My Socioautobiography
2010
Donna Hill
Soc 187 Assignment #3
12/1/2010
At the age of eighteen, I decided to move out of my parent’s home and attend a major university in Atlanta, GA. My decision to leave home and pursue my educational and career goals was one of the major social influences and impacts of my life. For the first time in my life I was able to make choices on my own as a young adult and not depend upon the guidance and/or demanding terms of my parents. I was prepared for the future and unknown since in my own eyes the socialization I’d been exposed to shaped the behaviors, values and attitudes that I viewed as appropriate. Besides I felt as if I were aware of what was considered the “norm” in society. I was aware of the laws, what was legal and illegal and being fully responsible for my actions since I was now legally an adult. Not only was I aware of the legal consequences for violating norms but the unspoken consequences for not conforming to the informal norms of society that included everything from not walking alone, adhering to some sort of “dress code” that wasn’t inappropriate for a school environment to respecting my roommates and making sure that I reported to my classes as scheduled. As most people will agree, my childhood and the way that I was raised and the social interactions that I encountered shaped the socialization of my adulthood. I was one of four daughters and one son of the typical “nuclear family” where both of my parents were married to each other and the unmarried children stayed at home (Schaefer, 2009). My culture definitely defines me and reflects my upbringing. We learned the proper way to address people, how to conduct ourselves in public, and how to interact with people with similar backgrounds and family situations as ours. My parents instilled in us as children the importance of respecting
