Examples of Self-Fulfilling Prophecy in Sociology

A self-fulfilling prophecy is a sociological term used to describe what happens when a false belief influences peoples behavior in such a way that it ultimately shapes reality. This concept has appeared in many cultures for centuries, but American sociologist Robert K. Merton coined the term and developed it for use in sociology. Today, the idea of a self-fulfilling prophecy is commonly used by sociologists as an analytic lens through which to study student performance, deviant or criminal behavior, and the impact of racial stereotypes on targeted groups. Robert K. Mertons Self-Fulfilling Prophecy In 1948, Merton used the term self-fulfilling prophecy in an article. He framed his discussion of this concept with symbolic interaction theory, which states that, through interaction, people bring about a shared definition of the situation in which they find themselves. He argued  that self-fulfilling prophecies begin as false definitions of situations, but that behavior based on the ideas attached to this false understanding recreates the situation in such a way that the original false definition becomes true. Mertons description of the self-fulfilling prophecy is rooted in the Thomas theorem, formulated by sociologists W. I. Thomas and D. S. Thomas. This theorem states that if people define situations as real, they are then real in their consequences. Both Mertons definition of self-fulfilling prophecy and the Thomas theorem reflect the fact that beliefs act as social forces. They have, even when false, the power to shape our behavior in very real ways. Symbolic interaction theory explains this by highlighting that people act in situations largely based on how they read those situations, and what they believe the situations mean to them or to the others participating in them. What we believe to be true about a situation then shapes our behavior and how we interact with the others present. In The Oxford Handbook of Analytical Sociology, sociologist Michael Briggs provides an easy three-step way to understand how self-fulfilling prophecies become true. X believes that y is p.X, therefore, does p.Because of 2, y becomes p. Examples of Self-Fulfilling Prophecies in Sociology A number of sociologists have documented the effects of self-fulfilling prophecies in education. This occurs primarily as a result of teacher expectation. The two classic examples are of high and low expectations. When a teacher has high expectations for a student and communicates those expectations to the student through his behavior and words, the student then typically does better in school than they would otherwise. Conversely, when a teacher has low expectations for a student and communicates this to the student, the student will perform more poorly in school than she otherwise would. Taking Mertons view, one can see that, in either case, the teachers expectations for the students are creating a certain definition of the situation that rings true for both the student and the teacher. That definition of the situation then impacts the students behavior, making the teachers expectations real in the behavior of the student. In some cases, a self-fulfilling prophecy is positive, but, in many, the effect is negative. Sociologists have documented that race, gender, and class biases frequently influence the level of expectations that teachers have for students. Teachers  often expect black and Latino students to perform worse than white and Asian students. They may also expect girls to perform worse than boys in certain subjects like science and math, and low-income students to perform worse than middle- and upper-income students. In this way, race, class, and gender biases, which are rooted in stereotypes, can act as self-fulfilling prophecies and actually create poor performance among the groups targeted with low expectations. This ultimately results in these groups performing poorly in school. Similarly, sociologists have documented how labeling kids delinquents or criminals leads to delinquent and criminal behavior. This particular self-fulfilling prophecy has become so common across the U.S. that sociologists have given it a name: the school-to-prison pipeline. It is a phenomenon that is also rooted in racial stereotypes, primarily ones of black and Latino boys, but documentation suggests that it affects black girls as well. Examples of self-fulfilling prophecies show how powerful our beliefs are. Good or bad, these expectations can alter what societies look like. Updated by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.

