Influences of today
In order to give you an overview of who and what influences us today, we have an explanation of a couple of sociological theories which will help you understand how society functions under micro and macro levels.
Symbolic interactionism explains how people are conditioned by their own subjective way of interpreting symbols, actions and events around them.
For instance, in religions and communities, certain foods have a high symbolic meaning. Symbolic interactionism studies interactions among people who identify themselves based on their sharing of a particular diet (e.g. Hinduists not eating beef, Muslims not eating pork). Food is not just food, it is a symbol that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture (Macionis, 2007)
How is it that we are influenced by things around us?
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Structural functionalism is a macro theory which examines social structure and social functions. It addressed rituals, traditions and norms. Structural functionalism states that we are guided by a social structure through which we identify and share the common rules, norms and behaviors, which are indispensable for society’s stability.
So if you read these two theories, think about what tries to influence you in your culture and why?
What does the media to our brains?
On top of sociological theories, psychological frames and theories are very important to understand what factors influence society’s behaviour. We are constantly teased with advertisements which eventually influence us in one way or another. The media has a powerful influence on individuals beliefs, thoughts, and actions. A research conducted by Robert Cialdini, identifies six elements that guide human behavior: reciprocity, scarcity, authority, consistency, liking and consensus. Society tends to consider advertisements which include the six principles, as we are positively influenced by such elements. We tend to respond to actions and advertisments based on our perception instead of in an objective way.
Chinese cultural differences
Born and raised in the Netherlands, however because of my Chinese roots, I get a lot of influences from that culture as well. And both cultures clash. In the Chinese culture it is really important how the world views you.
My mother taught me that at the very young age, “respect the elders and the ones that teach you”. You do not speak “freely” even though everyone seems like they do.
Healthy food from a different culture
Harrira soup recipe
Vitamins are important for you to keep your body working. Also, vitamins are essential for your concentration and keep your energy level high. We found a very good recipe. It’s harrira. Its is a Moroccan recipe that can be prepared in different ways. Most of the time harrira is used during the Ramadan.In muslim countries the ramadan is a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community. It is a social function which guides the muslim people in sharing common norms, rules and behaviours. This Moroccan recipe is very popular during the ramadan period as it is caloric, fulfilling, genuine, and provides multiple health benefits. Whether you are muslim or not, give this a try, we can guarantee you that you won't be disappointed!
This recipe takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes to make. 1,5 hour is cooking time. Make sure you make this recipe when you have time. Maybe try to impress your family when you are back home. The hard work is worth it!
''In Hinduïsm for instance a cow is holy. Which means that it is forbidden to eat beef. People are influenced by their religion when it comes to food choices.''
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In a 6-quart or larger pressure cooker or stock pot, brown the meat in the oil over medium heat. Add the soup bones, peeled chickpeas, pureed tomatoes, grated onion, spices, smen (if using) and 3 cups (710 ml) of water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook with medium pressure for 25 minutes (or simmer for 50 to 60 minutes).
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Add the lentils, tomato paste mixture, chopped herbs and 8.5 cups (2 liters) water. Bring to a boil and cover. Continue to step 3 or step 4.
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If planning to add rice, cook the soup with medium pressure for 30 minutes (or simmer for 60 minutes); add the rice, and continue cooking with pressure for another 15 minutes (or 30 minutes by simmering).
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OR if planning to add broken vermicelli, cook the soup with pressure for 45 minutes (or simmer for 90 minutes) before stirring in the broken vermicelli. Continue simmering for a few minutes until the vermicelli is tender.
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Taste and adjust seasoning. Thicken the soup to a silky, cream-like consistency by gradually adding the tedouira (flour and water mixture), stirring constantly to ensure that it's well blended. Use only as much as is needed to make the soup as thick as you like.
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Simmer the soup for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and skimming off any foam that forms on the surface.
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Remove from the heat and serve.
How to make it?
Ingredients
1/2 pound meat (lamb, beef or chicken; uncooked, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces)·
3 tablespoons vegetable oil·
3 cups water
2 to 3 tablespoons dried lentils (picked over and washed)
3 tablespoons tomato paste (mixed evenly into 1 or 2 cups of water)
Optional: several soup bones
You are punished when you speak against someone with a higher status, it is in their eyes a form of disrespect and being rude.
Here in the Netherlands you can say whatever you want, your opinion would not cause a problem for yourself. It is even encouraged to speak your mind.
And that is what I thought is one of the biggest cultural differences between The Netherlands and China. – Zi Zing Su, The Netherlands, Fourth year student at THUAS
Source: AsiaNews.it
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Source: China-Briefing https://www.china-briefing.com/news/chinas-tax-concessions-elderly-care-childcare-domestic-services/?hilite=%27elderly%27
Let's start running!
As stated in our last exercise we want you to be involved in sport and physical activity, regardless of your gender, sexual orientation and abilities. That is why we picked long-distance running.
What is long-distance running? Long-distance running, in athletics (track and field), foot races ranging from 3,000 metres through 10,000, 20,000, and 30,000 metres and up to the marathon, which is 42,195 metres (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2003).
