Discussion

Description

TOPIC: “The personal is political” was a popular phrase of the 1970’s. Sociologists might say that “the personal is social.” In other words, each of us is shaped by social context (environment) and experience. Taken to the extreme, if we decide that our social circumstances have completely determined our destiny, we might feel powerless to improve our situation.     American individualism, on the other hand, suggests just the opposite: that we alone are responsible for our status, relative power, and our happiness. It is just a matter of will power and determination to improve one’s situation. When individualism remains unquestioned, however, we can end up “blaming the victim” (to borrow another phrase). We might place blame on ourselves or on another individual for not succeeding when, in fact, there are social forces that are limiting our behavior in very decisive ways.       My question is this. Is there a balance here? If our social context determines more or less who we are, how might the individual still take responsibility for his or her own destiny? How can we avoid blaming others or ourselves when successful financial/employment experiences seem out of reach? Use examples to illustrate your thoughts.