This sociological inquiry aims to understand the lives of individuals within the greater context of their societal environments. In this we examine the social institutions of family and education as agencies of socialisation that directly impact the life courses of individuals. This essay will focus on the early influence of these bodies and how they impacted Paul’s view of himself, in comparison to his Private school counterparts, John, Andrew and Charles.
One aspect of the documentary questions how much of the man is visible in the seven year old boy. To do this, participants are prompted to reflect both on the courses of their lives to date, and on their views of education and family life. C. Wright Mills suggests that the everyday man …show more content…
Our parents are the initial scribe of what becomes our social script; this determines our future interactions with larger social institutions. When asked, Paul deems himself a reflection of his seven year old self, stating that it was “pretty obvious” he wasn’t going to be a doctor. Whilst this may be a reasonable assumption, it fails to consider the impact of social forces on Paul prior to the filming of 7 Up. Paul recognises his lack of confidence as a by-product of his parents’ divorce; this is used to explain his lack of academic ability. This is a personalisation of societal circumstance in which he sees the progression of his life as explained by internal forces rather than by larger social institutions. Paul’s lack of educational ability and occupational success may be better explained – particularly in comparison to the others – as a lack of preparation, or expectation from his parents. When asked about their futures at seven, the three private school boys listed the prestigious institutions which they expected to attend. When Paul was asked the same thing he replied “what’s university?” This indicates that Paul’s parents did not instil in him the same expectations as the parents of the other boys. Conflict theorists may attribute this to the lack of financial equality that prohibited Paul’s parents from considering university for him. It …show more content…
The quality of state versus private schooling is as a dividing factor of progress. Private schools in Britain are well established in their capacity to generate graduates who are socially and academically superior. Although the schooling system values academic achievement, the tangibility of the “Marlborough –Oxford conveyor belt” to a seven year old is dependent on parental socialisation and socioeconomic status. This becomes evident when contrasted with Paul’s Australian education. In the late 1960’s the Australian educational structure varied from the institutions in England. The infancy of formal education in Australia lacked the depth of establishment present in Britain, and as a result educational hierarchy was in the control of the Menzies government. For Paul, the change of education altered his habitus to fit the egalitarian values of Australian culture. The belief that Australian society enforced “no pressures or worries”, compared to Paul’s upbringing in England, allowed him to take pride in the “average” nature of his life with wife Susan and their two children. In this case, Paul experienced a shift in habitus that aligned with his new social
One aspect of the documentary questions how much of the man is visible in the seven year old boy. To do this, participants are prompted to reflect both on the courses of their lives to date, and on their views of education and family life. C. Wright Mills suggests that the everyday man …show more content…
Our parents are the initial scribe of what becomes our social script; this determines our future interactions with larger social institutions. When asked, Paul deems himself a reflection of his seven year old self, stating that it was “pretty obvious” he wasn’t going to be a doctor. Whilst this may be a reasonable assumption, it fails to consider the impact of social forces on Paul prior to the filming of 7 Up. Paul recognises his lack of confidence as a by-product of his parents’ divorce; this is used to explain his lack of academic ability. This is a personalisation of societal circumstance in which he sees the progression of his life as explained by internal forces rather than by larger social institutions. Paul’s lack of educational ability and occupational success may be better explained – particularly in comparison to the others – as a lack of preparation, or expectation from his parents. When asked about their futures at seven, the three private school boys listed the prestigious institutions which they expected to attend. When Paul was asked the same thing he replied “what’s university?” This indicates that Paul’s parents did not instil in him the same expectations as the parents of the other boys. Conflict theorists may attribute this to the lack of financial equality that prohibited Paul’s parents from considering university for him. It …show more content…
The quality of state versus private schooling is as a dividing factor of progress. Private schools in Britain are well established in their capacity to generate graduates who are socially and academically superior. Although the schooling system values academic achievement, the tangibility of the “Marlborough –Oxford conveyor belt” to a seven year old is dependent on parental socialisation and socioeconomic status. This becomes evident when contrasted with Paul’s Australian education. In the late 1960’s the Australian educational structure varied from the institutions in England. The infancy of formal education in Australia lacked the depth of establishment present in Britain, and as a result educational hierarchy was in the control of the Menzies government. For Paul, the change of education altered his habitus to fit the egalitarian values of Australian culture. The belief that Australian society enforced “no pressures or worries”, compared to Paul’s upbringing in England, allowed him to take pride in the “average” nature of his life with wife Susan and their two children. In this case, Paul experienced a shift in habitus that aligned with his new social