In modern societies today, individuals strive to obtain and achieve things that are
classified and identified as desirable. These factors range from economic to cultural necessities
and are greatly influenced by social force such as social class, gender, and education. Life
chances subject an individual to various opportunities in life and can quickly transform
individual’s traits and behavior. Indeed, social forces reflect multiple drives that attribute to
change in motive, individual perception and character. Modern and classical explanation of the
social effects plays an imperative role in improving the realm of our lives. Concurrently, the
paper avails a detailed review of how social forces such as gender, social class, and education
affect our identity and life course.
Reflectively, social class anecdote a group of individuals who share a common cultural
believes opportunities and ideas. According to Berk and Laura, modern life chances and social
classes in the societies rely on the economic difference among the group. In such a case, there
exist high class, middle class, and the lower class. The individuals associated with the top class
enjoy numerous luxurious commodities and money has never been a problem. The typical level
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marks a class whereby their life is moderated and does not involve too much spending. The
lower class group comprises individuals who spend their resource generally on basic
commodities such as food clothing and shelter. Individual’s stratification contributes to living a
different life.
The term social class is commonly used to denote the existing social stratification found
in various societies in modern capitalism. The emergence of the distinct social groups is ranked
grounding on the numerous factors including prestige. The hierarchical classification induces
inequality regarding individual’s arrangement. As such, social disparities among the societal
members induces life chances advantages as well as disadvantages. In other words, each classical
level involves learning and keeping particular ethical values and principles. According to Brown
et al., historical background avails specific policies that are either positive or negative based on
individuals assumptions. Reflectively, societies such as India emulate traditional system of
stratification which contends with feudalism, slavery and caste system.
Ideally, life changes affect individual day to day operations. Indeed, indulging in some
activities such going to a luxurious show requires utilization of the vast sum of capital. Social
classes come into play where the high-class individuals afford to pay for the event, and the low
level foregoes the offer. In other words, individuals ranked as high level are in a position to
move around the world during the holidays whereas the low-class budget for local luxuries.
Social class is a factor that defines an individual place in the society
. Remarkably, social courses affect an individual’s power, status and economic situation
which have a direct implication on life chances. Social classes induce immobility whereby
different groups are formed to suit the individual’s needs. Some factors such as commitment and
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financial situation led to the development of social levels in different groups. In society today,
this theme is inevitable and induces an effect on the individual’s lifestyle. Generally, one cannot
afford to ignore the fact that lifestyle implication contributes to the generation of friend cycle
tailored to the financial background and life chance among other factors.
Undeniably, friends in a particular social class influence the behavior of the members.
Individuals in a specific community will always compare their life privileges with others
resulting in the establishment of groups. They introduce each other to various life opportunities,
activities and past time together when they are free. For instance, grounding on the experience, I
came to realize that social classes attributed greatly toward my lifestyle.
Enrolling in a high-class school affected my behavior and even caused conflict with the
family members. At the same time, the primary theme that contributed to numerous cases of
disputes with my parent included the change of social class. Joining a higher class group in the
school marked my transformation whereby I would strive to achieve various levels of luxury.
Indeed, this affected my personality momentously and even evoked conflict with the teaching
staff. Without reasonable doubt, the emerging disputes were tailored to request of financial
support that my parent could not support and sometimes afford.
Notably, men and women play a different role in society. The gender differences are
recognized through action and the manner we view ourselves in the community. There is a
torturous fate that accompanies individuals who do not play their crucial roles in the societies.
According to Schwarzer, some communities impose restrictive policies on gender thus pausing
extreme repercussions to the lawbreakers. Conspicuously, some cultures view women as
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potential wives who should be mandated with various responsibilities such as taking care of the
children’s, cleaning, cooking and providing the treasurable moment to their husband.
Remarkably, during my stay in India, I experienced numerous believes and principles that
guided an individual's behavior. In accord, women in society were mandated to please men and
rely on them to cater for their needs. The voice of women is undermined, and they are forced to
act and emulate particular principles. For instance, grounding on the Indian culture,
transforming and following their beliefs was quite challenging. I tried to live indoors as stated
but I could always find myself sneaking in search of new friends and a better lifestyle. Indeed,
the way they lived discouraged women from unleashing their potential.
Stearns and Peter highlighted that educational background shaped and defined the
lifestyle of an individual. Ideally, learning different concepts result in gaining of the knowledge
which in turn contributes to personality transition. Individuals tend to assimilate or instead adopt
social principles that encompass them. Best and James opined that education contributes to
economic, social and personal development. Moreover, through education, individuals are in a
position to conceive good ideas and thoughts. Educations boost an individual’s ability to
analyses and make concrete decisions. Even though life avails different challenges for survival,
acquisition of education aids in the fight for human right and allows pursuit for success.
