Personal Essay Example: Impact of Sociological Factors on a Person's Life

The term sociology characterizes the scientific study of human society. It also entails the study peoples behavioral patterns, social interaction, cultures, as well as social relationships. From an individual perspective, there are a variety of sociological factors that influence a persons life. Additionally, some examples of such factors include socioeconomic status, race, family wealth, and sexual orientation among others. In most cases, such factors influence and shape a persons life. This essay is a self-examination of how different sociological factors shape, influence and affect my life.

According to a research publication authored by sociological factors such as family and a persons social environment can influence a person to result in substance abuse (Whitesell et al. 2013). Also, the publication stated that parents marital status, level of parents education, as well as socioeconomic status could also influence a persons life (Whitesell et al. 2013).

In a different research publication, age-related social roles like drinking contexts, patterns, and drinkers attitudes influence Russian men behavior when taking alcohol (Keenan, et al., 2015). Additionally, personal as well as social factors influence learners attitudes towards children with special needs (Goncalves & Lemos, 2014). These examples portray that different factors in a persons life can influence his/her behavior.

Social Categories That Define My Life

Four primary social categories define my life. These include my family educational background, family wealth, religious upbringing, and personal income. I come from a highly learned family background, which have produced scholars functioning in high positions at different industries in the nation. Consequently, as the youngest member of the family, I have been forced to work extremely hard in my academics to maintain the social expectations of other people in relation to my familys social structure.

Furthermore, I originate from an affluent family, whose riches span for generations. As a result, I have been forced to maintain a high reputation due to the social expectations of others in relation to my family. As such, I have been forced to only attend high-class social events due to my familys economic status. This is at the expense of other interesting events that do not befit my familys economic standing in the society. Furthermore, I attained a strong religious upbringing by my staunch Christian family.

As such, I have avoided perpetrating acts such as smoking and alcohol indulgence, which are considered to be unchristian. Ultimately, I was a beneficially of my grandparents inheritance in the real estate sector. As such, I have a high annual income from renting the inherited properties. Consequently, this has made me be classified by others persons in the society to be a person in a high social structure. Subsequently, I attain numerous invitations to various fundraising events in my family.

Racial Background

I originate from a White American family, made up of both White American parents. Since I was a young child, I have made friends with persons and peers from the diverse population groupings living in the United States. However, since I was young, I have had a constant realization that my older family members have been reluctant in socializing and doing business with non-white populations in the United States.

Furthermore, my parents have also stated in countless times that they would prefer I get married in a good White American family. As such, their perception of the best family to live in have made me very selective in the type of partners I chose for my relationship. Additionally, since my elementary school level, I have always been in a relationship with persons from my race.

Also, due to the influence of culture in my life, I believe that when I am ready for marriage, I will marry in a White American family. Furthermore, based on the expectations of my family, I will take my children to the Whites-dominated learning institutions in the country and also raise up my children with similar expectations. Ultimately, I will try to maintain a Whites social group, made up of people with similar interests to mine.

Moreover, before joining my undergraduate degree program, I attained a scholarship to join one of the best learning institutions in the country. However, the college was primarily an African American dominated institution, with only a few White American students in the campus. Subsequently, my parents were not comfortable by me schooling in an institution that was not culturally White American dominated.

This impact of racial background supports the reason that various social factors revolving around my life such as family educational background, family wealth, religious upbringing, and personal income have influenced my life. Also, they have affected my decision-making process and influenced my interaction with other people around me. Nevertheless, despite such influence of racial background, I have never been a racist, and I always respect all persons irrespective of their racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Conclusion

In conclusion, different social factors affect peoples lives. This is because they influence peoples life trajectory and also shape their behaviors as well as choices. Furthermore, social factors around a persons life influences his or her future outcomes. As such, it is essential for an individual to perform a self-evaluation of his/her life in order to ascertain the social categories that define him/her.

References

Goncalves, T., & Lemos, M. (2014, February 7). Personal and Social Factors Influencing Students Attitudes Towards Peers with Special Needs. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 112, 949-955. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.1253

Keenan, K., Saburova, L., Bobrova, N., Elbourne, D., Ashwin, S., & Leon, D. A. (2015, November 17). Social Factors Influencing Russian Male Alcohol Use over the Life Course: A Qualitative Study Investigating Age-Based Social Norms, Masculinity, and Workplace Context. Plos One. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0142993

Whitesell, M., Bachand, A., Peel, J., & Brown, M. (2013). Familial, Social, and Individual Factors Contributing to Risk for Adolescent Substance Use. Journal of Addiction, 1-9. doi:10.1155/2013/579310