Description of the Everyday Setting
One of the examples from an everyday setting concerns social relationships and responsibilities within a family. More precisely, many parents give pocket money to their teenage children, but when the adolescents become adults, parents stop their financial support. This type of social change is common for many families in the United States, and some young people coming of age are also expected to move out. This example demonstrates multiple concepts of social order, construction, change, and structure on a smaller scale.
Illustration of Sociological Themes
Social Order
Social order refers to various mechanisms and regulations that ensure functional societies. In the described example, there are many interactions and responsibilities between the parents and their children, such as a curfew, money allowance, eating breakfast together with the family, and other activities. In the context of social order, these processes refer to social contracts, and they ensure that the group is functioning correctly (Cole para. 4). They guide interaction between the members of the sociological units, establish specific practices to protect social order, and emphasize unique beliefs and values. This is true for many families during stable periods, such as when teenage children go to school until the age of eighteen.
Social Change
However, the established order changes when they become adults, and new practices emerge. It is an example of social change that significantly affects the lives of every individual member of the group (Wilson para. 4). For instance, the child will not receive a monthly allowance anymore and must adjust their behavior. Similarly, the parents might have more free time, cease previous practices, such as eating together, and get new hobbies. As a result, the social structure, which is the family, changes internally and evolves. This process of social change is the same for societies, such as the Industrial Revolution, but on a bigger scale.
Social Constructs
Lastly, each social structure, which is the family in this example, establishes unique social constructs. For instance, the responsibilities within the family, such as the child’s promise to study or the mother’s commitment to cooking breakfast every day, are social constructs (Bainbridge para. 1-5). These responsibilities can be unique for each social structure, and members of these groups establish the constructs based on their own needs and objectives. They also help develop functional social order, where each individual feels a sense of belonging and commitment to the bigger group. Lastly, when social change occurs, these constructs might evolve as well.
Application of a Sociological Perspective
Functionalism is one of the primary sociological theories that can explain the mentioned example in great detail. Generally, it focuses on the macro level and compares social groups to living organisms (Crossman para. 2). Namely, it states that each part of society is critical to its functioning. When one element is broken, others must adjust to protect the whole system (Crossman para. 3).
When a child becomes an adult and leaves the family, a vacant space emerges in the place of their previous responsibilities, activities, and roles. As functionalism suggests, the parents would have to adjust during this social change to preserve the integrity of the group (Crossman para. 3). They might have new responsibilities and goals, meaning that the social structure would also have to evolve.
Conclusion
In summary, the described example demonstrates the significance of primary sociological concepts/theories, showcases the complexity of the subject, and explains how social units interact with each other.
Works Cited
Bainbridge, Carol. “What is a Social Construct?” VeryWellMind. 2023. Web.
Cole, Nicki Lisa. “What is Social Order in Sociology?” ThoughtCo. 2019. Web.
Crossman, Ashley. “Understanding Functionalist Theory.” ThoughtCo. 2020. Web.
Wilson, Stephanie. “10 Popular Concepts in Sociology: Understanding the Foundations of Human Society.” Applied Worldwide. 2023. Web.