Suicide (Free Writing)

Suicide

Suicide fully prevent suicide, people need to have a better understanding of it and know why it happens. (Key Research Findings, 2015)
One of the leading causes of suicide is depression along with other mood disorders, substance abuse disorders, and schizophrenia. A recent study has shown that people who commit suicide had a mental disorder at the time of their death. Because people who commit suicide don’t usually tell people about their actions, it is important for people to be able to recognize the symptoms.
Because depression is a main factor for suicide, it is important for care provides to be able to appropriately diagnose and treat someone with depression. Having depression does increase the likeliness of someone committing suicide. There are about 20% of the people who have died because of suicide that also had previous attempts at committing suicide. (Key Research Findings, 2015)
There have been studies that suicide may be inherited from family. It’s not so much the suicide that gets inherited, it is the depression that gets passed down. People who have family members who have attempted or committed suicide have a higher risk of doing it themselves. This is because they look to that person as a “social model.” But it can also lead to the awareness of suicide. (Key Research Findings, 2015)
People who have had cancer, HIV, lupus, and traumatic brain injuries are often at a higher risk of suicide. These people feel hopeless. (Key Research Findings, 2015)
In 2013, there were over 40,000 deaths caused by suicide in just the United States. It is the 10th leading cause of death. It is more common for males to commit suicide rather than females. But females are more likely to think about suicide than males. Females actually attempt suicide 3 times more than males. (Save, Suicide Awareness Voices of Education)

Suicide has played a big role in my life, as crazy as this sounds. My 5th grade year, my uncle committed suicide. A year later, on the exact day, my other uncle committed suicide as well. The next year my grandma had died of cancer. It was not suicide but it did have a big impact on my dad. Who then a few years later committed suicide. My dad did have depression and he was bipolar. He never gave any hints that he would do that. So when it happened, it was completely unexpected for us.
But since suicide had happened twice before in the family, you can see that it does have a way of spreading to other people.
Suicide is something I personally take very seriously. I do not tolerate it when people joke about it. It is a serious problem here in the United States and there is so much everyone can do to prevent it. There have been movements on social media where people draw semicolons on their wrists. They do this to show that your story isn’t over. You could’ve ended it but instead kept going.

"Save. Suicide Awareness Voices of Education." SAVE. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2015. 

http://www.save.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=705D5DF4-055B-F1EC-3F66462866FCB4E6

"Key Research Findings." American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2015. 

https://www.afsp.org/understanding-suicide/key-research-findings 

Social Institution of Economy

Social Institution of Economy

An Economy can be defined as “the institution that provides for the production and distribution of goods and services, which people in every society need.” We rely on people to supply goods and services. But some of us also may provide some of those goods and services. But how do we go about getting those goods and services? We have to have some sort of exchange or currency. Here in the United States we have money, we have dollar bills and we also have coins, because we are a more industrialized society. But other countries may use a form of currency in an exchange for another gift or service. (Social Institutions: Economy, SparkNotes)
There are two economic systems that are most dominant. They are capitalism and socialism. A majority of societies use a mixture of they two. When you use a mixture is is often called welfare capitalism and state capitalism. (Social Institutions: Economy, SparkNotes)
Capitalism can be defined as “a system under which resources and means of production are privately owned, citizens are encourage to seek profit for themselves, and success or failure of an enterprise is determined by free market competition.” To put it into perspective, we can use the United States for an example. We do have privately owned businesses but the government does regulate these businesses. (Social Institutions: Economy, SparkNotes)
Socialism can be defined as “a system under which resources and means of production are owned by the society as a whole, rights to private property are limited, the good of the whole society is stressed more than individual profit, and the government maintains control of the economy.” An example of a socialism society would be China. The natural resources is owned and controlled by the government. (Social Institutions: Economy, SparkNotes)
You can use a mixture of the two, such as welfare capitalism. It can be defined as “a system that features a market-based economy coupled with an extensive social welfare system that included free health care and education for all citizens.” To look at this we can look at Sweden. They do allow the people to own their businesses privately, but the government is still allowed to control part of the economy. They do have high taxes to support all of that free education and free health care. (Social Institutions: Economy, SparkNotes)State capitalism is also another one that blend socialism and capitalism. It can be defined as “a system under which resources and means of production are privately owned but closely monitored and regulated by the government. South Korea is a good example of this. The government works very closely with the major companies in South Korea so that they can ensure their success. (Social Institutions: Economy, SparkNotes)
We have our wants and needs. We will always be consuming products, sometimes faster then they can make them. But we need to have a way to regulate these sales. 

https://economicsociologydotorg.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/consumption-aggregate-demand-economics-oleg-komlik.jpg?w=640

