SOSC 1140 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Prentice Hall
21 Jan 2018
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Document Summary
Dorothy lee"s perspective on self autonomy and social structure. The perfect balance of upholding social order while still respecting one"s integrity has been an age-old question. Throughout time, various cultures and leaders have proposed their own ideas, forms of government or beliefs of where a person falls within a place and time. Lee, in her 1959 work titled individual autonomy and social structure, tackles this argument head on through analyses of non-western/european culture. Lee maintains that the key problem is that western culture believes that self-autonomy and social structure cannot coexist, which results in a social stifling of individualism. Yet, an example that disproves this case can be seen in the navaho"s approach to child-rearing. Rather than use overt instruction, the navaho parents teach their children social norms and customs. This shows that the way to solve this key social problem is to teach children about their society and allow them to make their own choices.
