The social value of an individual is largely determined by what needs prevail in her. Ya.L. Kolomensky
With his quote, Kolomensky emphasizes the influence of needs on the self-development of an individual and giving it a socially significant character.
The formation of the personality as an individual with socially significant traits is influenced by many factors, including needs. What is it?
In sociology, it is customary to understand needs as a person's perceived need for something. In the first phases of development human society needs were simple and boiled down to maintaining their body and safety. As the complexity of social organization, they expanded, modified and corrected. They acted as an incentive for human activity.
In sociology, it is customary to subdivide needs into biological, social and ideal or spiritual. There are many classifications of needs. They can be subdivided according to the spheres of society (material, social, spiritual), according to the subject (individual, collective, group), according to the degree of significance for the individual and society - imaginary or genuine. They reflect the very attitude of the individual and the set of values that correct these needs.
The most famous is the pyramid of needs according to A. Maslow. The American sociologist based it on physiological and existential (safety, comfort) needs. More high level he took it to the social, connected with the existential, providing the individual with the opportunity for favorable psychological contact and communication in the social group. This is followed by prestigious ones, which allow them to achieve success in life, make a career, and raise their social status. And, finally, the need for self-actualization, when an individual seeks to maximize his own "I", to achieve happiness in spiritual self-improvement, to understand the meaning of life.
Social norms and values leave a special imprint on the person seeking to satisfy needs. In the human community, even biological needs are socially colored. We cannot behave like animals: we prefer to eat healthy food, live in clean conditions, dress in clothes for the season and, depending on the nature of the activity, relieve ourselves in specially designated places.
Kolomensky's thought directs us to the understanding that needs are corrected by social norms and supported by social institutions. To the extent that a person has managed to assimilate these norms and submit to the requirements of a social institution, so much is it in demand. Social benefit, therefore, is expressed in the ability of the individual to adapt his needs (caused by dissatisfaction) to the rules of life of the social group to which he belongs.
Take, for example, our football team, which, to the surprise of many, played successfully at the 2018 World Cup. The need to prove to the country's fans that Russian football is not dead made the team and the coaching staff work tirelessly before and during the match. As a result, the team, for the first time in Russian football history, managed to reach the ¼ final and thus win the support and universal love of the country's fans. Surprisingly, even those who are not interested in football followed the match. This means that the social and prestigious needs of the team coincided with the needs of the entire football community, which is proud that the Russian team showed itself at the championship not as an outsider.
But the needs of the individual do not always coincide with the needs of society, its values and norms. Then tough sanctions are applied to violators.
Suffice it to recall the greed, money-grubbing and striving for the omnipotence of the old woman from "The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish" by A.S. Pushkin. The desire to live at someone else's expense, to satisfy their base needs, pushing others around, for the heroine of the fairy tales ended in failure. Not knowing when to stop, she literally ended up at a broken trough.
The problem raised by Kolomensky, which reflects the commensurability of one's own needs with the needs of society and its values, will always be relevant, since a person cannot live outside the social environment and ignore social norms. In turn, the development of the needs of the individuals themselves contributes to the development of society as a whole and the development of new norms and values. This means that this process is reciprocal.
Sample Topics for Essays on Sociology
Formation of sociology as a scientific discipline.
Historical destinies and features of the formation of Russian sociology.
G. Spencer's classical theory of evolutionism and social progress.
M. Weber - the founder of "understanding" sociology and the theory of social action.
The concepts and principles of E. Durkheim's sociology.
V. Pareto's concept of social action.
K. Marx. Features of the sociology of Marxism.
Sociological schools and directions of sociology in Russia (P. Sorokin, P. Lavrov, N. Ya. Danilevsky).
Chicago School of Sociology.
The concept of social reality in phenomenological sociology.
Social interaction. Theories of E. Hoffmann, J. Mead.
Formal Sociology of G. Simmel. The main ideas, representations in his work "Philosophy of Money".
E. Giddens: a modern type of sociological theorizing.
N.K. Mikhailovsky: Subjective Sociology.
M.M. Kovalevsky: a multifactorial approach to the analysis of society.
I. Goffman: introducing oneself to others.
J. Baudrillard's concept of hyperreality.
A new scientific picture of the world and a change in the methodological foundations of modern sociology.
Types of research programs in modern sociology: "quantitative" and "qualitative" sociology.
Society as a social system.
Traditional and modern society.
"The End of the Industrial Society." Postmodern society.
Is there an information society?
Institutional transformation of post-Soviet society
The structure and functions of social institutions. R. Merton.
The main trends in the development of education as a social institution.