"Social Institutions: Economy." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2015. 
http://www.sparknotes.com/sociology/social-institutions/section1.rhtml

Religion as a Social Institution

Religion as a Social Institution

Religion can answer some of our questions and explain things that are unexplainable. It gives some people reasons for life and death. Why we are on this earth. And why we die. (Social Institutions, SparkNotes)

Religion is very important for families. It may determine which holidays you decorate and celebrate. Parents and elders, teach their children to also continue with these religion traditions, and so on and so forth. It can be considered part of their culture. I am a Christian so I celebrate Christmas for Jesus's birth. (Social Institutions, SparkNotes)

There are several different religions throughout the world. Several is not the world to use, but there are A LOT of religions. (Social Institutions, SparkNotes)

Christians have the belief that Jesus was our savior and is the son of God. There are several different forms of christianity. Islams also have the same God. But they believe that word of God was revealed to Muhammad in 570 A.D. (Social Institutions, SparkNotes)

Sociologists have 3 religious organizations. Churches, sects, and cults. A church is a religious group that has integrated with society. A sect is s religious group that sets itself apart from society. A cult is a religious group that is not considered normal to the rest of society. Cults usually have a leader that it all is centered around. (Social Institutions, SparkNotes)

Religion plays a role on the class system in the United States as well. It also can depend on race or ethnicity. Some of the wealthiest people in America are protestant. Jews also have a high standard of living. Roman Catholic descendent families, don’t tend to be as wealthy. African-American churches have taken the traditions of Christianity but also keep the beliefs of the slaves that were brought to America. (Social Institutions, SparkNotes)

I went to a Catholic school. So every Tuesday and Friday we went to church. Our programs consisted of Christian music. We studied the bible and what God did. I also was baptized, I had a confirmation, and a First Communion. I did all this because I am Catholic. But another family with a different religion, would not do this. 

My confirmation class at St. Gregory’s Catholic School

"Social Institutions." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.

http://www.sparknotes.com/sociology/social-institutions/section4.rhtml

Alcohol Use of Adolescents (Free Writing)

Alcohol Use of Adolescents 

There are many questions as to why adolescents drink alcohol. Who taught them that it was okay? Does drinking run in the family and that's why they're drinking? Who influences them? Does the media suggest that it is okay to drink at a young age? 

There are many programs that do not promote under age drinking, they try to convince adolescents to stray away from alcohol. But still under age drinking is still a major problem here in the United States. Under age drinking is in it's prime from age 18-21. They are in college and it the students peers may be drinking, so other students may drink due to peer pressure. Because the development of the brain can still continue into early adulthood, alcohol could be affecting the growth of the adolescent. Which is a major problem. When youths drink, they are more likely to binge drink.
Children who use alcohol at an early age are more likely to abuse alcohol as adults. It can also lead to unemployment problems, aggression, and are more likely to abuse other substances. Adolescents who use alcohol are more likely to have problems getting their obligations done at work, school, or home. Having problems with alcohol can be viewed as causing problems or damage to yourself or relationships with others.
A recent study shows that teens are more likely to drink alcohol than to do drugs or use tobacco. "The 2009 survey of more than 46000 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students in more than 380 schools nationwide revealed that the prevalence of alcohol use in the previous 30 days had declined by more than one-third since most recently peaking in 1996 but that less of a decline was found for older students." 
Teens in the United States who misuse alcohol are often times involved in dangerous situations that can lead to injuries or even death. A leading cause of teen deaths are caused by alcohol related accidents such as car crashes, homicide, and suicide.

I have friends who have drank under the age. I also have family who drank as teens and either ended up in car crashes or committed suicide. I have seen alcohol take people down bad roads. I have seen what it can do to people first hand. People get dependent on the alcohol, it can change people.
Since I am in college, I have been to many parties and see college students with alcohol. It may seem like nothing now, but later down the road it could turn into more than just a thing to do at parties.