Education fosters the degree of self-awareness and boosts one’s capability of
understanding essential principles in life. Reflectively, indulging in a different society allowed
me to compare the two existing culture. Moreover, through the application of acquired
knowledge, I was in a position to discern the best cultural practices to adopt. Even though my
parent had learned Indian culture, I was not pleased by their way of life. As such, my education
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background aided in making the right decision when I turned down the cultural believes and
practices emulated in India. The acquired knowledge boosted my discerning capabilities, and I
acknowledged and appreciated the acts of human right practiced in Canada. Grounding on the
expressions and conscious based on personal experience, I can attest that education allows the
making of the right decisions when faced with difficult and challenging situations. Indeed,
education attribute to the understanding of the moral and ethical responsibility as well as good
values in life.
In the current trending, societal members tend to divide themselves grounding in
hierarchies of sexuality, ethnicity, gender, age among others. The defining factors include either
the social laws or nature principles. In accord, the member in a particular ethnic group tends to
split into different classes whereby each group has differential access to power and resources.
Culture and economic gap define the existence of numerous classes. Nonetheless, social mobility
allows individuals to flow between various classes. In that cases, our migration to India facilitate
my intermingling with the student that were categorized as high class. The resultant effects were
striking. In other words, the class was to wanting for me and required induction of the enormous
sum of resource that sometimes I could afford and sustain. Indeed, despite numerous attempts to
reach the class stands, my friends would always look down on me. During the schooling session
in India, I had turned a new leave whereby I was subjected to numerous punishments. I came to
apprehend that indeed, class stratification is determined by wealth status.
Conspicuously, upbringing and societal differences subject an individual in different
social class and education system. Cultural heritage and beliefs that were practiced by the
ancestors submitted one into specialization and acting in a particular manner. The external forces
that guide various societies determine characteristics, and one must leave by the depicted rules
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and principles without question. As such, I was entitled to remaining indoors as an obligation of
a good woman. Nonetheless, the attitude of an individual defines the kind of interaction that will
upsurge among the societal members. Ideally, these research concepts related to my personal
experience.
Reflectively, most of the research findings confine with my personal experience in
Canada and India. The education background avails and guarantees a better understanding of
individual rights and responsibilities. Moreover, I was well versed in the matters relating to
cultural believes and misconceptions. In that manner, I declined to adopt the various concepts
that guided the behavior of the Indians. I knew that education relieves individuals from multiple
pressures and I acknowledged that I was an independent lady. As such, I used to sneak out in
search of satisfaction that I emulated. Grounding on the fact that my parents had already allowed
cultural ethic to control them, I was subjected into too much trouble, and I had to make a
concrete decision that grounded on going back to Canada.
Remarkably, social status plays an imperative role in scheming individual’s social
behaviors. According to Hockey et al., the social status of a person seems to be the primary
motivating and insensitive vigor of social behavior. In the contemporary world, individuals in a
particular state in the society emulate the cultural set of beliefs and ideas that are subject to
acceptable practices. Moreover, according to Gifford and Andreas, social statuses maneuver at a
personal level whereby an individual deal and cope with the perceived social status. Integrations
with different people induce a certain degree of compensation that can be either a reward or a
penalty. According to Oakley, social classes are essential constraints that affect the lives of the
impoverished members as well as affluent members in the society. The research stipulates that
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every society possess a unique set of social arrangement constraints such as ethnicity, gender,
and class that one has to deal with a particular manner.
In accord to my personal views, I concur with the statement that highlight social forces
affect life, life course, and identity. The encompassing society subjected me to the different class
group, society, and education. I acknowledge the fact that individuals live by the stipulated code
of conduct. Even though the research tends to support the idea that one can assimilate diverse
ethical background, I tend to refute the idea that changing from one culture to the next is a
simple task. Moreover, the research stipulates that education plays an imperative role in defining
personal traits. Notably, the concept or the ideology is quite relevant based on my personal
views. My historical background was a complex and involved adoption of the Canadian culture.
As such, integrating with the India culture was a general, hectic and complicated.
My level of education played an imperative role while comparing the best culture and the
social class to associate with during my stay. Indeed, numerous questions developed such as do
personal experience influence one lifestyle and does the encompassing environment participate
in building up our ethical principles? Even though multiple authors fail to discuss certain
factors, I concur with every detail presented in the context. I believe that education, gender,
social class among other factors influence the character of an individual in society.
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Works Cited
Berk, Laura. Development through the lifespan. Pearson Education India, 2017.
Best, John W., and James V. Kahn. Research in education. Pearson Education India, 2016.
Brown, John Seely, and Paul Duguid. The Social Life of Information: Updated, with a New
Preface. Harvard Business Review Press, 2017.
Cote, James E., and Charles G. Levine. Identity, formation, agency, and culture: A social
psychological synthesis. Psychology Press, 2014.
Gifford, Robert, and Andreas Nilsson. "Personal and social factors that influence
pro‐environmental concern and behavior: A review." International Journal of
Psychology 49.3 (2014): 141-157.
Hockey, Jennifer Lorna, and Allison James. Social Identities Across Life Course. Macmillan
International Higher Education, 2017.
Oakley, Ann. Sex, gender, and society. Routledge, 2016.
Schwarzer, Ralf. Self-efficacy: Thought control of action. Taylor & Francis, 2014.
Stearns, Peter N. Gender in world history. Routledge, 2015.