The Nature and Scope of Urban Sociology

We’re always told, “strength in numbers”. Have you ever wondered why? My personal take on this is that we function better when we can interact with similar beings and assess our strengths better. Humans have evolved from single-celled organisms to their current state. A huge part of why we have been able to make so much progress is that we are social beings. We interact and work with each other towards achieving common goals. Survival based on gregariousness wouldn’t be possible. It’s also very clear by the researchers in psychology that we need a certain amount of social stimulation. Cities are bustling with people who are connected to each other in numerous, complicated ways. They’re hubs for sociological activity.

urban sociology and life style

Urban lifestyle professes social events and interactions. We revel in the fact that we have the ability to be social. And that is something to be proud of. It is this very quality that let’s the best of the organizations thrive Urban sociology hence is an area of major advancements that need to be analyzed. People need to know more about the dynamics of sociology to put it to good use. We in the metros are so swamped with hopes and dreams that we barely get time to focus on the social aspects of our life deeming it unnecessary. We forget how important it actually is and takes something so simple for granted. I think what we need is introspection on this subject. The Social needs of everyone vary from person to person and thus needs to be further inspected individually. It is a tool as well as a necessity that can create wonders or blunders on a whim.  What’s astonishing is how well our brains are pre-programmed to perform this function. It can carry perfectly healthy social behaviour subconsciously.

Studies show that human nature involving social tendencies is a result of evolution which is another indicator that we need to put more value and focus on sociology. The metropolitan areas are the places where you can see clear examples of urban sociological activities and gain a sense of accomplishment from being social yourself. Urban culture has social values as an integral part and thus teaches the urban residents to be more interactive and establish relationships with each other that are high functioning with respect to the progress of the entire society. It is also advisable that we keep a generally pleasant attitude towards the fellow citizens irrespective of acquaintance.

However, in the recent few decades, these practices have been noticed to be declining. It’s alarming how gregarious people are becoming with the passage of time. Some might say it is the unsolidified values of our generation and our misplaced priorities. The real problem that should be blamed for the downfall of the well-established pillars of urban social behaviour is the scarcity of actual social interactions over rather than interactions on social media. It not only represses our social tendencies but also creates this false sense of security in hiding behind a screen when we should be favouring face to face interactions. The multiple psychological aspects that play a role in urban sociology are henceforth completely out of the question with social media interaction like – eye contact, body language, facial expressions, physical touches etc. All or most social cues are reliant on these elements which intricately decide how a social event or interaction would conclude. They can mostly be manipulated to get desired results. These manipulation skills develop over time with practising in real life situations. Virtual interactions offer none of the above and hence have been the reason for many psychological, social as well as behavioural disorders.

The most common one that has been observed in the millennials, as well as Gen X, is social anxiety. It is a condition where the affected person is affected by exposure to any social situation and as a result endures severe anxiety related to even the most minor, unimportant details in a social setting. Every day more and more people are complaining about these symptoms. It creates an inability to join in any pleasurable or important activity. Affected people have been known to have extremely self-conscious thoughts and nervousness as well as the expenditure of high amounts of mental energy and effort in order to conform. Physical contact is also another area where the person experiences extreme difficulty and possible awkwardness. A contrast from Social Anxiety Disorder is  Antisocial Personality Disorder. It makes the person suffering from it highly irritable and excessively aggressive. These disorders amongst much more other are caused due to dysfunctional habits we have so willingly adopted. These malpractices are the reason we have slowly resorted to hiding in our homes rather than making proper advances socially. It is essential to our kind that we eradicate these deformities in the otherwise smooth functioning society and achieve the ideal place where something as simple as a “hello” does not cripple a person with anxiety.


by Darshita

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