The family as a social institution. The structure and functions of the modern family.
The essence and mechanisms of the institutional transformation of modern Russia.
Liberalization policy in modern Russia and its consequences.
Institutional crisis: reasons and ways out.
Latent functions of democratic and market institutions in Russia.
The system of social stratification in modern Russia.
The social structure of modern Russian society.
The structure of the new Russian elite. Struggle for legitimation.
Change in the social status of the intelligentsia.
Russian middle class.
Poverty and wealth as social categories.
Territorial and sectoral aspects of social inequality.
The gender aspect of social inequality in modern Russia.
Upward social mobility strategies.
Social groups and communities. Quasigroups.
Ethnicity as an object and subject of politics.
Post-Soviet space: ethnopolitical problems.
Actualization of Russian national identity.
Group communication. Leadership.
Conflict as a form of social interaction.
Suicide as a social problem.
Personality as a product and subject of social relations.
The specifics of the natural and social in man.
The interaction of the individual and society.
G. Marcuse. One-dimensional person.
T. Adorno. Authoritarian personality.
"Soviet common man".
The revival of the "economic man".
Socialization of the individual in society.
Deviant (deviant) behavior.
The dynamics of the identification of Russians.
Sociology of the city.
Urbanization of the population. Features of the development of cities in Russia.
Social problems of the city.
City and environment.
Social stratification and social inequality.
Modern Russian society.
The essence of the process of social transformations in modern Russia.
Theory and practice of Russian reforms in the context of neoliberal globalization.
Management as a way to solve social problems.
Dynamics of Russians' values.
Socio-economic and cultural disintegration of Russian society.
Social conditioning of crisis phenomena in the spiritual sphere.
The problem of Russia's civilizational identity.
Effective strategies for the future for Russia.
Global problems of our time.
Social and cultural risks of globalization.
Identity in a globalizing world.
Religious fundamentalism as a form of protest against the globalization process.
The search for alternative cultural and ideological foundations of globalization.
Russia in the context of globalization.
Globalization: Past or Future?
S. Huntington. Clash of civilizations.
I. Wallerstein. The theory of the world-system.
J. Ritzer. The theory of "McDonaldization".
IN AND. Vernadsky. The idea of a noospheric civilization.
"Risk Society" W. Beck.
Anti-globalism: theory and practice.
The crisis of the world system and alternatives to global development.
Public opinion in the context of the formation of the information society in Russia.
The dichotomy "elite-mass" in modern culture.
Popular culture: pros and cons.
Ethnic stereotypes as an element of culture.
Multiculturalism and transculturalism.
Mass media in the context of culture.
Virtual worlds and socio-cultural reality of the new Russia.
Are you looking for a ready-made social studies essay? Have you decided to just memorize your essay and reproduce it in the exam? In our opinion, this method will not lead you to your goal! After all, you want to get the maximum points!
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Some of our subscribers are already sharing their essays and getting feedback in our group discussions 
Here is an essay written by our subscriber Ege Ege :
29.3. (in the numbering of the exam-2016)
"The higher the position of a person, the more strict must be the framework that restrains the self-will of his character"(G. Freytag)
First, what is social control? Social control is the position held by an individual or social group in a society. With an increase in social status, that is, with vertical mobility, the self-esteem of the individual also increases, as a result, and his behavior. A purposeful, fair, seemingly honest politician, upon getting a high position, can turn into a bribe-taker.
Second, what is social control? Social control is a mechanism for regulating the relationship between the individual and society in order to strengthen order and stability in society. Social control is aimed at preventing deviant behavior, that is, society with the help of sanctions and norms, or the personality itself, thanks to self-control, regulates behavior. For example, in Saudi Arabia, a hand is cut off for theft. The application of such a sanction led to a significant decrease in theft in the country.
Thirdly, we can recall the policy of China. China has the CCP's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Ministry of Control. These bodies monitor the activities of the highest state and non-state bodies and fight corruption.
Thus, social control is used to regulate the character of the personality. Moreover, social control increases with an increase in the status of the individual. Devoid of social control, personality behavior becomes deviant.
Expert commentary on the exam
What would you like to note? First of all, the essay is structured correctly, the template is consistent, K1 is revealed. Our subscriber took the path of the simplest and most rigorous essay structure,. He confirmed each of his theoretical theses with an example from social practice.
At the same time, it looks not very correct:
“First, what is social control?
Second, what is social control? "
And of course, the definition is not at all correct:
“First, what is social control? Social control is the position occupied by an individual or social group in a society. "
In this case it comes o According to the criteria for checking this task, the theoretical error that we have in this case is the reason for the decrease in the score for K2 by 1.