"Alcohol Use by Youth and Adolescents: A Pediatric Concert." Pediatrics. AAP Gateway, May 2010. Web. Nov. 2015.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/125/5/1078 

The Impact the Internet Has On Society (Free Writing)

The Impact the Internet Has On Society

As we know, internet plays a great roll in our lives. We are always using the internet for various reasons, whether it is research for a school project, twitter, facebook, looking at maps, there are always a reason that we can be on the internet. Our generation is very into our smartphones, laptops, and tablets. Many places also offer wifi so that we don't have to use our own data. Because of the internet, you can say that the whole world is connected in some way.
Because we can say that people "hide behind their phones" means that they are less sociable. But actually it turns out that using the internet can actually increase the amount of how social a person is, civic engagement, and the relationship between family members and friends.
Not only is technology being used for social relations but also for businesses. You can now arrange business meetings with someone around the world with web chats. You can also send emails.
Because it seems like people are mostly on their phones theses days, that there might be little help in the community. But actually there seems to be more because you can spread awareness of the event over social media.
People are also making a living on the internet. They sell products and other internet users buy them.
I can definitely see how the internet can keep everyone connected. I talk to my family members who are states away, or even across the ocean, to see what is going on with them and to plan times to meet up. 
I can also see what is happening in the world. The recent Paris attacks were noted all over Twitter and Facebook. I would not have known about the Paris attacks without that social media. Someone tweeted "#PrayersForParis." I was curious so I just went to google and typed "Paris", instantly it brought up searches such as "paris attacks, paris terrorist attacks, paris attacks 2015." So obviously I knew that something had happened. 
After the Paris attacks, many people had posted pictures of the  Eiffel tower with the hashtag Pray for Paris. This somehow brought countries together. Showing their sympathy for one another.
The logo used for #PrayForParis

With the rise in social media and internet use, I have also noticed that 12 year olds have smart phones. When I was 12 I had a track phone. Now they have their smart phones and iPhones and tablets. They are way farther into the knowledge of technology than we were at that age.

"The Impact of the Internet on Society: A Global Perspective | MIT Technology Review." MIT Technology Review. N.p., 08 Sept. 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
http://www.technologyreview.com/view/530566/the-impact-of-the-internet-on-society-a-global-perspective/

"Eiffel Tower as Peace Symbol Goes Viral, as Thousands Send Prayers to Paris following Deadly Attacks." RT English. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
https://www.rt.com/news/322007-eiffel-prayers-paris-attacks/ 

Functionalism

Functionalism

Auguste Comte and Herbert Spencer are the founders of this theory. The idea of functionalism, is that society works together as one whole unit, but has inter-related parts. Functionalism was highly recognized by sociologists in the 1940s and the 1950s. This theory describes how society meets their needs for individuals and the social needs. (About.com, 2015)
Comte and Spencer looked at functionalism as if it were a living organism. Without one part of the organism, the whole system would collapse. If everyone does their part well then there will be stability in our society. (About.com, 2015) The different tasks that people do are often called divisions of labor. There are different parts but all are related. When one part of the society does not do their parts, it doesn't just impact them, but it impacts the whole society. If one falls, they all start to fall. (Boundless, 2015)
For an example, the state provides education for children, and then in return the children's family pays taxes that the state needs to function. The children also are expected to go to school and eventually get a good job so that they can also support their family. In the end, the children grow up to be tax-paying adults who support the government. (About.com, 2015)

 (PSYCHNOV, 2015)

"Everything You Need to Know About Functionalist Theory." About.com Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.
http://sociology.about.com/od/Sociological-Theory/a/Functionalist-Theory.htm

"The Functionalist Perspective - Boundless Open Textbook." Boundless. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.
https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-sociology-textbook/sociology-1/theoretical-perspectives-in-sociology-24/the-functionalist-perspective-155-3284/

"PSYCHNOV." PSYCHNOV. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015. 

http://jmccrackenworld.com/SOCNOV.html

Symbolic Interactionism

Symbolic Interactionism

When you think of symbolic interactionism you can kind of get an idea of what it is just by the name. Symbolic goes to symbol and we think of symbols as representing something. This theory takes a look at how people relate certain meanings to objects, events, and behaviors. The men behind this theory are George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) and Charles Horton Cooley (1864-1929.) A way that they use to describe this theory is attaching a meaning to things. 

We have so many symbols that we can relate to. Mom, dad, aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa, brother, sister. These are just a few of many. These are just some way to describe people. But what about objects?  A ring symbolizes marriage when worn on the left ring finger. But there are many others. When a baby is being born, the parents represent having a boy in blue and having a girl in the color pink. We recognize these things and assume their meaning. We see wet floor signs and know that it means the floor is wet and you should not walk there. Snow flakes represent cold and fire represents hot. They can be little things like that or big things.
What do you think about when you think about America? Well I think about our flag, the Fourth of July, and Fireworks. This is how I symbolize America. If I were to symbolize Egypt, I would think of pyramids, egyptians, and cats. 

You can think of a symbol for almost anything! It's just they way we look at stuff!

"Symbolic Interactionism." Youtube. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2015.
http://www.youtube.com

"What Is Symbolic Interaction Theory?" About.com Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2015.
http://sociology.about.com/od/Sociological-Theory/a/Symbolic-Interaction-Theory.htm