Sociology Mcminden: A Fictional Town Term Paper

Within my own community, I have seen this as more and more people travel farther and farther away for college, and settle far away from their parents. Access to expanded opportunities motivates the individual to break his or her existing social ties.

A third and final sociological concept manifested in the McMinden example is seen in the prevalence of drug addiction in the town. As noted by Manuel Mendoza, a Hispanic police officer who has made some inroads into the once almost entirely white town's law enforcement hierarchy, drug use crosses all racial divides, as the town's economic condition has worsened, so has the prevalence of addiction. Individuals who feel they have been denied the opportunity to fully enjoy the American Dream, particularly when confronted with increasingly unrealistic expectations of material success in the media, often experience what Robert K. Merton called anomie, or alienation. One of the ways individuals cope with a failure to achieve goals of success is "innovation. This response rejects normative means of achieving success and turns to deviant means, crimes in particular...while others use 'retreatism'" or dropping out through drug use (Deviance, 2010, Sociology Guide).While many biological or sociological factors may predispose an individual to use drugs more than other citizens, the example of McMinden underlines the fact that sociological pressures cannot be ignored when analyzing drug abuse. There is a wide discrepancy in America that exists between what is considered 'normal' levels of social success, and what is really achievable by most, and when this gap is not met, individuals feel angry, frustrated, and seek out negative coping mechanisms like drugs. This alienation can be seen today, given the downturn in the economy, as many young people are 'dropping out' -- either through drugs, or sometimes less overtly by giving up looking for work, moving home with parents, and falling into depression. The sense that certain groups have been harder-hit by the recession has resulted in greater inner as well as outer suffering amongst the afflicted.

References

Deviance. (2010). Sociology Guide. Retrieved November 25, 2010 at http://www.sociologyguide.com/basic-concepts/Deviance.php

Ethnocentrism. (2010). Sociology Guide. Retrieved November 25, 2010 at http://www.sociologyguide.com/basic-concepts/Ethnocentrism.php

Urban sociological theory. (2010). Sociology Guide. Retrieved November 25, 2010 at http://www.sociologyguide.com/industrial-and-urban-society/Urban-sociological-theories.php.....