Growing Us as a Product of Society

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In life, many people have one status the contributes to many different roles. I personally have two distinct roles that conflict with one another daily with no specific status. The first role I play is as a daughter where, in front of my parents, I am a calm, focused person. I am expected to act a certain way, express my feelings in a specific format, and present myself in a respectful manner. The second role I play is being a friend. As a friend, I am more outgoing and outspoken; I am not expected of anything, but to be myself. At times, I wish these roles could coincide with one another but they don’t, resulting in a role strain. I have a hard time being my most comfortable, care-free self around my parents due to what they might think of me. Around my friends, I know that I can be myself without being judged in a negative way. At times, this is hard for me because I would love to be more expressive around my family.

Society has also affected my life in many ways. Being a Latina woman, I feel as though I am constantly ostracized based on my physical characteristics. Social stratification has made others question my reliability and knowledge. Social classes hasn’t always played a huge role in my life, until I came the University of the Sciences. By accepting to go study at USciences, I emerged myself around individuals who think that their parents’ money reflects who they are. Many believe that having money permits them to disrespect someone who has less than they do; a few also believe that they can attack the opposite gender due to imposed societal aspects. While watching the election in November, I felt as an outsider due to social stratification. People were making derogatory remarks towards women and I couldn’t do anything to stop them because we had different beliefs and values and we also grew up in different social structures. Powerless, all I could do was walk away.

In all, I am a product of what my family thinks about me, the influence of my peers, and the category society places me in. The daily communications I have with my friends manipulates and drives my motivation, especially since we are all motivated for the same reasons. I believe that if I surrounded myself around different individuals, my motivation wouldn’t be as high as it currently is. Also, what my parents think of me plays a major role in how I think, act, and speak. I would never aim to humiliate myself or my family. As a result, I do certain things for a specific reason. My life will always be effected by outside sources, weather I choose to acknowledge it or not. The clothes I wear, the schools I attend, and the way I present myself are all substances of conformity.