Maybe "secondly, what is the mechanism of social control?" Further, it shouldn't be difficult to build sentences.
Social control is aimed at preventing deviant behavior, that is, society with the help of sanctions and norms, or the personality itself, thanks to self-control, regulates behavior.
We run the risk of getting confused, not agreeing on cases, not delivering commas. In general, a good impression of the essay will be blurred from the exam expert. It's better to break a long thought into short phrases:
Social control is aimed at preventing deviant behavior. That is, society, with the help of sanctions and norms, or the personality itself, thanks to self-control, regulates behavior.
Thirdly, it was possible to expand the thought a little, to fulfill the requirement of the verification criteria in task 29 ( if necessary, reveal other aspects of the problem). For instance:
“Let's look at the problem from the other side! What will happen if social control in relation to a person with a high position is not effective? Experience shows that abuses and corruption are possible. "
And then there is a good example from the social practice of China: “Here ... one can recall the policy of China. China has the CCP's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Ministry of Control. These bodies monitor the activities of the highest state and non-state bodies and fight corruption. "
In general, everything is fine, as an examiner of the USE would have estimated at 3-4 points (due to an error in the term (K2)). At the same time, data from related sciences (K3) were applied.
The only thing is that there are no references to my life experience. But, we will correct this minus, the main thing is that there is a desire to improve. Here is another statement of the 19th century German writer Gustav Freytag, which is often found in the versions of the 29 Unified State Exam assignments in social studies:
29.3. Sociology, social philosophy.
"In the soul of every person there is a miniature portrait of his people."(G. Freytag)
Good luck, continue to work on your essay, send your essays to the exam expert in the comments and also in the discussion of our group
Consider task number 29 - an essay or an essay.
To complete it for the maximum number of points (6), you must:
- to reveal the meaning of one of the 5 statements;
- substantiate it theoretically;
- give examples from real life;
- correctly and logically lead reasoning and give concepts.
We have collected for you the best essays that alumni have shared with us.
29.2 Economics
"Private property is the main guarantee of freedom, both for those who own it and for those who do not."- F. Hayek.
F. Hayek reflects in the mainstream of such a socially important science as economics.
He argues that private property guarantees the freedom of whoever owns it. And at the same time, it guarantees the independence of the rest of the people who do not belong to this property. This means that the presence of private property in the state is the main guarantor of an economically free society.
I agree with the opinion of F. Hayek and believe that such freedom is guaranteed both by the presence of a private form and by the type of economic system of the state.
It is important to note that property is the format of the property relationship of a person or a group of people to economic benefits, factors of production. Usually they distinguish: private property (belonging to individuals and legal entities) and state (government bodies). Property can be individual (1 person owns) or collective (for a group of people). Accordingly, if the population can own something, it means that people have rights and freedoms. And the indicator of these freedoms of the population is the type of economic system. This term means a set of methods and rules governing economic relations in the state. I will give a classification: traditional (communal property, the organization corresponds to accepted customs and traditions), planned (state form, directive planning of the production process), market (private form, what and how entrepreneurs decide to produce), mixed (both types of ownership, but state ownership prevails, producers and consumers are economically independent, the state produces public goods and finances the social sphere).
We know from history that there was a planned economy in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Entrepreneurial activity was limited to production plans. Consumers were not free: there was practically no choice in stores, sometimes especially valuable goods were given out on a first come, first served basis, so there was not enough for everyone; sometimes the same thing happened with food. So, it cannot be argued that at that time, under such an economic system, the population, producers and consumers, were free. And not only in the economic sphere of society.
Now, thanks to various economic television programs, it is known that Russia has a mixed type of economy. Entrepreneurs decide for themselves what to produce, the factors of production are in their possession. And in state ownership - Natural resources, cultural monuments, social institutions. This gives rise to the freedom of consumers: the choice of a suitable manufacturer, the number of goods. It can be argued that in modern Russia society is economically free due to the variety of freedoms that the population possesses.
Thus, the presence and predominance of private property, of course, is the guarantor of the independence of society. And this is reflected in the freedom of everyone who owns it, and others who do not have it, but can. This is largely due to the type of economy - market.
The second example of an essay in social studies that received a high score on the exam:
29.3 Sociology, social psychology
"Try to achieve fame and recognition, but not by treasury, but at the cost of knowledge"- Anvari.
Anvari discusses the specific role of knowledge in the fate of a person.
In pursuit of happiness, which for many is popularity and recognition, we do our best. However, the author is convinced that this must be achieved by using not Money, but the knowledge that we possess.
