1. Melting Pot theory is old school. What is a better way to describe America today? Feel free to share your own or your family's assimilation or acculturation story if you have one.
A better way to describe America today is as a multiculturally pluralistic society. Instead of expecting all cultures to assimilate to main-stream beliefs, we are starting to work towards creating a society that is accepting of diverse cultures and beliefs. Pluralism means allowing each unique culture to maintain its identity and practices, while cooperatively and peacefully existing with other cultures. Unfortunately, although there are many social movements towards inclusivity, there are environments and aspects of society that still demand cultural assimilation. For example, where I grew up, I was a racial minority, and I felt a lot of pressure to change myself in order to fit in with my peers. The overall mentality where I lived was very different from the mentality of my family, so it was hard adjusting to those differences. During my adolescence I made significant adaptations in my dress, interests, and speech so that I could make more friends. However, since I've gotten older and matured in my understanding of myself and my culture, I have worked to incorporate my culture into that of my peers and make them see that our differences are not really all that different.
2. What does the looking glass self mean to you and how does it affect your own behavior?
The looking glass self means that your own self-image is a reflection of how you relate to and perceive others and how they perceive you. I think that throughout my life, I have had periods of time where I let others perceptions of myself decide how I thought about my own self-worth. Especially as a teenager among bullying peers, it was easy for me to develop low self-esteem and think that others' beliefs about me were true. Yet, over time, I have worked harder to be exactly who I want to be without worrying about what others think or say about me. I know that the people I'm friends with demonstrates a lot about my values as a person, and I work to interact with everyone in a way that is open and accepting. My own self-image is also based largely on societal constructs like my gender, race, age, etc. that influence how I behave and how I see the world.
3. Share your reaction to Bandura's Bobo Doll experiment video.
The Bobo Doll experiment is surprising. Although it's not unexpected that children are easily influenceable and follow the models give by adults, it is sad that they will follow that even to the point of abusing someone or something. It just shows how important positive role models are in the life of children, and how significant childhood experiences and the environment (or nurture) are to development. The treatment that one receives as a child can greatly impact how they interact with and see life as adults.
**If anyone needs help writing about Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development for their paper, I found a short, interactive video that really illustrates all the stages:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5czp9S4u26M
A better way to describe America today is as a multiculturally pluralistic society. Instead of expecting all cultures to assimilate to main-stream beliefs, we are starting to work towards creating a society that is accepting of diverse cultures and beliefs. Pluralism means allowing each unique culture to maintain its identity and practices, while cooperatively and peacefully existing with other cultures. Unfortunately, although there are many social movements towards inclusivity, there are environments and aspects of society that still demand cultural assimilation. For example, where I grew up, I was a racial minority, and I felt a lot of pressure to change myself in order to fit in with my peers. The overall mentality where I lived was very different from the mentality of my family, so it was hard adjusting to those differences. During my adolescence I made significant adaptations in my dress, interests, and speech so that I could make more friends. However, since I've gotten older and matured in my understanding of myself and my culture, I have worked to incorporate my culture into that of my peers and make them see that our differences are not really all that different.
2. What does the looking glass self mean to you and how does it affect your own behavior?
The looking glass self means that your own self-image is a reflection of how you relate to and perceive others and how they perceive you. I think that throughout my life, I have had periods of time where I let others perceptions of myself decide how I thought about my own self-worth. Especially as a teenager among bullying peers, it was easy for me to develop low self-esteem and think that others' beliefs about me were true. Yet, over time, I have worked harder to be exactly who I want to be without worrying about what others think or say about me. I know that the people I'm friends with demonstrates a lot about my values as a person, and I work to interact with everyone in a way that is open and accepting. My own self-image is also based largely on societal constructs like my gender, race, age, etc. that influence how I behave and how I see the world.
3. Share your reaction to Bandura's Bobo Doll experiment video.
The Bobo Doll experiment is surprising. Although it's not unexpected that children are easily influenceable and follow the models give by adults, it is sad that they will follow that even to the point of abusing someone or something. It just shows how important positive role models are in the life of children, and how significant childhood experiences and the environment (or nurture) are to development. The treatment that one receives as a child can greatly impact how they interact with and see life as adults.
**If anyone needs help writing about Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development for their paper, I found a short, interactive video that really illustrates all the stages:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5czp9S4u26M