Life Course Case Study Essay

IntroductionIn this assign handst I conduct a emotional state category case say of a seventy- quaternary year gray-haired man, Mr. Gambina, in order to find step forward whether complex body part or post has been most influential finishedout his invigoration. The component is the person who actually performs the action, while complex body part refers to the main structures in lodge that entice the way the agents act. Most structuralists sh are a conviction that exclusive man macrocosmnesss function solely as elements of the (often hidden) kindly nedeucerks to which they belong.The look course theory emerged in the 1960s out of the need to understand human knowledge as occurring across the demeanor span. This field, which emphasizes how various(prenominal) lives are favorablely patterned over sentence, and the processes by which lives are changed by ever-changing environments. keep-course studies mark the grandness of epistemology in the study of federation . Thus, collecting information on the four interrelated dimensions of the life story structural, socio-cultural, interpersonal and personal story. According to Janet Z. Giele and Glen H. Elder, Jr., both point in the life span merstwhile(a)iness be viewed dynamically as the consequence of past experience and future expectation, I make tried to keep this in mind while conducting my study and digest of Mr. Gambinas life span.TheoryThe sociological theory that I shall be taking into consideration is that of C. Wright mill. Mills figure was to develop what he called sociological imagination. The sociological imagination, he argued, is an outlook on society that focuses on the cozy connections mingled with larger structural issues (what he called Public Issues) and the daily problems that watch individuals (Personal Troubles). Mills sought to demonstrate how issues of power, ideology and class are se heal up with the daily troubles of workaday individuals. Mills in any case sou ght to exhibit what he saw as the tragedy of sociology the inability, unwillingness or refusal to reclaim the sociological imagination.An weighty assumption underlying Mills work is that social populace is both macroscopic and microscopic. Sociologists should move to understand social reality in terms of the meanings that social structures amaze for individuals. Failure to comprehend these macro-micro inner-connections results in sterile, pseudo-sophisticated rambling, which contributes atomic to the development of the social sciences or to the usefulness of sociology for progressive social change. This reluctance to cultivate the sociological imagination is, for Mills, the tragedy of modern sociology.Mills thought that social structure has a reality independent of the activities of ordinary individuals. Nonetheless individuals make and remake the social relations of quotidian life. The aim of well-grounded sociology is to sensitise us to the many ways that social structur e turns the daily lives of ordinary state. His superlative semipolitical and intellectual concern was that wad in advanced societies would be manipulated into a state of acquiescence and political impotence, a state where the eccentric of human reason would no seven-day play be an important force for progressive social change. He says, we can non adequately understand man as an isolated biological creature, as a bundle of reflexes or a set of instincts, as an explicit field or a system in and of itself. Whatever else he may be, man is a social and an historical actor who must be unders tood, if at all, in close and intricate interplay with social and historical structures .Literature ReviewThere surrender been many life-course studies in the belong century, each focusing on a separate element of the interviewees life, ranging from why and how tribe choose their friends to the female social climber .A similar study to the one I am conducting is Katherine R. Allen and Robe rt S. Picketts 1984 life-course study of women born in 1910, in America. Allen and Pickett paid special attention to the variations in life patterns and choices fostered. They realized an increased trend in the employment of women, the refinement of knowledgeal careers, significant alterations in union and divorce patterns, a perpetuation of the life course and a greatimbalance in the proportions of women to men in their later eld.Also in 1984, Dieter Ulich and Winfried N. Saup conducted life-course look, conducted towards coping with crises in old age. They found negative stereotypes and self-concepts in the elderly. They argued that gerontology would help towards coping with examine.Susan De Vos and Steven Ruggles explored the connections between the life course and the kin group, in 1985, focusing on the demographic determinants of kin groups, such as frequency and timing of births, deaths and marriages, which all specify the context within which rules of kinship operate . Steven Ruggles used microsimulation (following the kinship path of the individual as they age) to examine the connection between an individuals life course and the nature of his or her kin group and its sensitivity to boilers suit demographic conditions.A more recent study is that of Ulrich Karl Mayer in 1997, which examined the challenges go about in cross-cultural comparisons of life courses. He constructed two complimentary warning types, based on life courses in deregulated societies and flexibly co-coordinated societies. Mayer found that associate between macroinstitutional structures and individual life courses must be constructed as in return reinforcing systems to enable successful cross-national comparisons. He concluded that cross-national comparisons of life course patterns should read a description of the institutional configurations and of the make-up of collective actors and models of incentive systems and individual-level transitions.However, no(prenominal) o f the life-course studies I reviewed deal specifically with the influence of structure and agency by means ofout the individuals life, the topic which I am dealing with. methodology and MethodsMethodologyThere are two main kinds of research numerical and qualitative. In this case study I use qualitative research, besides known as interpretive research, naturalistic research, phenomenological, descriptive research. There are three main types of qualitative entropy collection interviews, observation and documents, the return of which is a narrative description. Qualitative research is very dependent on the researcher as a person. The researcher is an instrument, not a mechanistic device or test instrument, as in quantitative research.By using