The knowledge that Anvari is talking about is a collection of information about the surrounding objects and the world. This knowledge is the result of cognition - the process of spiritual mastery of the material world by a person. It is endless, lasts until the death of a person. Many types of knowledge are distinguished, but they are considered the main ones: ordinary (about everyday life), scientific (concerns various sciences), religious (associated with belief in a deity). Information can be obtained through a sensory or rational form of knowledge. The first type includes the following stages: sensation - a conscious reflection of individual properties of an object that affect the human sense organs; perception - a reflection of an object, based on how it affects the senses, in the mind; representation - the emergence of a holistic image of an object in consciousness, based on its impact on the senses. TO rational form include: concept - any statement about a subject; judgment - analysis of a given statement, inference - a conclusion about the correctness or incorrectness of a fact with a number of evidence. Empirical (practical) or theoretical (conceptual) methods of cognition of the world are also distinguished. The process of cognition is in many ways difficult, which is why all the available knowledge is so valuable. A person who possesses them, who has passed this "path" and who has acquired the truth, must use them in order to achieve glory and recognition.
As an example of the value of knowledge, I would like to cite the history of the famous scientist-chemist - DI Mendeleev. There is a version: the table of chemical elements was seen by him in a dream. It is not so much how this table was created, as what it was made. He was able to structure his scientific knowledge in the field of chemistry and quantum physics, which took the form of rows and columns and which is used all over the world. At the cost of his knowledge, Mendeleev opened a new path for the development of science for mankind, received world recognition as one of the greatest chemists.
In our world there are many examples of people who have achieved fame and respect thanks to their intellect. For example, the President Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, according to many experts, voting results and opinion polls, not only in Russia, but also abroad, is recognized as the most influential person, a respected person. This would not have happened if Vladimir Vladimirovich had not studied society, its needs, the situation on the world stage. A successful social policy is being pursued in the state and the standard of living of the population is rising. Such fame is the result of a successful foreign and domestic policy.
Thus, it is only through his knowledge that a person achieves truly valuable fame and respect. He is distinguished for the fact that he went through a difficult learning process and has knowledge that others do not have. Our strength lies in our knowledge.
We hope you have carefully studied the presented mini-essays. Do not forget about the criteria for evaluating the essay and get a good result!
Physics and mathematics. Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the fact that it has absorbed much of what has already been accumulated over previous centuries. And this, purely terminological point, also needs to be taken into account by those who undertake an essay on sociology to order.
Difficulties in writing an essay in sociology
And what else will he have to face, besides terminology? For example, with the need to cite the data of opinion polls for a particular period of time. There is nothing wrong with this customer's requirement - a lot of data is available on the Web, posted for all users. Another thing is how much you can trust them? Sociology is not only a young science, but also a dangerous one. And also subject to the trends of the times. How not to recall the "execution census" of the late 30s of the last century, or the data on the victims of the GULAG. And it takes a certain amount of courage to go “against the tide” and defend the point of view that is inconvenient against the general background.
What are essays in sociology?
Essays are a peculiar genre. A few pages - so many and so few. Some students would be happy to write a work on their own, but the common reason is lack of time. So you have to resort to the services of third parties.
There are several types of essays on sociology. For instance, essay by quote... The quote is almost always taken out of the context of the work of one or another of the classics. This has its advantages and disadvantages. You can not read the whole work, but write as you understood it yourself. But here is the danger - what if, in the general context of the work, the meaning of the quotation is fundamentally different? That is why we have in electronic form the primary sources of the most frequently encountered materials. With them it is already easier to navigate the material.
Another kind of work - an essay that claims a problem in the title... Then the task is more difficult: to determine the circle of scientists who raised this problem; isolate their opinions on this issue, state them in your own words (do not forget about the requirements for Antiplagiarism!) and end with your own opinion.
The volume and uniqueness of the work
It is absolutely absurd to demand 100% uniqueness of the work. But what about the quotes that support your thoughts? Because of them, the uniqueness is automatically reduced, and this will have to be reckoned with. Or volume requirements. The optimal length for a sociological essay is 4-5 pages. But no more! Otherwise, the essay threatens to turn into an abstract or test... Let us, as far as possible, observe the "purity of the genre".
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There is absolutely no need for authoritative opinions to put pressure on the performer, fetter his imagination and flight of thought. For sociology, boldness is by no means contraindicated. The framework is good for those works that are intended for intermediate certification - coursework and theses... But not for an essay! And it is a pity if some of the university teachers do not understand this.
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