Injustices Of Women And Women - 1121 Words

Injustices towards Women (Analysis of sources of unequal treatment to women) Injustices of women go way back to hundreds of years ago. When you learn about women from a long time ago, you hear things like: women didn’t work, women couldn’t vote, women did what they were told, etc.; that was just how it was and very few questioned it. It wasn’t until a movement started back in the 1800’s, known as the women’s suffrage, that the female population started to fight and rebel for equal rights. This started a war that no one could’ve ever predicted, a war that is still going on to this day. To women, their equality is everything and they are willing to fight day in and day out to prove that men are not superior to women. â€Å"The day may be approaching when the whole world will recognize woman as the equal of man.† (Gordon) This just goes to show that women were just waiting for the day to be viewed as just as relevant as a male. The question though is what are the sources behind the injustices of women? When discussing this topic i believe there are multiple aspects that we have to pay attention to: the physical part, that is just how some were raised, and most importantly the social part. Initially, understanding that men will almost always have the upper hand with strength is something that most women have accepted. Us women know that if we need something heavy moved, a lid to be opened, or anything out of our strength limits, a guy can usually do it with ease. What women don’tShow MoreRelatedSocietal Injustices Upon Women2009 Words   |  9 Pages 6 November 2017 Societal Injustices Upon Women Human rights are women s rights, and women s rights are human rights (Hillary Clinton). This is a very important message that can be applied throughout history to prove the significance of women during time periods in which they were viewed as substantially lesser than men. Over the years, women have grown independent, fighting for their rights, changing the gender norms placed on society and the expectations women are forced to uphold. To successfullyRead MoreThe Psychology Of The Social Injustice Of Women937 Words   |  4 PagesPsychology of Women. Within her textbook, she talks about the social injustice of women. Matlin (2010) kept her audience broad to cater to both genders interested in the psychology of women. According to Margaret Matlin, â€Å"Our discipline is also changing in a fourth way, because people’s behaviors, attitudes, and skills are continually evolving† (p. 169). Writing to a general audience in this context about this political issue meets her r hetorical goal of explaining the psychology of women in depth. ThisRead MoreEssay on The Influence of Injustice to Women in Hindu Mythology1645 Words   |  7 Pageslife and leave for the forest with Rama† (Zacharias). Sita’s perseverance through her husband’s doubt made her an idol for all women. Before Sita’s trial, or ‘agnipariksha’, society looked at women as just objects rather than people. The Ramayana illustrates the destruction of this stereotype of women through Sita’s chastity. While the Ramayana demonstrates injustice to women, it shows instances of male dominance and power. At the end of the war in Lanka, when the long battle between Rama’s army andRead MoreInjustices of Women of Color by Sojourner Truth in Speech, Aint I Woman1325 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Women’s Convention of 1851, she speaks on the injustices that women and colored people endured during that horrible time in America. I will make an effort to explore the ways she utilizes rhetorical methods as a means to accomplish a victorious and compelling delivery of her message. In this analysis, I will talk about the way Sojourner draws on her own individual experiences evoke an emotional reaction from her audience, relating with the women and mothers equally. She also utilizes repetitiveRead MoreThe Sources Of Injustice Explained By Simone De Beauvoir1365 Words   |  6 PagesWoMEN (An Analysis of the Sources of Injustice Explained by Simone de Beauvoir in Second Sex) The idea of feminism and women’s rights have been under attack for years. Women themselves have been under attack for their entire lives. Women always have to be doing things correctly or men attack their very being. Men have expected women to be submissive to them from the beginning of time, as life has always been a patriarchy. Feminism has always been buried under the dirt but in the last 50-100 yearsRead MoreInjustice: Slavery and Different Types882 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Injustice is part of life. There is no way to avoid it† Injustice (Noun) Lack of fairness or justice Oxford Dictionary Injustice (Noun) Lack of fairness or justice Oxford Dictionary Injustice refers to either the absence, or the opposite, of justice. The term is applied either in reference to a particular event or act, or to a larger incident. Injustice is played in today’s society, a lot. You hear about majorRead MoreThe Declaration Of Independence By Elizabeth Cady Stanton937 Words   |  4 Pagesfrom female discrimination, Women s Rights activist, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, wrote the declaration of Sentiments to declare independence for women from men. Stanton articulates how all men and women are created equal, in her declaration she outlines the injustices towards women by men in eighteen charges against the male dominant society. By modeling the declaration after Jefferson s Declaration of Independents she creates a patriotic tone in order to pursued all women and men, particularly AttendeesRead MoreInjustice Is An Unfair Treatment1209 Words   |  5 PagesWhat are some examples of injustice in America? Before you start to answer that question, consider what the word injustice means. Injustice is like a plague. If one person doesn’t speak up about unfair treatment, they are allowing injustice to infect e veryone. The Webster dictionary definition states, â€Å"Injustice is an unfair treatment or situation in which the rights of a person or a group of people are ignored (Merriam-Webster).