I Only Thought I Knew It All: Society and the Individual

Sociology is the study of society. This definition of sociology is widely known, and widely accepted. This definition, however, has multiple strata, and sociology as a science can be broken down and split up into different areas of study. In this paper, I will try to relate my personal experience with sociology to the global perspective of sociology. The sociological perspective can make the study of human interactions personal. It asks two questions: "How do I affect society?" and "how does society affect me?" Our personalities are shaped by interactions we have with people as individuals, and as groups in society. When I was fifteen, I became ill with the disease Hepatitis. There was a certain alienation towards me when I had Hepatitis. Immediately when people found out I was sick, they either became uncomfortable, or confused. Nobody knew how to react to somebody with Hepatitis. The disease I have is extremely misunderstood. The form of Hepatitis which I have is autoimmune Hepatitis, and it is very rare. Even doctors don't know too much about it. I did not catch it from anybody, and nobody could catch the disease from me. Doctors believe that the strain of Hepatitis that I have is genetically predisposed, as many auto-immune diseases are, and that I would have gotten it even if I were doing nothing but lying in bed for months. But, people hear the word Hepatitis, and they become fearful. Having the disease is not fun to deal with, and in some cases can be deadly. Peoples' reactions to me--the girl with Hepatitis--were careful and reserved. Even after I would explain the entire disease to somebody, and try to make her understand that what I had is a generic term for "liver problem," with an unknown cause, she would say "thank goodness you got Hepatitis A and not Hepatitis B"--proving to me that she still had no idea what I was talking about, or what I was going through. Even the people that had Hepatitis before were clueless about my condition. Everybody seemed concerned for me, but nobody seemed to really understand what I was actually going through. I felt alone, and I was alone. People were honestly afraid to be near me. Even after I told them about the genetic predisposition, and that I was not contagious, people still were very reserved and careful towards me. I came to hate the disease more because of the stigma attached to it than because of the physical deterioration it was causing in me. I was deteriorating emotionally as well as physically. I began to feel alienated from society. Nobody understood what I was going through. Alienation is defined as the "removal from a group of ideals, a set of values, or a group of people." If somebody is feeling disconnected from society, or if one is feeling that nobody knows the real him, he is feeling alienated. This is how I felt when I was sick. Nobody knew the real me, they were just paying attention to my being ill. I was definitely feeling tired and irritable, but I was still myself. I still had the same interests, and the same personality. I tried not to let being sick get in my way too much. While I could not leave the house, I still did things that could keep me entertained. But not even my doctor understood this concept that I was still me. He treated me like a person, and not a patient, and I will forever be grateful to him for that; but even he came to see me as "the girl with Hepatitis." In the movie Patch Adams, Robin Williams played a character named Patch. Patch had battled with depression for a couple of years, and during some time he spent in a mental hospital, he realized his dedication to fellow human beings. He became obsessed with helping people. Patch Adams studied to become a doctor, so he could spend his life helping the sick. He thought the best way to help his patients was by connecting with his patients. He really wanted to get to know the personality behind his patients. "You help the patient, you win, you lose. …