Sociology And Social Worlds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sociology And Social Worlds - Essay Example â€Å"Matter† refers â€Å"principally, to the role material objects play in the making of social worlds† (Redman, 2008, p. 8), e.g. money and receipts which help create attachments between people as well as between people and objects. It can be argued that things (or matter) can affect social bonds on their own as well, since they â€Å"have agency as much as people† (Carter & Smith, 2008, qtd. in Redman, 2008, p. 12). Matter is inextricably linked to social attachments as well, both between people and between people and objects, everything material is at some point social and vice versa. There is much that has been said by social constructionists in this regard and this paper attempts to assess the above-mentioned role of matter with regard to what the social constructionists have put forward in this regard. Just how efficacious these arguments are is a matter that will also be addressed herein. In the end, a recommendation is made for more research to be done with regard to the role of matter in our attachment forging. To come back to matter, it may also include certain physical/biological traits, such as gender. But here the question arises if it is indeed gender that causes attachments to be forged between people (for instance mother and child, husband and wife) and not social norms. Thus, social constructionists argue, it can be an effect of both factors simultaneously, a woman is biologically female, and hence is expected by society to rear her child and love her unconditionally, however, this does not necessarily mean that the love she feels for her child is fabricated – it is the role of being a â€Å"mother† that may be socially fabricated, but not the feelings of being a â€Å"mother.† In such a context, it is our bodies, that are â€Å"matter,† and which are used to form attachments between people and between people and things, for instance, a girl having fondness for her doll, whereas a boy having it for his cricket bat. In this regard, social constructionists hold that it is actually the society that causes this errant belief of gender to be transferred into the social lives of people (Gabb, 2008, p. 31). Social constructionists argue that this phenomenon has more to do with social norms and practices than with individual needs and requirements. However, that cannot be completely true. There are certain individual traits that tend to form an attachment between people and objects and between people. In Woodward’s article, for instance, the attachment to boxing has been linked with certain ideals of masculinity, while that in itself cannot be considered to be matter, it is, perhaps, the biological sex of a person, and even the social implications that come with this, that determine and effect the propensity of boxers to be attached to the sport itself and the various factors it brings with it (2008). Moreover, the training of the boxer inculcates in him/her further attach ment to the game. Although some would argue that it is more mental than physical – attachment to boxing is caused by a certain psychological drive in the person.