Analyse the ways in which sociologist point to the social nature of Essay

Analyse the ways in which sociologist point to the social nature of living with cancer as a teenager - Essay Example This is the moment that human beings use to plan for their future lives and school life. It is also the most vibrant stage in the human lifecycle because teenagers experience major changes in their bodies and they discover who they are i.e. their personality traits, likes and dislikes. Teenagers are also highly active and interactive thereby developing a large social network. However, this is not always the case with teenagers suffering from cancer. The diagnosis, treatment and management of cancer greatly interfere with the activities of this critical growth stage (Wawsczczyk 2005). According to sociologists this is the stage in life where teenagers learn to be independent from their parents and family members thereby focusing more on their future. However, this is not possible for teenagers suffering from cancer because they need utmost support, attention and care from their parents and family members for emotional, psychological and social support. Therefore, such teenagers are taken a step back from discovering their independence, potential, strengths and weaknesses (Kleinman1988). Also the school life, social life and employment are put on hold for an unknown period of time, which is in contrast to what should be happening in their lives. This is because they become isolated from their peers, adults and school; which is an important social setting for a child’s growth. Cancer treatment is too severe for them to concentrate in school work or find lenient jobs that are conducive to their state of health. It is also quite common for insurance companies to cancel insurance policies for such teenagers because they are not in school. Insurance companies demand that all children still living under the care of their parents should be attending school to enjoy the benefits of the life insurance policies taken by their parents (Wawsczczyk 2005). Various surveys and research conducted by sociologists

Explaining a concept Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Explaining a concept - Essay Example Perennialism can be understood to be the â€Å"conservative† approach in that it argues that the same tried and true methods and subject matter should continue to be taught to the next generation of students do the fact that it is both tried and true and has informed the preceding generations. On the other hand, progressivism takes the more â€Å"liberal† approach in positing that individuality, progress, and change are key cornerstones of a truly great education (Labaree 281). As a means of providing an explanation for the concept of progressivism, this brief paper will to approach this particular educational approach in a way which will seek to shed light on whether such a concept is in fact the best concept to engage students with and to provide a higher degree of educational success and interaction. The progressivist concept of education places a high degree of emphasis upon the experience of the individual as well as the changing ways in which new material and old material alike can help to better hone the quality of education that the student is able to achieve. At its core, the concept engenders the belief that individuals will most benefit by studying those materials which most directly impact upon their own lives. Although such an approach is most certainly less concrete than that of the perennialist’s approach to education, it nonetheless is able to take into account the transforming needs that our society and the world in general is placing upon the educational system and the individual student. A secondary component of the concept is the understanding that it is necessarily a more visual concept than that of the perennialist’s approach. This is mainly due to the fact that the perennialist’s approach hinges upon the primary data sources and methods of learning that have been in existence since the dawn of knowledge. However, the fact of the matter is that these rather stodgy and non-visual means to engage the pupil have