† There are various examples of injustice in the Criminal Justice SystemRead MoreSophocles Euripides Antigone1310 Words   |  6 Pagesplaywright addresses the issue of injustices suffered by women and the concept of natural law. In both tragedies, the female leads seek justice after natural laws had been broken, but they ultimately break the natural law themselves, resulting in more injustice. During Medea s first long speech (lines 212 - 271), she declares that women are stricken with the most wretched existence on earth. Within this speech, Euripides draws attention to many of the injustices women underwent in ancient Athens.Read MoreI Am Malala, By Christina Lamb1069 Words   |  5 Pagesof speaking out against injustice ‘I am Malala’ narrated by Malala Yousafzai and written by Christina Lamb is a memoir of a Pakistani young girl (Malala Yousafzai) who fought for girls education in Swat valley. ‘Made in Dagenham’ directed by Nigel Cole is a film about a mother (Rita O’Grady) who works for Ford in the town of Dagenham in England along with other female machinist who fought for gender equal pay. Both protagonist from both text speak out against injustice and through this it has

Everyday Use Free Essays

â€Å"Dee Files†: Is She Honest or Is She a Hypocrite? In the story, â€Å"Everyday Use,† by Alice Walker, Dee is portrayed as a hypocrite towards her heritage by not understanding what her true heritage is. The author shows that Dee does not really have any interests in her family heritage and has little understanding of the important aspects of her family history. She fails to realize that her mind is completely blocked from her true heritage and fills it with completely new beliefs. We will write a custom essay sample on Everyday Use or any similar topic only for you Order Now In â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker, the author shows that heritage is valued objects and qualities that are passed down from generation to generation, and it represents the family’s importance, and because Dee does not understand this true meaning of heritage, her interest in her heritage is very hypocritical and splits her relationship with her family apart. Dee changes her heritage to fit her own beliefs rather than, keeping her actual heritage and learning about her own family history. It is first seen that she changes her heritage, when Dee changes her name to â€Å"Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo† because she â€Å"couldn’t bear†¦ being named after the people who oppress [her]† (pg. 55). The author shows that Dee gets rid of the name passed down from generation to generation and throws away a piece of her heritage. Dee indicates that her ancestors and elders whom she was named after oppress her, because she refuses to accept the culture and heritage of her family. Another example of her changed heritage is when she gets out of the car, wearing â€Å"a dress down to the ground†¦ A dress so loud, it hurts [Mama’s] eyes. † After being away to college, the author portrays Dee with a completely different style of clothing, not leaving one piece of traditional clothing, which gives a sign of Dee fading away from her heritage. Here, the author allows the reader to see that Dee does not understand her heritage and that her new appearance does not accurately represent her heritage. Even though Dee changes her heritage, she still thinks that she is still in touch with her family history and culture. We see that Dee is unaware that she forgets about her original heritage when she demands to have grandma’s quilts to â€Å"hang them† (59) instead of putting them to â€Å"everyday use† (58), the way she assumes Maggie would do. The author explains that Maggie would build upon the history of the quilts, honoring her heritage rather than Dee who would only hang them to prove that she is in touch with her culture. The author reveals that Dee only wants to show them off and she disrespects the heritage of the quilts by not wanting to put them to â€Å"everyday use. † Also, even after Mama gives the quilts to Maggie, she still thinks that it is Mama and Maggie who â€Å"don’t understand their heritage† (59). The author gives this passage a sense of irony because Dee claims that Mama and Maggie do not understand their heritage, but it is she, who does not accept her family heritage and throws it away to look for her true meaning. Dee’s arrogance and ignorance causes her to even scold her mother on their heritage, which is really what should have been done to her. Dee had no interests in her real family heritage and only has a fondness towards her made up heritage which does not mean anything or say anything about her real history or her true culture. She does not understand that she pushes her traditions and heritage away, even when her relatives and mother try to teach her about it. Her ignorance makes her view of heritage hypocritical, because she never accepts her heritage, but still defends it as if she has the correct view of her heritage. How to cite Everyday Use, Essay examples Everyday Use Free Essays Everyday Use Symbolism The Quilts These quilts represent Mama’s family and her heritage, they were made by Grandma Dee and Big Dee. Symbolically, each piece of material was made from scraps of clothing that once