Sociological Imagination #1- Studying: The Silent Killer

Description

University of Regina student attempting to multitask with homework, eating, and social engagement.

Sociological Interpretation

This photograph presents an average university student’s lifestyle. Typically, the life of a student is described as the ‘best days of our lives’ and a time to party, hang out with friends, and experience new things. The hidden reality, as this picture shows, is that university life is much more stressful and demanding than some may think. Between attending classes, attempting homework, eating healthy, and keeping a relatively clean environment, students do not have as much time for fun as some may assume.

One thing that many students may struggle with is their role as a student, friend, and family member and how these roles conflict each other. As a friend, a student may feel that they are expected to spend time with their friends outside of classes. Going to the bar or out for supper not only take away from precious study time, but also take away from time that students feel obligated to spend with their family that has supported them for their entire lives. It is very difficult to meet the expectations of everyone and to do so in a functional way for yourself. Role conflict refers to “instances of conflict between two or more of the roles” an individual may have. The roles a student has are very different and often clash with each other causing role strain, which is “a situation in which a particular role may involve a set of expectations... and accomplishment...stains the energy and resources” of the person dealing with them. This can lead to the inability to meet expectations, depression, and ultimately, complete burn out.

Historically, education and the roles a student holds have not been this stressful. In the past education was not mandatory to make a decent living and therefore the stress of passing classes was not very heavy. Failure in school simply meant that an individual would have to find a different path and take on different roles in their society. Hard work and an able body was all one had to have to succeed in the past. Nowadays, an individual must prove themselves not only to be intelligent and hard working, but to be ‘more’ intelligent and hard working than the millions of other people in the world.