social, economic, and political needs.
Past historical events have, to some extent, helped shape the approach of the current generation towards some issues. For instance, the Art movement in America during the 1800s, which was aimed at advertising America’s natural beauty, has impacted in instilling to me the importance of conserving and preserving our resources. The current generation can fully adopt the conservation debate or destroy the environment through encroachment and pollution from the first growing industries.
In my view, I take into consideration that what generation x, i.e. the old generation have played a critical role in shaping up the current generation’s choices because we do an evaluation of the effect of what happened in the past compared to how the current situation is. I am of the opinion that the current generation should borrow a leaf from generation x so as to come with a conclusive decision that will meet the current demands.
In conclusion, Historical events have a significant impact on shaping our current and future approaches to issues. The current generations have a great responsibility to make decisions on their social, economic, and political approaches by adopting some historical beliefs in some of these issues or modifying their choices to suit the current state of affairs. Future generations will then learn from the current generation’s actions and make their own choice.
Reference
Alwin, D. F. (2002). generations x, y, and z: are they changing America?. Contexts, 1(4), 42-51.
Griffiths, H., Keirns, N., Strayer, E., Sadler, T., Cody-Rydzewski, S., Scaramuzzo, G., … & Jones, F. (2012). Why Socialization Matters. Introduction to Sociology 2e.