belonged to someone in their family, including pieces of their great-grandfather’s Civil War uniform. . We will write a custom essay sample on Everyday Use or any similar topic only for you Order Now To Maggie, they represent her family; she still remembers with love her grandmother who made one of them and she says it is okay if Dee takes them because she does not need the quilts to remember Grandma Dee. To Dee, however, the quilts have no emotional value. She regards them as a type of folk art that will look impressive hanging upon her walls. (Dee embraces her African heritage while rejecting her personal family history. ) Mama gives those quilts to Maggie because she knows Maggie, unlike Dee, will honor the culture and heritage by using it, or continuing it the way it was originally intended. ‘Maggie can’s appreciate these quilts! she said. ‘She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use. ‘ The Butter Churn and the Dasher The author also uses the butter churn and the dasher as a symbol to show mama’s understands of heritage. When Mama takes the dasher handle in her hands, she is symbolically touching the hands of all those who used it before her. Her appreciation for the dasher and the quits is based on the love fort the people who made use of them. Dee wants to use the churn top as a centerpiece for the alcove table and do something creative with the dasher. Mama views and honors her heritage as practical by appreciating what she acquired from previous generations and putting the passed down items into everyday use. Dee views and honors her heritage as superficial by appreciating the passed down items for their materialistic and artistic value How to cite Everyday Use, Essay examples Everyday Use Free Essays A Contrast between Dee and Maggie’s View Concerning Their Heritage In my writing essay I shall analyze the way in which heritage can be conceived in Alice Walker’s novel Everyday Use, trying to point out the author’s main ideas concerning the theme of the story. I would also try to describe the two daughter’s points of view, Dee and Maggie’s, about their ancestral heritage. The contrast between these two daughters is more than obvious not only in their appearance but also in their behavior when it comes to quilts from their grandmother. We will write a custom essay sample on Everyday Use or any similar topic only for you Order Now Everyday Use is a story narrated by a rural black woman, who is the mother of the two girls Maggie and Dee Johnson. Mrs. Johnson, is a simple woman but who, in spite of all difficulties that she passed through, she tried to give her daughters if possible, a good education and of course the most important thing, to make them aware of what heritage is indeed, the fact that traditional culture and heritage is not represented only by the possession of old objects, but also by one’s behavior and customs. She outlines in the story that she is not a very educated woman, but this does not mean that the lack of education is also reflected in her capacity to understand, to love and to respect her ancestors. Since the beginning of the story, the narrator makes obvious the contrast between Maggie and her elder sister Dee. Dee is a very ambitious girl, with a well-defined character, the one who had always been successful and ambitious. Maggie thinks â€Å"her sister has held life, always in the palm of one hand, that â€Å"no† is a word the world never learned to say to her. (Walker 2469). Dee denies her real heritage by changing her given name, after her aunt Dee, to the superficially more impressive one Wangero Leewanik Kemanjo, arguing to her mother that â€Å"Dee is dead and I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me† ( Walker 2472), what she does in fact is to reject her family identity. She inspires in her mother â€Å"a sort of aw e and fear more suitable to the advent of a goddess than the love one might expect a mother to feel for a returning daughter† (Farell, â€Å"Flight†). On the other hand, Maggie is the type of simple girl, like her mother, with little education. She is not ambitious like her sister Dee, living somehow in her mother’s shadow. But this might be also because Maggie hadn’t her sister luck and she burned severely in the house fire when she was a child, becoming now a shy and fearful person. These features are more visible in her attitude while waiting for her sister to come home. Mama is projecting her own anger and frustration onto her younger daughter when she speculates that Maggie will be cowed by Dee’s arrival. Maggie will be nervous until after her sister goes: she will stand hopelessly in corners homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe† ( Walker 2469). As Marianne Hirsch says in one of her critical essays: â€Å"the mother sees in Maggie’s angerless, fear an image of her own passive acceptance of Dee’s aggression, her ow n suppressed anger† Moreover, we can see through the lines of this story that, at the beginning, Dee was the daughter that mother preferred most because of her authority and because she wanted to succeed in life by following her instincts. But when she saw her totally changed, not only physically but also in her mentality, mother realized that Maggie was the one that understood the meaning of â€Å"heritage† and tried to give her justice. It is relevant â€Å"Mama’s awakening to one’s daughter’s superficiality and to the other’s deep-seated understanding of heritage† ( Tuten, â€Å"Alice Walker’s Everyday Use† ). However, Dee seems to despise her sister, her mother and the church that helped to educate her. Intentionally or not, she is selfish and she treats her sister with indifference. While Dee escaped from the poor life she was supposed