Sociological sciences aim to study people’s behavior and factors affecting it to explain or even predict it. At the same time, representatives of various areas studying peculiarities of people’s behavior tend to ask contrasting questions. For example, psychology is more focused on personal characteristics, features, and patterns of thinking. Sociology, in turn, pays more attention to group processes, connections, and interactions of individuals with social conditions. Relationships between people create different social groups with their unique dynamics, the essence of which at the group level can differ significantly from the individual one (Kearl, n.d.). Groups can influence individuals and vice versa, and sociologists study which factors have a more significant influence, for example, socialization culture, position in social stratification, or geographical context (Kearl, n.d.). By tracking the causal relationships between a factor and its consequence, they can understand, explain, and predict the extent to which specific social conditions affect individual thoughts, feelings, and behavior.
Sociologists use several methods and tools to study society, individuals, and their influence and have formed a theoretical base of ideas and concepts. In methodology, concepts of theory, hypothesis, research design, dependent and independent variables, sampling, and research ethics are crucial (Rohall et al., 2014). Research methods can be qualitative, including interviews, focus groups, content analysis, and quantitative – experiments, questionnaires, and data analysis. Each method involves different tools for the study, such as a telephone or personal conversation to collect data in an interview or regression analysis for data analysis. Moreover, to study the connection between society and individuals, the concepts of stratification, socialization, self, and identity are fundamental (Rohall et al., 2014). Understanding all ideas and methods is critical for researching the impact of society on individuals.
Each person can notice the consequences of the influence of society on self. For example, a country, a city, and even the family in which I was born affected my identity. Thanks to these factors, I have a national and ethnic identity, and my values were formed in a Christian context. The support of my family and friends with close interests contributed to the development of my self-confidence and stability of self-esteem. Social stratification, in turn, significantly defined my past and current education. Thus, society strongly influences individuals and can determine their well-being.
References
Kearl, M.C. (n.d.). A sociological tour through the cyberspace: Social psychology. Trinity University. Web.
Rohall, D.E., Milkie M.A., & Lucas, J.W. (2014). Social psychology: Sociological perspectives (3rd ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.