Social psychologists and geologists have started to examine the shifting form of attachment to a location in modern cities in advanced industrial nations in a recent resurrection of an earlier tradition of community surveys. When individuals interact with others from areas with which they have a connection, it can help to clear the ice and generate a feeling of attachment among those meeting for the first time (The Open University, 2021a). This implies that individuals who live in the same area share a common identity or a sense of shared connection. This paper is written with the aim of studying the relationship between place and class, namely, whether moving to a larger city affects the standard of living.
The sense of common connectedness that locations may evoke frequently conceals connection problems and the ways in which individuals, apparently living cheek-by-jowl inside the same apartment building, are divided. People may shape places in the same way that places shape the personalities of individuals in how they connect, their interests, and their methods of functioning together or separately (The Open University, 2021a). Thus, people can already talk about the relationship between class and place.
To get a sense of the magnitude of these alterations, people should look at the available statistics on where people resided and how that evolved throughout the nineteenth century; this is not as simple as it appears. It was frequently difficult to pinpoint where individuals resided. The majority of the population increase occurred in urban areas, with many people living in deplorable conditions (Dixon & Hinchliffe, 2014, p. 83). On the other hand, cities are spreading out, with farmland and country estates giving place to suburban development for the expanding middle classes.
Because the modern world is characterized by movement and new relationships, such as the movement of people across boundaries and between nations, as well as the pace and availability of communications infrastructure, being linked has become a severe issue for social scientists. Equally concerning has been the realization that ties may be severed, relationships can be severed, and much of what is considered forgiven about people’s intertwined lives might start to unravel.
At this stage of the essay, it can already be confirmed that the connection between place and class exists. In most countries, people from small towns and villages are trying to move to large cities for a better life (Dixon & Hinchliffe, 2014, p. 83). Unfortunately, states cannot provide the same standard of living everywhere. The level of medicine, salaries, and infrastructure can be an order of magnitude lower than the nearest large city (Clarke & Woodward, 2014, p. 173). The process of moving people and integrating small villages into the city is called urbanization.
Urbanization describes the growth of cities, the changes in where and how people live, and the experiences of living in an urbanized society. This process went hand in hand with industrialization, as people flocked from the countryside to the cities to work in factories and mills. Both urbanization and industrialization involved disruption to people’s lives and their existing connections to each other and places (Dixon & Hinchliffe, 2014, p. 83). Processes produced significant inequalities within and between cities.
The process of urbanization has recently been gaining momentum, and the line between classes is thereby blurred; however, this does not mean that the place does not affect the class in any way. On the contrary, the place plays a critical role in establishing the standard of living, thereby forcing a large number of people to move to the capital or other large and industrial cities. Urbanization is not a flawed process; it is an opportunity to give people the most favorable living conditions, however, with its drawbacks in the form of a harmful environmental situation.
It is not always simple to distinguish between the physical and social features of bodies. Some people are judged more beautiful than others, and they feature on television and in mainstream culture, as well as receiving financial compensation. Physical fitness is undoubtedly more important in some parts of society than in others (Clarke & Woodward, 2014, p. 173). Top athletes, for instance, are commonly described by their athletic capabilities. Bodies exist in a variety of forms and sizes, but societal values play a significant role in determining which bodies are more appreciated and regarded as more handsome than others (The Open University, 2021b). Individuals rely on having good bodies that can function in specific ways for a living. This once again confirms the fact that the connection between place and class is much stronger than it seems at first glance.
A small number of persons may be misidentified because their physical appearance is confusing, especially in newborns, or because of subtleties of genetics and other individual characteristics that are not readily perceptible. There are also individuals whose inner sense of gender identity as a woman or man differs from the identity revealed by their body (Clarke & Woodward, 2014, p. 173). Without these complexities, the anatomical characteristics used to distinguish a baby as a particular gender do not reveal much about its existence since it is hard to generalize across a variety of people’s experiences (Clarke & Woodward, 2014, p. 173).
Furthermore, the structures of difference that do occur, as well as the emotions of being a woman or a male, change between civilizations. Males and females are constantly differentiated, but generalizations beyond that level are complex. The issue of gender in terms of place and class has its own interpretation (The Open University, 2021c). Due to the fact that in small settlements, the old structure of society is very often, it is more difficult for women and other genders to develop. In big cities, people pursue their own careers, and the opportunity to develop inspires people to move to big cities.
To summarize, in a recent revival of an older history of surveys, personality researchers and geologists have begun to investigate the changing form of attachment to a site in cities in advanced industrialized countries. Individuals may change locations in the same way that locations form the personality of the people who live there, for better or worse, by how they relate to one another, their hobbies, and their ways of working together or separately. The term “urbanization” refers to the expansion of cities, alterations in how and where people live, and the realities of living in an urban society. People came from the rural to the metropolis to work in a factory and mills as industrial development coexisted.
Urbanization is not a flawed process; it is a chance to provide people with the best living circumstances, but it has consequences in the shape of a hazardous environmental situation. Outside of big cities, self-realization becomes even more difficult for persons with impairments, despite the fact that the construction of infrastructure for the disabled is a trend today. Nonetheless, life for the disabled is better in major cities since local officials are more perplexed by the issue of infrastructure. Gender has its own interpretation in terms of geography and class. Because the traditional social structure predominates in tiny villages, it is more difficult for women and other genders to evolve. Individuals from towns and villages in most nations are attempting to relocate to major cities in search of a better living. Regrettably, states cannot give the same level of living to everyone. The standard of medicine, wages, and infrastructure may be two orders of magnitude lower than in the next big metropolis.
First Reflection
This forum, in my opinion, is a good base for studying the topic of place and class, as it covers most of the topics that are related to this issue. Throughout the essay writing, I improved my writing and reasoning skills. This forum gave me the opportunity to study the topic deeply and thoroughly. I can say that I feel confident when I talk about this topic. In order to improve the forum, I would suggest creating a site where you can view all the materials without downloading them.
Second Reflection
Throughout the forum, communication with other participants helped at some points to start my reasoning, as I heard someone else’s point of view and thus was able to derive my own. It seems to me that this forum has helped me develop communication skills with different people of different characters. At first, I was worried about how people would perceive my opinion, but then I relaxed and accepted the general rules. It seems to me that if I now participate in the forum again, I will be more active because I already understand how the whole system
Reference List
Clarke, J. and Woodward, K. (2014) ‘Understanding Social Lives’, Milton Keynes, The Open University. pp. 173-199.
Dixon, J. and Hinchcliffe, S. (2014) ‘Connecting people and places’, in Clarke, J. and Woodward, K. (eds) Understanding Social Lives, Part 2, Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 79-124.
The Open University (2021a) ‘Arnold Circus: making and remaking the street through migration’ [Video], DD102 Introducing the Social Sciences. Web.
The Open University (2021b) ‘Using evidence’ [Online], DD102 Introducing the Social Sciences. Web.
The Open University (2021c) ‘Migrating mothers’ [Audio], DD102 Introducing the Social Sciences. Web.