qualitative research, the researcher gets very much more depth and tip than in a standardised questionnaire, and it helps the interviewer enamour the world view of the people studied, the responsives categories, rather than imposed cate gories. Descriptive research attempts to avoid pre-judgements, although some differ here as we always make judgements, but just turn int admit it, for example the choice of one location or group over other is a judgement. The goal is to try to attach what is happening without being judgemental to present people on their own terms, try to represent them from their perspectives so reader can see their views.However, qualitative research gives a much less generalised result, and makes it difficult to collect data and make systematic comparisons. Some claim the qualitative research is too dependent on the researchers personal attributes and skills.MethodIn this case study the method I used is that of an intensive, or in-depth, interview. This is an ambiguous one-to-one interview, in which broad questions are asked, giving the interviewee a first point and then asking questions to help push him or her in the right direction.Interviews are the most flexible means of obtaining informa tion, since the face-to-face side helps answers to be in more depth and detail. Also, information can be observed by the interviewer without having to ask the specific question. Unlike in light or telephone questionnaires, sensitivequestions cannot remain unanswered, and the interviewer can be reliable who exactly is answering the questions, family particles will not be able to confer.On the other hand, one-to-one interviews may create and interviewer bias physical appearance, age, race, sex, dress, non-verbal manner and/or comments may prompt respondents to answer questions untruthfully. In general, interviews are a disadvantage because a lot of cartridge holder and money is required, but this is not the case for this particular life-course study, as it only deals with one person.ResultsBirth and Family or OriginThe respondent, Mr. Gambina, born in 1927, was born during the lull between the two World Wars. When I asked him about his puerility, he told me that it was very pop ular, referring to things all children do, in particular his holy communion, confirmation, and that he was an altar boy. He had only good things to say about his parents, describing them both as quiet and devoted to their family. The little trouble he got into with his parents was to do with going out instead of staying plate to study he said he felt very carefree during his teenage years, telling me that they used to play in the streets, even though a war was on. The most significant even of his teenage years was the Second World War, and his father being repatriated to Sicily because of it. reproductionMr. Gambina remembers enjoying school, in particular remembers his teacher who he described as gentle and well meaning. maven of his lasting memories of school is the lessons being interrupted by air raids. He had a talent for languages, and remembered the name of an important book, Manzonis classic I Promessi Sposi after only a second of thought. When asked about the role of edu cation in a persons life, he immediately replied, Education iseverything.Love and WorkMr. Gambina was 17 when he had his first date, which was a flip on the front. What he remembers as difficult about dating was that he a girl who he would defecate wish to ask out was always with a female friend of hers, making her very unapproachable. The respondents attitudes towards sex have always been in sync with the teachings of the romish Catholic perform. He said that one of the main reasons with his wife was that she was a woman with her own mind, and he realized that the relationship meant business slap-up away. He held that he always wanted to get married and have a family of his own in fact he went on to have four children, two girls and two boys. He describes the best part of marriage was the birth of his children, and the worst his wife dying. The value the interviewee tried to impart on his all his children are those of the Roman Catholic Church.The respondents dream was only t o live a normal life, which he succeeded in accomplishing. When he was young he had wanted to be a notary, but since teaching had to be paid for, and he was relying on his brother for income, he could not carry on studying. He said the war helped him to understand and accept his freehanded responsibilities, and he realized he had become an adult when he began works as a clerk, which he decided to do because he desire office work, withal in that location was not much choice at the time, as it was just after WWII.Historical Events and PeriodsAs already mentioned, the Mr. Gambina lived through the experience the Second World War also he mentioned the granting of Maltas independence as the important historical events he saw. He has seen the development of cooking on the Maltese traditional kenur to gas ovens, and remembers old wives tales to cure sickness put into practice. He was, and still is, and active member of the community, from being an altar boy as a child, to being an ac tive member of the Legion of Mary now visiting old peoples homes, the mentalhospital and parishioners in their own homes. He considers the most important thing his family gave him as honesty, the most important thing that he gave his family as affection and the most important thing he gave to the community as his time.RetirementMr. Gambina remembers feeling relieved when he retired from his full-time line, as it was during Mintoffs government, and he was boarded out for being a nationalist supporter. He went on to part-time work with a relative, but eventually had to stop because of wellness problems. He says he doesnt miss work, that hes brisk a bright life now and commented on how nice it is not to have to wake up early every morning, rain or shine. The worst thing about being retired, however, is that, since he is a widower and his children do not live with him any more, it can get lonely.His time is occupied now with working for the Legion of Mary (as mentioned earlier), runn ing errands for himself and his children, and baby-sitting his grandchildren. He says he is very proud of his grandchildren, the best thing about them being their affection, and the worst thing when they argue. He look forward tos that they will always give grandeur to family unity.Inner Life and Spiritual AwarenessThe interviewee says he had a happy childhood, he definitely felt loved one of his happiest childhood memories is discourse the Christmas sermon. He counts his turning point as a teenager as