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Introduction to Sociology

Spring 2024

Worksheet #3: “Understanding the Sociology of Modernization”

Background:

In his article, “Suicides Have Increased. Is This an Existential Crisis?,” Clay Routledge (2018) writes: “As a behavioral scientist who studies basic psychological needs, including the need for meaning, I am convinced that our nation’s suicide crisis is in part a crisis of meaninglessness. Fully addressing it will require an understanding of how recent changes in American society — changes in the direction of greater detachment and a weaker sense of belonging — are increasing the risk of existential despair…All of which brings us to the changing social landscape of America. To bemoan the decline of neighborliness, the shrinking of the family and the diminishing role of religion may sound like the complaining of a crotchety old man. Yet from the standpoint of psychological science, these changes, regardless of what you otherwise think about them, pose serious threats to a life of meaning.”

In her essay, “Why Does Everyone Feel So Insecure All the Time?,” Astra Taylor (2023) writes: “As the British political theorist Mark Neocleous has noted, the modern word ‘insecurity’ entered the English lexicon in the 17th century, just as our market-driven society was coming into being. Capitalism thrives on bad feelings. Discontented people buy more stuff — an insight the old American trade magazine Printers’ Ink stated bluntly in 1930: ‘Satisfied customers are not as profitable as discontented ones.’ It’s hard to imagine any advertising or marketing department telling us that we’re actually OK, and that it is the world, not us, that needs changing. All the while, manufactured insecurity encourages us to amass money and objects as surrogates for the kinds of security that cannot actually be commodified — connection, meaning, purpose, contentment, safety, self-esteem, dignity and respect — but which can only truly be found in community with others.”

Questions to Consider:

“Lost in Democracy”

1. With reference to specific examples from the video, in what ways has Bhutan become more modern? That is, in what specific ways have the values and conditions of modern society (e.g., capitalism, secularism, consumerism, etc.) undermined and weakened the social-cultural cohesion of the Bhutan of twenty-five years ago, before these changes got underway? And as a result, why might members of Bhutanese society now be at greater risk for experiencing alienation and anomie?

“Why People In ‘Blue Zones’ Live Longer Than Average”

1. In the interview, author Dan Buettner says: “Nobody was connecting loneliness to longevity. And I was pointing out the importance of strong social connections and social circles. [But] the big lesson is don't try to change your behavior you'll fail for almost all the people almost all the time in the long run. You change people's environments. Making cities walkable, promote policies that favor healthy food over junk food and so forth. Setting people up for success, as opposed to the failure our environment portends right now.” As such, how does modern capitalist society create a set of external social conditions and cultural priorities—or an environment—fundamentally at odds with the social conditions and cultural priorities conducive to greater human happiness and longevity? Consider, for example, how modern capitalism incentivizes processed food over plant-based foods, or greater detachment or over social connection, or “manufactured insecurity” over collective forms of care and community, etc.   

2. At the same time, to improve American’s overall level of social well-being and longevity, why would it be necessary to fundamentally alter the social environment, rather than simply focus on changes in individual lifestyles? Toward that end, based on what we know about “Blue Zones,” what are some specific social and/or cultural changes that are resistant to commodification, but that can nevertheless provide healthier diets, and a greater sense of connection, meaning, and purpose?