A concept in chapter eight that interests me is the idea of role shock and the influence that it can have on many aspects of our lives. I have attended multiple learning institutions throughout my educational career and have experienced role shock many different times through these changes. Every school has a different feel to it regarding the way teachers run their classes, the students that attend, and whether it is online or in person. For this reason, my role as a student has felt different each time.
The most prominent role shock that I experienced as a student was the first time I decided to try online schooling. I thought that it would better allow me to work and complete my education at the same time. It was significantly different than my in-person academic experiences and, in the beginning, caused many problems for me. My entire life up until that point, I had been able to address any questions and concerns with the teacher each day in class, so there was no need for predicting problems. As I learned from online schooling, interactions with teachers can take days to fully resolve, and because of this, I was forced to become much more proactive due to the need to resolve issues much further in advance of the due date.
The experts state, “Each of us chooses, or is assigned, or is conditioned to a variety of roles in society and its institutions, man or woman…teacher or engineer…” (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014, p. 246). I was conditioned to be an in-person student for my entire life, and it was not until I was able to choose for myself that I shifted to being an online student. This role involved not just being proactive but also more independent and adaptive, which was a huge change.
My learning about role shock also extends beyond my life to its effects on society as a whole. Today, America’s roles are no longer black and white; there is so much more value in equality that it allows for people to pursue any roles they choose, which can mean high degrees of shock. Because this concept is not the same given a global perspective, there can be vast role/cultural shock amongst people throughout the world when people travel from place to place. The experts state, “In some societies, senior citizens are revered, and in others, ignored. In some cultures, the youth regard teachers with awe, while others treat them as inferiors or ‘buddies'” (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014, p. 246). This statement clearly states the major differences that cultures across the globe have.
America is widely known for its “melting-pot” society. We have one of the most diverse populations in the world and constantly have people from all different cultures coming here. Many of these people experience high levels of culture shock and must adapt to the cultural norms. Regardless of its form, culture/role shock is a constant in society because of our increased diversity. Even though it may be jolting at first, I believe that this has provided us with the necessary strength to achieve many things we once thought impossible.
Reference:
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.).
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