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Why long-distance running? It is easy for a beginner to step into running. You can determine your own speed and distance.
Aside from the health benefits and charities, distance running, like the spiritual life, requires considerable discipline and a long period of training, especially if one is to make noticeable progress (Rossmann, 2011). It takes discipline to train for a marathon, while you are training you can make your head empty and just set your mind towards a goal.
And the beauty about marathons? Some believe running can also promote “religious” experience in terms of providing community (Hilty, 2016). When the goal or in this case finish line is reached you probably will feel an immense happiness because you achieved something while training for it for a long time. There are so many people participating and celebrating their achievement, that when you finally reach the finish you are greeted with warmth, laughter and joy. It unites people.
In this link you can find the upcoming marathon events in the Netherlands.
Influenced by a boring advertisement? don't think so!
Who and what influences us as students the most? Everything that is around us, right? In the start of the chapter we discussed the theory and now we want you to think what influences you on a daily basis. Family, friends, advertisements and social media - all of them influence us. This is why we are analysing one advertisement that you might not even notice or remember, but still be influenced by.
Michael Kors had a smartwatch commercial on Instagram that popped up in between your stories. You can see the advertisement on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoNqf9sI5X8. That advertisement is starring Andreea Diaconu, who is a 28 year old Romanian model and Michael Kors himself appears in the commercial too. Using famous powerful people in advertisements is the authority that people are looking for when making decisions.
Another examples are scarcity and consistency. By scarcity we mean that Michael Kors brand is rather expensive, which means that not all people can afford that, which makes the product more desirable. Moreover, smartwatches were introduced to us already few years ago. People are familiar with smartwatches and they created another, maybe more stylish and classic looking smartwatch and now people are willing to pay more for that as they already know what smartwatches can do.
All the elements mentioned above create associations in our brain, which form a network. This associative network has a large impact on our perception and response to the advertisements. This commercial’s catch phrase is “The watch that brings your life to life” and a watch can symbolize a feeling of time pressure. In our success driven world, the advertisement might get you thinking that in order to be as successful as the model in the commercial, you need help organizing your life and how easy it is with this watch.
Now you might think that “oh, but I never really watch these kind of commercials until the end. They do not influence me.” They do! For example, this advertisement was popping up in between Instagram stories, which means that you heard the background music, saw the product and the face of the model. So next time you see or hear anything related to that, your brain already has an association and before you know it you might have a smartwatch.
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Do you see one of the 6 principles of persuasion in this ad?
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Which Colours / logo / name of the company / music / people used in the ad / text etc. used do you see?
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Why are these used? What does it tell you?
With all the information in this chapter, we hope you get our message: ‘’Do what you like and don’t let anyone stop or influence you’’.
As we talked about reducing stress and being the best version of yourself in the past chapters, we decided to give you another tool to reach that goal.
Reading is not so popular anymore nowadays. Actually pretty weird because there are so many benefits you can get from reading a book. And also if you choose a nice one it will be fun!
Reading activates the brain, reduces stress, improves your memory, enchanges imagination, improves concentration and increases your vocabulary (Bilingual kidspot, 2019).
This means every book you’ll read will give you some skills for the future! Sounds great right?
"It is up to you to decide whether you want to shape the social world or if you want to be acted upon. Us as individuals, interact with the world based on the meanings we ascribe to, and our ascribed meanings nourish from our interactions and society. We solicit critical thinking and invite you to make up your own mind, go out there, read some books, and start having your own opinion on what you see out there!"
Here are some examples of book you could read. You can find them on www.bol.com
Focus on your own opinion!
References
From this commercial we can find elements that influence consumers behaviour. One example is liking - Michael Kors has highly valued handbags for women and watches for men, but also quality clothing, footwear and other accessories for men and women. This means that people are familiar with the brand all over the world and therefore people are more likely to accept the new product.
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Source: Bol.com
Benlafquih, C. (2017, May). Harira Recipe – Moroccan Tomato Soup with Chickpeas and Lentils. Retrieved October 5, 2019, from https://tasteofmaroc.com/moroccan-harira-soup-recipe/
Bilingual kidspot. (2019, January 24). 10 incredible benefits of reading books. Retrieved October 25, 2019, from https://bilingualkidspot.com/2019/01/24/benefits-of-reading-books-with-research/
Encyclopedia Britannica. (2003, November 20). Long-distance running. Retrieved November 1, 2019, from https://www.britannica.com/sports/long-distance-running
Hilty, B. (2016). More than the Physical: Running as a Spiritual Experience. Retrieved November 1, 2019, from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e763/900f45df1feda0170b7765f6febf21ed6f24.pdf
Macionis, J. J. (2009). Society: The basics (10th ed.). Retrieved October 23, 2019, from https://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/samplechapter/0/1/3/5/013501882X.pdf
Redmond, M. (2015). Symbolic Interactionism. Retrieved October 23, 2019, from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b685/64ba2dc9e26ade4466e4e3a192a385d2bfb4.pdf
Rossmann, M. (2011, December 30). The spiritual benefits of running. Retrieved October 15, 2019, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/spiritual-benefits-running_b_1032685?guccounter=2