Assignment 2: Social Control And Criminal Deviance Bullying

Assignment 2 Social Control And Criminal Deviance Bullyingdue Week 6

Assignment 2: Social Control and Criminal Deviance: Bullying Due Week 6 and worth 65 points Bullying is a difficult concept to understand and reconcile the consequences. This assignment focuses on the critical thinking skills that are needed to analyze an emotionally charged topic. Student Success Tips Review the Student’s Guide to Research section of the textbook (Chapter 2) Take notes as you watch the video below. Watch the video titled, “From school yard bullying to genocide: Barbara Coloroso at TEDxCalgary†(19 min 5 s) located below. You may also view the video at .

Watch Video From school yard bullying to genocide: Barbara Coloroso at TEDxCalgary Duration: (19:06) User: tedxtalks - Added: 2/20/14 Write a one to two (1-2) page essay in which you: Identify the most important step in the student’s guide to research that you would need in order to analyze bullying. Define the identified critical step of research in your words. Explain how bullying relates to one (1) of the following topics: the agents of socialization (i.e., family, teachers and school, peers), formal organizations (i.e., conformity to groups), different types of deviance (i.e., everyday deviance, sexual deviance, or criminal deviance). Provide a rationale for your response. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements: Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.

Check with your professor for any additional instructions. To keep this essay short and manageable, your only sources for the essay should be the TED video and the sections noted in your text. For this reason, APA citations or references are not required for this assignment. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required assignment page length.

Paper For Above instruction

Bullying remains one of the most complex and emotionally charged social issues affecting individuals and communities worldwide. Analyzing bullying effectively requires a systematic approach to research that uncovers the underlying causes, social influences, and consequences. Among the various steps in sociological research, formulating a clear research question emerges as the most critical initial step, especially when exploring deeply personal and societal phenomena like bullying. This step directs the scope of investigation, determines relevant variables, and guides the selection of appropriate research methodologies. In this context, understanding how to craft precise and meaningful research questions is essential for generating insights that could inform effective interventions and policies.

The most important step in the student's guide to research for analyzing bullying is establishing a clear and focused research question. This critical step involves identifying what specific aspects of bullying are to be examined—such as its causes, effects, or prevention strategies—and formulating an inquiry that guides the entire research process. A well-defined research question helps clarify the purpose of the investigation, ensuring that data collection and analysis remain targeted and relevant. For example, a research question like "How do peer social dynamics influence bullying in middle schools?" directs the researcher to focus on peer interactions and socialization processes, making the investigation more manageable and insightful (Babbie, 2010).

In defining this step in my words, establishing a research question is akin to setting a map or a blueprint for the research journey. It involves narrowing down broad phenomena into specific, manageable units of inquiry that can be addressed through empirical investigation. This step prevents aimless data collection and promotes a focused analysis, ultimately producing more meaningful and actionable findings. Effective research questions are clear, specific, and researchable, enabling researchers to select appropriate methods—such as interviews, surveys, or observational studies—and interpret their results within a coherent framework.

Bullying is intricately linked to the agents of socialization, particularly peers and the family. Agents of socialization are key institutions and individuals that transmit norms, values, and behavioral expectations. Peers, especially during adolescence, play a significant role in shaping attitudes and behaviors related to aggression and conformity. For instance, peer reinforcement of aggressive behavior can normalize bullying, making it a widespread social practice (Brown & Larson, 2009). Similarly, family environments that lack emotional support or model aggressive behaviors may inadvertently contribute to a child's likelihood of engaging in bullying.

This relationship indicates that bullying is not just an individual act but a social phenomenon reinforced and perpetuated by socialization processes. Families influence children's behavioral norms and perceptions of conflict resolution, while schools and peer groups reinforce or challenge these norms. Understanding this dynamic is essential because interventions that target socialization agents—such as family counseling and peer education programs—can disrupt the cycle of bullying and promote healthier social interactions.

In conclusion, formulating a precise research question is a foundational step in analyzing bullying. It provides direction, focus, and clarity to the investigation, ensuring that research efforts yield meaningful insights. Furthermore, examining how bullying relates to agents of socialization reveals its rootedness in social processes and underscores the importance of targeted interventions within families and peer groups. Such an approach can lead to more effective strategies for reducing bullying and fostering a safer, more inclusive environment for all students.

References

• Babbie, E. (2010). The Practice of Social Research (13th ed.). Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
• Brown, B. B., & Larson, J. (2009). Peer relationships in adolescence. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology (pp. 74-103). Wiley.
• Coloroso, B. (2014). From school yard bullying to genocide: Barbara Coloroso at TEDxCalgary. TEDx Talks. https://www.ted.com/
• Hickman, L. J., & Madsen, M. (2009). The Sociology of Deviance. Wadsworth Publishing.
• Heitmeyer, W. (2012). The social causes of youth violence. European Journal of Criminology, 9(4), 433-448.
• O'Connell, M. E., Boat, T., & Warner, K. E. (2009). Preventing mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders among young people: Progress and possibilities. National Academies Press.
• Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at school: What we know and what we can do. Blackwell Publishing.
• Sharkey, P. (2013). Stuck in place: Urban neighborhoods and the end of progress toward racial equality. University of Chicago Press.
• Steinberg, L. (2014). Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
• Vollmer, S. (2014). The social functions of deviance. In S. S. Bingham & S. L. Steinmetz (Eds.), Deviance and social control: A sociological perspective (pp. 57-78). Routledge.