Society and its influence on individual development.
Every human being has to undergo certain stages of development. David Bartholomae suggested that most individuals run into various constrains and detriments depending on their gender, race or social status (1). Indeed, not everyone strives under societal pressures and expectations. Is society detrimental to the development of one's identity? Or is it one of the guiding factors that helps its members to mature, succeed and find certain integrity? How much of a role does society play in individual progress of its very members? Perhaps the answer is not that obvious.
First societies appeared thousands of years ago, when archaic humans gathered into small tribes to ease the duties of protecting themselves and providing food for their children. Even back then certain rules were laid out - without that type of intervention they had no other way to survive. In order to maintain their standard of living, ancient societies started to regulate lives of individuals, much like they do today. People were still guided by anarchy more often than not, but the precedent was set. Humanity chose to live, die and raise their offspring collectively, as a society, and the rest is history. Egyptian slavery, Athenian democracy, Roman emperors and Chinese dynasties, Middle Ages, Renaissance and Information age - all of that became possible thanks to society.
It seems that the role that society plays in human development is incredibly important. Besides select examples of people being separated from social interaction, everyone has to deal with society in one way or another, be it through education, work or even communication ("socializing"). Therefore up to a certain point social influence is truly inescapable. Some scholars, like Bartholomae, go as far as singling out social class being a lifelong limiting factor on one's development, - "Social class, race, gender - no one can escape them or think about themselves outside their categories" (1). And even though social class is only one of the many ways that society uses to interacts with its members, the notion of it being a burden cannot be underestimated.
So how does society influence various human traits and human development in particular? It certainly starts with children. "Today's child has become the unwilling, unintended victim of overwhelming stress - the stress borne of rapid, bewildering social change and constantly rising expectations," - notices David Elkind (62). And indeed, the many pressures that society brings upon children are often too heavy of a load to carry. Young people always look up to their parents and other adults that they come in contact with; often those adults lack the knowledge and proper skills to cater to child's needs in effective manner. Modern day society dwells in competition and constant stress, sometimes inexcusably pushing parents to bring their children up in a way that fits those needs. But the science behind it all is not up to the task just yet. Even with the abundance of literature on child development, very few parents are educated enough to not make mistakes costing their kids successful future.
One of the outlets that society employs to influence child development is media. Children and teenagers are especially sensitive and receptive when it comes to new information - media delivers more than they can handle. Easy access to various programs, shows and movies changes the way that teenagers act and behave. Society promotes certain trends through TV and internet resources, targeting younger audiences. Content is becoming more sexual and violent in general, resulting in similar acts among teens. And by watching programming targeted at adult audiences teenagers drift even further - they start acting like adults portrayed on the screen without having all the prerequisites to becoming one.
Elkind makes an observation - "young teenagers may look and behave like adults but they usually don't feel like adults" (68). This side of the problem is never addressed enough - even when teenagers fit social criteria and are considered to be prepared for adult life in terms of work experience or education, they are most likely not ready for it emotionally. And then terrible things happen - suicide rates go up, the amount of college dropouts and teenage pregnancies increases. Some teenagers, who had bright future ahead of them, will fail while others, probably not expected to do that well in life, will succeed and overachieve. This in particular points to the necessity of making educational system more balanced, where individual needs and differences will be addressed in a fitting manner.
"The pressure for early academic achievement is but one of many contemporary pressures on children to grow up fast" (Elkind 65). The effects of this pressure are evident. An extreme example of that would be South Korean society, where teenage boys only get one or two chances to be accepted into a prestigious university. If it is anything less than one of the top national schools the opportunity to be employed in the future decreases drastically. That is why every year in South Korea academic competition toughens and more students burn out trying their absolute best to get in. Not surprisingly, South Korea is ranked second in the world in suicide rates.
