Importance Of Re-Socialization

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The Importance of Re-Socialization While growing up in Wilmington, CA, a familiar sight on my daily walks to the corner store or to a tea shop a few blocks away was the sight of a homeless man. Every day, I would pass by several homeless men but there was one individual in particular that always stood out to me. His legs had been bandaged up for years and he would always sit in the same spot with his wheelchair, smiling and greeting people as they passed by. He would just sit there and throughout the day, multiple community members would bring him food, or spend hours talking to him. As a child, I always wondered why people did so if he was a homeless man and in my naïve mind, this meant he was a “lazy drunk.” Little did I know how far from …show more content…
This led to many veterans, like himself, becoming disillusioned with the American Government. Although they were aware of the Vietnam Veteran’s struggles, little help came during their much needed re-socialization process. According to sociologist, Harvey Molotch, socialization is “the process by which we come to understand the expectations and norms of our groups, as well as the various roles we transition into over the life course” (Manza et. al. 2013). Therefore, although he was once part of the American society as a free-spirited young adult, when he joined the military, he was re-socialized into a military culture and his meaning of life revolved around surviving each day in Vietnam so that he could come home to his family. All he knew was life in combat and so, when he arrived back to the America, he was not use to the society that he left behind and was socially changing throughout the time he was gone. In addition, he did not have the tools to get himself back on his feet. He never was able to further his education and had no job skills. This is often the case for many of the individuals who decide to go to the military services. The military is considered a “total institution” in which it is common for individuals to undergo re-socialization since they are isolated from society for a time period, the majority of their daily lives are controlled, and they are taught new roles and norms in which the must abide by (Perrin PowerPoint, September 2015). In other words, they form a new, hardened character that is not suitable for society outside of the military and that is not taking into consideration the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that Jimmy now found himself dealing with. His family members never spoke of it as an actual disorder so without the support of his family, the government, and society itself, he went from job

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