WWII, especially since his father was not with him, and his turning points as an adult as acquire married and becoming a father. He says the greatest stress of being an adult is responsibility. Spirituality plays a major role in the interviewees life, his primary beliefs being to love God and his neighbour, and giving sizeableness to saving his soul. Even though he sometimes doubts, he feels he has inner strength, which he gets from God and when he feels drained renews his streng th through beger. He feels at peace with himself, which he says was achieved by keeping hope alive.Major Life ThemesMr. Gambina says that the most important gifts he has gotten are the values passed on to him from his parents, pointing out that they are the same as those of the Catholic Church. His crucial closings were deciding to get married and have a family, which taught him to appreciate life more. He can handle disappointment serenely, knowing that life goes on. His greatest joy has been the births of his children and grandchildren, while the worst points are the deaths of his father, mother, wife and brother. His greatest pose is that he has to leave this world. Though he knows he stopped changing a long time ago, he does not feel old and believes he can cope, adding that his children and grandchildren keep him alive.DiscussionAgency and Structure both play important factors in our lives. Agency is the power of actors to operate severally of the shaping constraints of soc ial structure. Structure, on the other hand, is the main structures in society and their sway on our personal lives, such as the government, religion, education, and the work place, as illustrated through this life-course study. My job now is to determine where both structure and agency have influenced the subjects, Mr. Gambinas, life.When asked about his childhood, Mr. Gambina said he considered his it to be normal with reference to activities related to the Roman Catholic Church (namely his First holy place Communion, Confirmation, and that he was an altar boy), this is a clear indication that the structure of the Church has play a very large role in his life, so large that he defines himself by it. We can also see this influence in Mr. Gambinas attitudes towards sex as a teenager, the values he tried to impart on his children (those of the Roman Catholic Church), which he also considers to be the most important gifts from his parents and what he considers to be that happiest mem ory of his childhood giving the Christmas sermon. We can also see the weight religion carries for him in his choice of activities working with the Legion of Mary, one of their activities being going to peoples houses to pray withthem, and to give them a statue of the Virgin Mary to pray to for a week.Another structure that played a significant role in Mr. Gambinas life is education. Though he did not continue his education past ordinary level standard, this was not because he did not want to, but because it was too expensive to do so at the time. This obviously does not mean that he does not treat getting an education as important, and when he was asked, he himself said, Education is everything.Inevitably, the war played a large part in Mr. Gambinas life. He counts it as the event that turned him into an adult. Also, since his father was repatriated to Sicily, his teenage years, the years in which he needed a fathers guidance most, were spent without that support. In this way, we c an see, again, the dominance of structure in Mr. Gambinas life course.In his work, Mr. Gambina was also bear on by structure. Starting work when he did was repayable to the fees that had to be paid to continue schooling, which his family could not afford. The type of work he did was influenced greatly by structure to, although he wanted to work in an office job, he did not have much selection at the time, as it was just after the Second World War had ended, and there were a lot of people left unemployed (this is also some other way in which the war affect Mr. Gambinas life). I also cannot ignore the comment Mr. Gambina made about being relieved to have retired, as he was discriminated against, and in his own words, boarded out, of his job as a clerk because of his political beliefs.One aspect that structure did not come across was Mr. Gambinas choice for a wife. It was not common at that time for women to be working, but this is precisely what first attracted Mr. Gambina to who would become Mrs. Gambina. He liked that she was an independent woman. In this circumstance, we see that agency playing its role.ConclusionThe life course study conducted was to indicate to what extent therespondents life was a product of structure and/or agency. All individuals are affected by social structure, and at the same time, each and every structure is made up of individuals, all performing diverse social actions.In examining Mr. Gambinas life story, it becomes clear that structure has played a much more prominent influence in his life than agency. First and world-class the Second World War, which affected not only Mr. Gambinas everyday life, but also the life of each individual that lived through it. Education, another structure, is also a factor that Mr. Gambina considers to be important. In his work, we can see Mr. Gambina being affected by structure in the type of job he opted for, and also the influence of the government, even in his office, which had influenced his e veryday life, and caused him to dislike his last two years of work.In the case of Mr. Gambina, the great importance that he has precondition to his religion has throughout his life, as illustrated in both the results and the discussion, obviously leads to the reasoning that structure, and especially that of the Roman Catholic Church, has been given precedence in his life span. The only case I could find in Mr. Gambinas life of agency taking control is when he chose his wife, and his decision to rear a family, though I must admit, I am not exactly sure that the choice to have ones own family is a choice made completely independently.In conclusion, I think the answer to the question has agency or structure been given priority throughout the life course of Mr. Gambina? is indisputable. Structure has been the major influence in his life story, and still remains so.ReferencesRichard T. Schaefer, Sociology, seventh edition, McGraw-Hill, 2001C. Wright Mills, The Sociological Imagination , 1959Janet Z. Giele and Glen H. Elder, Jr., Methods of Life Course ResearchRoger D. Wimmer and Joseph R. Dominick, Mass Media Research, An Introduction, Wadsworth, 1994Internet sourceshttp//www.socialscience.eku.edu/Ant/BANKS/CWMILLS_HT2.htm