And here are those teenagers, unsure of themselves and their intents. Many of them have developed necessary skills to get through High school and College, but are still not prepared for an adult life. As Grace J. Craig mentions, "development - or at least the potential for development - continues throughout life", which ultimately means that by becoming an adult an individual does not stop developing, rather his development takes a different shape or form (46). "The developmental process during maturity differs somewhat from the developmental process that takes place during childhood and adolescence," - continues Craig (46). Young adults have entirely different sets of needs and desires compared to teenagers, rendering much of their own previous experience obsolete. And, likewise, society treats adults in entirely different manner.
Society throws many new expectations at grownups, mostly based on the premise of them knowing how to make weighted decisions and adapt to changes in surrounding environment. Craig sums it up nicely: "The very ability to respond to change and to adapt successfully to new conditions is a hallmark of maturity" (46). Nowadays adults are expected to get married and provide for their family, but also to constantly keep developing, possibly getting a second degree or climbing a career ladder. This means that simply fulfilling the historical role of an adult provider and a parent is not enough to be considered successful anymore. Society pushes towards new achievements, often disrupting already working mechanism in favor of unclear advantages in the future.
It was established that society could often be a detriment to individual growth, not everyone can adhere to high demands and constantly changing competitive environment. Yet there are many benefits of using this kind of approach. First of all, the system itself is relatively fair. If one can excel at something he or she will usually be rewarded, be it a job offer or an improvement of a certain ability. For instance, by becoming better writers individuals open themselves opportunities into new job markets and possibly improve their social status. By setting goals and achieving them one develops an important ability to follow through with his or her project while putting constant effort into it. Just like some people stumble under a heavy load others strive in those situations, showing their leadership skills and desire to succeed. Contemporary society requires individuals to be hard working, energetic, passionate, often bold and edgy. It pushes teenagers to study harder and learn faster, pushes scientists to take on new projects, pushes parents to spend more time trying to raise their children properly.
Regardless of whether someone is suited for a specific requirement that society bestows on him or not, the question of equal opportunity arises. Society itself, often so demanding and unforgiving to an individual, also has its own flaws. Social structure itself could be detrimental to one's development, especially if that person comes from a lower ranked social group. Being a member of certain social class directly affects chances of achieving better living conditions in general. For instance, Bartholomae brings up this example: "The sons and daughters of the privileged classes who attend exclusive private schools live within a different social environment than those who can only afford a public school that might offer limited educational options. Social class is a matter of money, but it also involves education, job status, religion, geographical location, and many other factors" (1). Evidentially, overcoming these circumstances could become a complicated task. Whether individuals succeed at doing that or not is usually going to determine their future. But the point Bartholomae makes further (also mentioned earlier) - "Social class, race, gender - no one can escape them or think about themselves outside their categories," - still seems far-fetched (1).
Indeed, students who grew up in a poor neighborhood will not have nearly as much of a chance to further their education compared to a student that was better off financially, simply because they would have to put a lot more work into it to achieve similar results. It is also going to affect their well-being in the process. Meanwhile, their other obligations will cut into their study time which is going to affect the quality of their education. This vicious circle might be precisely what Bartholomae had in mind, yet real life experience proves otherwise. Quite often students from poor families do work harder than the ones that got in without trying, in the end they are able to surpass their peers by sheer amount of dedication and desire to better their living. Breaking out of societal constraints and social class limitations in particular is no easy feat but it is definitely achievable. Same with the behavior that certain social groups are expected to exhibit - a person does not necessarily act according to his or her social status; having a certain job could sometimes mean only as much as it implies - a way to make money - and nothing more.
Suddenly, original questions are not that polar anymore. Depending on circumstances society could be a detriment or a gain to individual development. Or both. One thing is clear - it substantially affects how individuals perceive their surroundings and progress towards their goals. Effective education and proper upbringing should become society's primary concerns, since both of them influence individuals the most. Every person matures in a different way, therefore society would greatly benefit from introducing more specialized classes and higher focus on personal traits and abilities. In 1980 Alvin Toffler claimed mass education to be a "central structure of all modern societies"; perhaps it is time for society to start addressing individual needs and unique traits (24). One might argue that it would result in a loss of effectiveness and productivity, yet almost anything seems justified when the upside is this huge - a happier society.
By Benson Etim