Socialization and Me
Step One
- When I saw an old man whose clothes were crumpled and untidy, and his bag was with a hole, I made the following pre-judgment about him. He was different than me because I was clean and tidy, and he was dirty and miserable. I thought that he was a tramp or alcoholic. However, later I realized that these pre-judgments were wrong. Some people told me that his wife died several months ago, and he had to manage with routine homework alone. He had to make things he never did, and it was really hard for him to wash clothes or sew up a hole in his bag. Nevertheless, the first opinion was formulated basing on the man’s appearance.
- When I consider my ideas regarding relationships and sexual behavior, I strongly feel about the one belief. I believe that every relationship must be built on trust. Trust is the most important value in both friendly and sexual relations. If people do not believe each other, they cannot have any relations.
- If I had to identify one value that guides my behavior towards others it would be the respect. Every person should respect each other in order to have a good attitude towards one another. If a person shows no respect for me, I feel unpleasant and do not want have any business with such person. The same is with other people.
Step Two
- I have chosen one preference for the relationships and sexual behavior – trust. I think that this preference is most influenced by the internalization of a norm of a particular group. This group is my family and close relatives. This norm is informal in my family but if some of the family members break the norm, they are penalized with informal sanctions. This moral value is influential because, in my family, everything is built on trust. My parents trust me, and I trust them, and if someone lies, the others are disappointed. It is very difficult to return this trust back; that is why it is of high importance to keep and appreciate this value. The same is with my girlfriend. I need to trust her, and I do everything to make her trust me. If she is fully confident in my words and actions, we will have harmonious relationships.
- This situation is analyzed on the example of a family. I have played a role of a child of my parents, and they expected me to tell the truth and keep the promise. Their expectations of my role are obvious: they are my parents, and they suppose that I will be their upright son. They play a role of good parents, and I play a role of the honest son. Of course, sometimes I lie to my parents, as all children do; however, they trust me and expect from me honesty. Their expectations influence my role and my preference a lot. Nevertheless, if …
