Introduction
My personality has been heavily influenced by numerous environmental factors that I have been facing both at school and at home. Some of these factors have had a positive impact on my dreams, while others have negatively impacted my dreams. According to Brym and Lie (2009), our lives are shaped by different environmental factors, some of which are always beyond our control. Some of these factors may influence our attitudes, beliefs, and aspirations without our knowledge.
Sometimes one may experience massive changes in life aspirations because of these factors. Due to these environmental factors, I began admiring other professions other than teaching. When I think about who I am today, I cannot fail to realize that my identity, aspirations, attitude, and beliefs have been shaped by my social environment.
Social Forces that Made It Difficult to Achieve the Dreams
Several social forces made it difficult for me to achieve my dreams. This can be explained using some principles or theories. The first principle is Karl Max’s Class Theory. This theory holds that humanity is divided into classes, and there are always clashes as people pursue better social classes. It happened that I did not belong to the highest social class when growing up. My parents were very successful in their careers, but they could not be able to buy me some luxuries.
I had to live within this means. The second principle is Karl Max’s Conflict Theory. The theory is based on the role of power and coercion in bringing the social order. When I was young, I hated the idea of following polices set by people in authority. I found fun in breaking the law because I did not consider it a big deal. This changed when I started schooling. I realized that those in power could use it to coerce me to do what they liked.
This affected me so much because sometimes, I had to do things that were contrary to my wishes. I had to pretend in some of the cases just to avoid punishment. This affected my grades so much at this stage of learning. I hated school generally because to me, it was a symbol of oppression. The teachers were always complaining about my performance to the parents.
When I joined high school, I interacted with different people who had a massive influence on my life. Although the teachings of my parents were still clear in my mind, I was always learning new concepts in life. I had made everyone close to me. I believed that I would become a teacher, just like my mother.
However, this changed as I interacted with different people and gained experience on different issues about life. I realized that there were so many professions to choose from and that it would be unfair to rigidly think of just one profession without understanding my potential. However, it reached a point where I did not know of the profession that was appropriate for me. I got confused, and this had a negative impact on my performance.
It is also important to note that the teachers and fellow learners also had a major impact on my dreams at this stage. Peer pressure affected me so much as my friends talked nicely about careers in music. Some of my peers almost convinced me to ignore academics and focus on professions such as football or fashion and design. Sometimes the statements from my teachers and other people in authority on sociology almost made me shelve my ambition to study this course.
Social Forces That Created Opportunity
I would not have been in my current position were it not for the social forces that created opportunities in my life. It is important to appreciate that without the positive social forces I had in my life, I would never have been in a position to achieve success in my academics. The first force came from my mother, who constantly reminded me that I was able to succeed despite the challenges in life. My class teacher was also a strong inspiration for me.
She would always tell us that we had powers to decide our future based on what is done today. I also found some time to read inspirational books that made me realize that success and failure were both possibilities in one’s life. From these literature, I realized that I could become the best if only I could work consistently towards this.
In the social environment, there are some forces that may affect one’s dreams either positively or negatively. In my life, several forces have played off, which have motivated me to achieve my dreams in ways that I did not expect. When I started schooling, my elder sister was my role model, and given the fact that she was pursuing a career to be a teacher, I also wanted to be a teacher. Pintar (67) defines socialization as “How social and cultural continuity are attained.”
My elder sister heavily influenced my social environment. She would take much of her time at home, talking about the need to succeed. From these discussions, I came to inherit her customs, ideologies, and norms. I was inspired by her stories, especially when she told me that she was able to overcome some of the prejudices directed towards her at different stages of her life. She always talked about gender theory with passion and how she was able to overcome its negative connotations.
Gender Theory is based on the premise that women are inferior to men in the social sphere. I realized that if my sister was able to overcome all the gender-based prejudices during her time in school, then I was equally able to be successful in life. I was determined to be successful in my academics, even though sometimes I found the books very boring. This gave me the drive I needed to achieve success in my academics.
My Response to Various Social Constraints and Opportunities
In explaining Symbolic Interactionism, Pintar (75) says, “People act towards things based on the meaning those things have for them, and these meanings are derived from social interactions and modified through interpretations.” I have always been keen to act based on the meanings I get from the social constraints and opportunities.
My mother taught me to take time in interpreting issues in society, and that I should always remain positive. When responding to constraints, I have always taken time to think of how I can turn them into opportunities in life. Every time I realize that I have an opportunity in life, I always find the means of exploiting it maximally.
Reference List
Brym, R., and John L. 2009. Sociology your compass for a new world the brief edition. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Pintar, J. 2005. Sociology: Your Compass for a New World. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning