Editorial Note:
This article on why sociology in nursing is important is being published on behalf of Applied Worldwide’s 2021 student essay competition. Students were prompted to respond to the question, “Why is sociology important?” We have awarded 17 finalists from all over the world, and will publish these essays over the next several weeks.
This essay was written by Rinki Begum, a student at Fitzalan High School (sixth form) in the UK. This essay received a third place award. We had a really great turnout and would like to thank everyone who submitted an essay. We received a wide variety of creative interpretations and responses, so browse our essay directory!
Rinki Begum on the Importance of Sociology in Nursing
The significance of sociology in even just our daily lives should be amplified to such an extent due to the intricate affiliation it has to so many aspects of our life. Many sociologists and theologians advocate for these very different purposes in order to amplify areas that we’re not yet aware of as much as we should, an example of this would be class consciousness that Marxists empahsise.
The world within sociology is so broad it caters to various sectors of life, it interferes with politics, human rights, health care, mental health, identity, and so forth. Thus, reiterating such a significance within the portrayal of sociology.
Sociology in Nursing
An aspect of sociological significance that is made prevalent would be one that is affiliated to Marxism – in its most basic form, a critique of capitalism. Marxist theologians, such as Angela Davis, have had an immeasurable impact on many individuals’ views of the world and have allowed many to gain knowledge and expand on their own ideologies. This concept can surely be interlinked with the idea of building identity as Marxism provides insight to the working class as to this false consciousness that has blurred their sights on exploitation.
In terms of impact within society and the sociological theory of Marxism – it is huge. The impact Marxism has had on society as a whole has left such a profound affect within communities – especially sectors such as philosophy and academia. All in all, demonstrating the intricate significance of how much value sociology has to us as individuals who’re part of a community. Western Marxists such as Georg Lukacs have expressed interest within Marxism as a sense of ‘liberation’ from the said shackles of political economy.
The way in which this corresponds to the significance of sociology would be the manner in which it illustrates a wider breadth of knowledge and allows for those (typically the working class) to be able to create their own thoughts and learn about the functions of society from an exterior perspective. Thus, sociology’s importance also lies in teaching us new things by examining different sectors of society like the class disparity within society.
Sociology in Nursing is Important
In addition, sociology is significant in that which is contributes to sectors such as the nursing field. Porter (1998-95) had suggested there was an evolvement within understanding health is determined by factors inclusive of those which affiliates with culture and socialisation. This notion of the health sector associating to sociology would include doctors/nurses to understand the social elements that are integrated in health and nursing. They would need to understand the nature of subjectivity as individuals who belong to different social groups encounter experiences that may not be intersectional with others.
Also, this conception of socialisation within nursing can be restated within this idea due to its development of professional identity. Cohen mentioned how professional socialisation is a process which utilises gained ability and knowledge to maintain a deeper, more professional role. Socialisation plays a big role within nursing considering the intricate interactions with staff for understanding, patients, families, etc.
Moreover, nurses are able to apprehend the relation they have in terms of their responsibilities and social structures with their patients. Hence, ingeminating the significance sociology due to how sociology enables doctors/nurses to recognise this social responsibility they obtain.
Analytical Sociology and Sociological Knowledge
Furthermore, sociology is used as a tool to demonstrate how relationships are built and create greater systems – producing an analytical sense of the sociological study. An analytical sense of sociology revolves around the conception of understanding the world – this creates a breadth of significance for sociology as it constantly emphasises the power of knowledge, which is implicative of the phrase of power equaling to knowledge.
In addition to this, analytical sociology focuses on macro-level research, which looks at a larger scale, this is due to the various structures and perspectives it examines. This caters to the significance of sociology as it provides an understanding of wider society – it provides clarity. Within this, sociologists are also able to examine and understand how the society influences individuals and how in turn, individuals influence the society. The study as a whole is significant to us in order for us as a whole to constantly progress.
Sociology is Important for Personal Development
Moreover, sociology proves its significance by being of help, both towards us as individuals and as a society. One way this is established is through the way sociology helps us understand ourselves better. It is able to do this by studying how social aspects may influence the way we do things and as to how we decide to compose ourselves. This proves to be crucial as it allows people to gain a sense of self independently while gaining their own ideologies. Applied sociology is the term used to “understand, intervene, or enhance human social life” (Steele and Price) this is used to address social issues (also a process used to prevent these issues).
Personally, sociology is something in which assists individuals with a wider breadth of knowledge – one which is wholly deep and intricate. It allows me to see how wide society is on such a scale and how we’re constantly progressing from a singular state. It addresses issues which integrate with such specific intervals in our lives, it is seemingly something which everyone should study even just briefly.
Sociology has introduced me to the Marxist ideology, which further led to my experience of radicalising myself through books and realising the meaning behind past experiences that have moulded these present thoughts. Sociology is seemingly a powerful tool that individuals can utilise in order to understand themselves and the wider world in more depth.
Conclusion
All in all, sociology demonstrates a sense of importance through various aspects of life, whether that is through the breadth of knowledge, the disparity between power, the anarchy of capitalism, or even the demonstration of sociology in the health sector. Sociology being intersectional to such vast sub categories goes to show how significant it is singularly to the application of sociology to these very categories. Sociology is important, not just as a whole, but in the manner in which it is essentially incorporated in our daily lives.
