Half Empty or Half Full?: Sociological Self-Explorations of An Aspiring Realist

As I reflect on my life and notice how much I have been affected by my surroundings, I realize that I often talk a lot like my father. My father is a pessimist, as judged by many of the statements he makes. As for me, I also tend to be a pessimist, even though I'd rather call it a realist. I look at the facts the way they are and state things the way I see them. This may make me appear pessimistic on some topics, but optimistic in others. In other words, I'm not a complete optimist on some things and I am not a pessimist on others. However, as I observe my life I often catch myself saying statements that would almost exactly sound like how my father would have stated them. Even when my optimistic nature comes out, I soon begin seeing things in a pessimistic light. I realize some of this have to do with the impact of my father's statements and actions on my life. My pessimism can range from those on topics such as economics and politics to even conversations about household issues. My mother, in contrast, is a lot more of an optimist than my dad and I. She is always finding the good in any situation. I find it peculiar that I often become self-conscious of and take on my dad's pessimism compared to my mom's optimism. I don't necessarily want to be so pessimistic at times because sometimes I feel as though it isn't the best way to approach things. Other times, though, I feel like it is the only way to handle situations. As I have progressed through this course, learning more and more about the social world, various ideas seem to shed light on and explain why I am more a pessimist than an optimist. Sociological mindfulness' is an absolute necessity for me in order to understand why I feel this way about my life. According to sociologist Michael Schwalbe sociological mindfulness is the "practice of tuning-in to how the social world works" (3). This is exactly what I have to do to understand my pessimist attitude toward life. Schwalbe goes on to argue how rare this sociological mindfulness is because of several reasons. One in particular is that many people don't believe that they can really make a difference in the world. Schwalbe states, "Some smart and caring people withdraw from the world because they do not believe they can do anything to change it. They feel so powerless, as do many in our society" (5). I feel this way a lot because of my attitude toward many different aspects of my life. I am so focused on the negative than the positive aspects and possibilities that many times I feel as though I am saying "What's the point?" If I wanted to reverse this way of feeling I should truly study the social world and grasp aspects of my life. I will then not be as pessimistic in every part of my life. As I analyzed my issue further in relation to the various chapters in Cahill and Sandstrom's book, Inside Social Life: Readings in Sociological Psychology and Microsociology, more and more aspects came to light of my pessimist attitude toward life. One basic consideration is that everyone goes through socialization. Whether or not it is primary socialization where you learn the basic principles of life in the intimate context of your family in your early childhood, or secondary socialization when you enter the world in order to make your various impacts on the world, every single person goes though it. As I was going through my socialization I always strived for the best, whether it was in school or at sporting events. As I got to college I had to give up one of the most important aspects of my life which was playing the game of soccer. I grew up with soccer; it was my own way of secondary socializing with other individuals. Then I came to realize, because of my pessimistic mentality, that I had to give up the sport to find a job to help with the financial strains of college tuition. Even though I feel as though I have continued socializing through my life and transitioning into my new job, the experience of giving up the game of soccer, which is one of my true passions in life, severely impacted me. …