Are We Free Within Our Culture Essay, Research Paper

Are We Free Within Our Culture?

I believe that within limitation we are free in our culture. George Herbert

Mead thought, ?both our mind and our body are social products?. He believed

they were the outcome of our interactions with other people rather than how we

grew up. I think that no matter what we believe to be right or true at a given

time, if we have peers around we will tend to go with the crowd.

Sigmund Freud believed that is was important that the social agents of an

individual were important to create the ?sense of right and wrong as these

matters are defined by cultural values, beliefs, and norms?. Freud also

believed in the he thought it was important to ?counteract the antisocial

impulses of the id?. I think that Freud would have believed that we are free

within our culture. He thought that the parents, peers, and teachers were

important in guided us in the right direction but when it comes down to it we

are the only one that can make the decision. We might have society behind us

trying to edge us in one direction but we truly chose which way to go.

I agree with Freud on this topic. I know that we have all been put in the

situation to chose between right and wrong and have had a hard time choosing. I

know that I have. You want to make the right choice but you are not really sure.

You want to go with want the society says but is it always right? I think this

is where we are culturally free. Even though we have the believes of our family,

our friends, what we have been taught in school, and what society says is right

we also have our own believes. What we choose in the end is what we choose.

Just because someone sees us how the see us does not mean that is how we are.

When I think of a rich person I think of someone rolling in money and being

stuck up. I do not know any rich people so this is how I will continue to see

them until I am proven wrong. They have the freedom of will to change how most

people thing of them. People in any situation have the freedom to change their

status and position to get to a better one or one that they enjoy more. We are

never stuck in any place. We can always move up or down depending on how you

want to be. It is all based on how much will power we have and how motivated we

are to change our positions.

I think that understanding sociology could restrict personal freedom. I think

of the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other shoulder when I think of

this. Understanding sociology is the one of them (you choose which one). It

pulls you one way and wants you to go that way but then you have your own

believes pulling you the other way. Understanding sociology just gives you more

options. I think that it is good to have more options sometimes but other times

you only want one choice. You just want to go the way everyone wants you to go

and not ague with it. Just go with the flow.

When it all comes down I believe we are culturally free. We have a lot of

knowledge on how to solve problems our handle life but we have the finale say on

things.