Habitus in the Modern World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Habitus in the Modern World - Essay Example "The struggle of social distinction, whatever its symbolic form, is for Bourdieu a fundamental dimension of all social life. The larger issue, then, is one of power relations among individuals, groups and institutions (particularly the educational system). Indeed, for Bourdieu power is not a separate domain of study but stands at the heart of all social life" (6). To discover how power is regulated and dispersed throughout the sociological systems of human existence, Bourdieu strove throughout his life to discover the 'master' science that would unlock the codes of human behaviors regardless of culture or society. While sociological theories are often dedicated most stringently to the various hierarchies and power balances as they are found within the group structures, Bourdieu took his ideas further to explore how the various individuals within the group were typically provided their status and power, concentrating most especially upon how they learned the rules of the game when no rules, written or otherwise, are to be found. Within his work, Bourdieu struggled always to find a sort of 'master' science that would explain the various detailed elements of ever... y of the laws whereby structures tend to reproduce themselves by producing agents invested with the system of dispositions which is able to engender practices adapted to these structures and thus contribute to their production" (Bourdieu, 1973 cited in 7). This definition being about as convoluted as a pig's tail, what Bourdieu is essentially indicating is the process of regeneration of social institutions through imperfect repetition. A very simple, and perhaps not fully accurate, analogy to this process would be in the social system of an audience. As a collective group, the audience tends to encourage behaviors such as being silent, remaining attentive to what's happening on stage and clapping at the appropriate moments. This would be the first structure. This structure produces agents, the audience members, who are already predisposed to behave as an audience when the situation demands. As these individuals go into 'audience' mode in a given situation, they encourage others to be have in similar ways, thus contributing to their [the audience structure] production. While this establishes some of the mechanisms in place at the group level, it doesn't go far to explain the interrelationship between the group and the individual. For Bourdieu, the key question centered on discovering how individuals became members of groups, gaining their individual elements of power and status within that group, without any form of written or even informal rules. This was the key element of his research as he developed his conceptions of habitus, field and agency. By understanding the interrelated nature of Bourdieu's ideas concerning habitus, field and agency, it is possible to understand how his theories might be applied to current sociological concerns such as contemporary

Social marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social marketing - Essay Example This report focuses mainly on ways and techniques for social marketing. Social marketing is a source of creating awareness regarding any essential issue in a society and works for social benefits by means of various campaigns which are usually non-profit seeking. It is a way to change behavior of individuals in a society and strive for their good. These issues could be health related or may be associated with behavioral changes needed by a society. Social marketing must not be puzzled or mingled with â€Å"societal marketing â€Å"or â€Å"social media marketing† as these are entirely separate marketing techniques.(Kotler, Roberto, Lee, 2002) Social marketing may include various significant campaigns like stop smoking, and it should be avoided in public places and where kids are present in a family places like restaurants. Awareness regarding syringes to be disposed immediately after the use, to avoid HIV transmission. Here it also involves educating people to observe the laboratory technician or hospital staff whether they dispose the syringe in front of you in the trash can or not. Another health issue is the use same shaving razor in saloons that may lead to catch jaundice or hepatitis infections and skin diseases. (Ewing, 2001) Hence the aim of social marketing is to use commercial techniques for the betterment of society and common people regardless of considering the financial profit. HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY: One of the healthcare industries is a pharmaceutical industry that manufactures drug substances including tablet, capsule, injections, syrups, suspensions, creams and ointments. The label of a drug is one of the most important protocols that should contain all relevant information including generic name of the drug, weight of the active ingredient, batch number, date of manufacture, expiry date , manufacturer’s name, dose, and other useful information which stands as a key factor in marketing of these medicinal agents. Another healthcare industry is a hospital where a patient is admitted for treatment and gets cured. These days many hospitals are occupied in social marketing related to human health like arranging free eye camps for treatment of cataract and free diabetes check up etc. Certain NGO’s and government healthcare departments are organizing various social marketing campaigns like prevention of drug addiction and counseling of such addict ed individuals. PRODUCTS FOR SOCIAL MARKETING: Social marketing products are non-tangible objects and are important for health, safety and environments benefits. There are many examples of social marketing products like, water conservation, keep the environment clean and green etc. (Vella, 2008) EXERCISE: Here we shall consider the example of â€Å"exercise† as a social marketing product. Exercise is considered as one of the most important aspect of human life style. It helps you staying fit and healthy. This act is very essential for prevention of various diseases like myocardial infarction, blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis etc. Even pregnant women are advised for mild exercises during the period of gestation to keep themselves active. Exercise boosts your stamina and helps in ailment of numerous diseases. A brisk walk is supposed to be the best exercise for age groups. Nowadays there is a trend of going to gym for aerobics and use of fitness machines. Therefore exercise as one of social marketing product where different companies are also engaged in bringing people towards health and fitness and changing their views, plays a vital role in prevention and cure of a number of health related issues. There are four Ps of marketing: product, place, price and promotion. (Kotler, 2003) Product: means the preferred attitude that the marketing company anticipates from the consumers. This is usually a non-tangible object but could be physical as well (e.g. weight reduction pill). Price: The price should be affordable, like offering special packages for gym, swimming pool, games such as tennis,