Participant Observation Paper

Internationally the act of deviance is being practiced daily. Sometimes is knowingly and unknowingly, the culture, or the society norms. Right or wrong is a prospective, deviance basically a judgmental call. “It is important to remember that when sociologists use the term deviant they are making a social judgment, never a moral one” (Ferris, Stein page 156.) There are three way that you can view deviance from a sociologist’s standpoint, which are, Functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism. All three allow us to take an outlook on how to view the act of deviance.

In this paper, I discuss my experience with observing a group counseling session with the purpose of evaluating it in terms of how it is set up, how it is run, interventions used, culturally sensitivity, and the contribution toward my professional development as a social worker. The group setting plays a critical role in social work outside of the individual session and can be largely beneficial for clients in the forms of therapy, counseling, self-help, and support. By attempting to better understand group interventions, I will learn how to apply this strategy in aiding clients for whom this method is appropriate by increasing their social supports.

In this group there were no disruptive members. I filled the role of an observer, I offered feedback at the end of the session. The counselor filled the role of standard setter. There was an encourager, a harmonizer, an expediter, and a follower.

There exists conflicting theories among sociologists in the area of determining why a person is considered to be a deviant, and the reasons behind why he or she has committed a deviant act. From a positivistic perspective, deviance is based on biological or social determinism. Alternatively, from a constructionist perspective, deviance is created and assigned by society. Both perspectives seek to give a theory for why a person may become known as deviant. Although they both view similar acts as deviant, the basic differences between positivists and constructionists theories are clear.

The researchers goal was to know if the effects of small-group reading interventions implemented positive behavior in support model, on elementary students that show any emotional and behavior disorders or that do not show any emotional and behavior disorders. The following are the research questions they addressed: (a) the differences in reading instruction in a general classroom for students at risk and to compare schools that combine behavior/reading risk. (b) differential effects with small-group instruction. (c) how do any of the observable differences translate to the outcome of students’ growth in reading.

I decided for my social observation the mall would be a good place to start. I came there on a Friday evening when there should be plenty of people to watch. I also sat in the Barnes and Noble café after that to observe. I expected to see a lot of people shopping and conversing. A few things did stand out to me within the few hours I was there. Some things I didn’t expect to see. We are expected to behave a certain way in public determined by our culture as to what is acceptable. Some people stay well within the lines while some might stray outside the norms but never too far typically. Usually the ones to travel to the extremes are adolescents and teenagers. This is what I observed.

To come to understand why people act with deviant behavior, we must comprehend how society brings about the

In the article, “Researching Dealers and Smugglers,” Patricia Adler discusses her and her husband’s experience using participant observation to collect data from drug dealers and the problems this qualitative method brought. A qualitative method focuses on collecting rich, non-statistical data. This method involves face-to-face interviews and actual participation with the group being researched. The Adlers use this method because it is almost impossible to gather accurate information on people who smuggle drugs. This is true because they are such private and deceitful people. The only way to get the real facts is if the smugglers trust the person. Unfortunately, participant observation brought problems such as the dealers and smugglers

In the past two weeks I have been helping and guiding my boyfriend Richard of three years with his resume and cover letter. I have a lot of practice and experience with them where as he started working at a young age and hasn't moved around often in jobs. We looked at his skills and traits and started linking them to what an employer wants. Employers want a certain education and skill but they also want a certain personality. Someone who can work well with others, is helpful and has good communication skills, someone who is dependable and hard working. I have spent the last two weeks comparing our professional traits so I will base this around his professional life. Richard currently works for a company where everyday he is apart of a team, they are given

Starting with Deviant Behavior, it was a class that opened my eyes to seeing from a sociological perspective not just why individuals may commit “bad” actions, but why society labels and define some actions as “bad” to begin with. Now, I can look at some of the rules and regulations in a culture and see through them. Similar to Berger’s idea of using sociology to have societal consciousness to ask “how” and “why” elements of society exists, taking Deviant Behavior has allowed me to have a sort of consciousness about the sort of “social control” that many people are bound to in their

Using this type of research method, I can understand what I would have used other type of research method Taylor et al (1995) ‘‘argued that participant observation offers the best opportunity to discover how people see the world in which they live. It also provides the kind of insight, fresh information and new directions for research which are less likely to come from other methods. ’’

Social Pathology details the concepts of primary and secondary deviance. According to Lemert (1951), primary deviance is the initial incidence of an act causing an authority figure to label the actor deviant. This initial labeling of a deviant act will remain primary as long as the actor can rationalize or deal with the process as a function of a socially acceptable role (Lemert 1951). If the labeled deviant reacts to this process by accepting the deviant label, and further entrenches his/herself in deviant behavior, this is referred to as secondary deviance (Lemert 1951). Lemert considers the causes of primary deviance as fluid, and only important to researchers concerned with specific social problems at a certain time.

My practicum took place on September 7,2016 from nine thirty to ten thirty. The practicum took place at Impact Early College High School in Baytown. The class I observed was Ms. Nguyen’s class of juniors and seniors that contained twenty students, seven boys and thirteen girls. The class appeared to be alert and ready to learn. Since this was their second period class they already had enough time to shake off their fatigue. The subject was Pre-Calculous and the topic was operations of functions. Students entered the classroom in a calm manner and socialized until it was time to start class. The teacher instructed the students to take their seats and take five minutes to write their assignments into their academic calendar. The teacher went

I used a combination of external observations, complete participant observation, and researcher and participant observations during the information session. Before the information session began, I went to the lobby and observed the clients while they were waiting. Most people decided to sit down and play with their phones while they waited to check in. This would be unobtrusive observation because the clients were not aware I was observing them or who I was in those moments. The lobby is a welcoming environment, we have a receptionist to greet and assist visitors, restrooms, and comfortable furniture. It really represents the value of providing a quality space for our clients and the community. We have our motto posted on a glass wall behind the receptionist desk, “Inspiring the courage to hope, and teaching the skills to cope.” I was a complete observer during this part of the information session, because the clients did not know who I was in that moment and I had not directly

Deviant behavior is described as acts or individual characters that are contrary to social norms. These behaviors are usually against set rule or authority laws. Individuals expressing deviant behavior violate norms and rules other members of the society and are accustomed to or abide by. Deviant behavior is found to undergone change over time in the history of human civilization. Ability to predict another person’s behavior makes social life comfortable and bearable. However, it is usually hard to predict people behavior since different individuals express their character traits differently since they are influenced by verse sociological and social-psychological factors. Deviant characters are usually a source of irritation, suspicion, negative emotions, and even fear in a society. Sociologists have come up with theories to explain the deviant behavior. This section will compare and contract three theories that attempt to explain deviant behavior in humans (McCaghy et al. 2008).