to live, Maggie, next to her mother, represents the multitude of black women who must suffer. Scarred, graceless, not bright and uneducated, â€Å"Maggie is a living reproach to a survivor like her sister† (Cowart, â€Å"Heritage†) . The contradictions about heritage and culture between Maggie and Dee become more extensive when the quilts take part from the story. After dinner, Dee discovers some old quilts which belonged to her grandmother. She is very excited that found them, thinking that these quilts represent the testament of her ancestors. Without taking into account Maggie’s opinion, she asks her mother if she can have those quilts, arguing that she is the only one who can appreciate and have the right to keep them. At first, mother hesitates to give her an answer and offers her other quilts but Dee gets upset and then mother explains to her that the quilts were from Maggie as a wedding gift. Maggie’s tolerance in the story contrasts with Dee’s boldness. When Dee insists that her sister would ruin grandma’s quilts by using them everyday, and that hanging the quilts would be the only way to preserve them, Maggie â€Å" like somebody used to never wining anything, or having anything reserved for her† says â€Å" She can have them, Mama. I can remember Grandma Dee without the quilts† (Walker, 2474). Mrs. Johnson then realizes what makes Maggie different form her sister. She sees her scarred hands hidden in her skirt and says: â€Å"When I looked at her like that something hit me in the top of my head and ran down to the soles of my feet. Just like when I’m in the church and the spirit of God touches me and I get happy and shout† (Walker, 2475). This powerful feelings determines Mama to do something she had never done before: â€Å"she snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero’s hands and dumped them into Maggie’s lap† ( Walker, 2475). Mama’s behavior here is almost like Dee’s because she rebuffs her wishes for the first time and give justice to the most patient Maggie. The fact that she takes the quilts from Dee and gives them to Maggie, â€Å"she confirms her younger daughter’s self-worth: metaphorically, she gives Maggie her voice† ( Tuten, â€Å"Alice Walker’s Everyday Use† ). In conclusion, I can say that Everyday Use is a story about understanding heritage. This concept is very well exposed by the two characters Alice Walker created, Dee and Maggie. These two daughters have a completely different view in what concerns the heritage from their ancestors; in this case their origins and their inheritance, the quilts from Grandma Dee. Maggie is the one who understands that heritage is about respecting family’s traditions and customs while Dee destroys the traditional image kept by Mrs. Johnson and her sister. She denies her true origins by changing the given name into more fashionable one, Wangero Leewanik Kemanjo. One should appreciate his legacy because it represents indeed what we are. We can not hide our roots and even if we want, this would not be possible because it always remains present in our souls and our minds, we like it or not. WORKES CITED PRIMARY SOURCE: Walker, Alice. Everyday Use. In Love and Trouble: Stories of Black Women New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1973. SECONDARY SOURCE: Cowart, David . †Heritage and deracination in Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use. † Studies in Short Fiction. FindArticles. com. Farrell Susan. â€Å"Fight vs. Flight: a re-evaluation of Dee in Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use†- Critical Essay†. Studies in Short Fiction. FindArticles. com. Hirsch, Marianne. â€Å"Clytemnestra’s Children: Writing the Mother’s Anger. † Alice Walker: Modern Critical Views. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1989. Tuten, Nancy. â€Å"Alice Walker’s Everyday Use. † The Explicator 51. 2,1993 How to cite Everyday Use, Papers

The RSA Glossary Definition Essay Sample free essay sample

The RSA Glossary definition is targeted at simplifying in clear footings. present constructs and enterprises by authorities in guaranting standard uniformity in its ordinance in sing policies. activities and counsel in pull offing its information security. The practical realisation of the commissariats looks hard to pattern in world. You require a common criterion for two variety meats that does non portion the same certificates. For illustration. the directive in the definition provides that. employees and contractors designation. as a standard to derive logical and physical entree must run into a common criterion. But the process seems Byzantine. Do they have the same certificates? This is problematic. The effort to harmonise the ordinance is applaudable. but it is non security cogent evidence. If the definition is concerned about â€Å"Secured and dependable signifiers of identification† . it should hold made shared certificates compulsory. But this is non the instance. Does this non do maltreatment of such privilege possible? . We will write a custom essay sample on The RSA Glossary Definition Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In repairing clip frame within which the assorted authorities sections should follow may non be executable. a batch of factors may come to play which might do the realisation of the nonsubjective impossible. An bureau which started tardily within the stipulated four months following the judicial admission of the criterion may non hold quality plan to accomplish the criterion in eight months. The demand to accomplish harmoniousness is non negotiable but what happens in the event of failures from authorities sections to â€Å"ensure compliance† ? . Mention:hypertext transfer protocol: //www. rsa. com/glossary/