Margaret Leyva

Introductory Sociology

March 15, 17

Project 1: Video/DVD Analysis

The first 1000 days of our lives, from conception, lay down the foundation of who

we areaccording to DeeDee Yates. An expert in early childhood development, Yates

stands in front of an audience to give a speech for the infamous TedxTalk series. The

video entitled, Do the first 1000 days determine the rest of your life answers what

happens to the brain as it forms and develops. In the seventeen-minute speech, Yates

discusses the various factors that impact a childs brain development and its link to their

ultimate place later in society. She poses that a loving and stimulating environment is

vital for a childs brain development. And with a strong and healthy mind, an individual

will excel in life. Those who do not receive this stimulation early on will ultimately fall

behind and struggle in society. The three sociologists: Comte, Marx, and Durkheim

would be able to look at this video with a wide range of perspectives from structural

functionalism to conflict theory to symbolic internationalism.

Auguste Comte wanted to emulate the laws of nature and find the invariant laws

that held society together. Through this Comte aimed to clarify two principlessocial

statics and social dynamics. Static meaning the principles which society is held together.

Dynamic meaning the variables that shape society and cause it to change. He believed

through the study of society, sociologist could ultimately create a balance between
societal orders and positive change that would better societies. Watching the video

through a similar view of Comte, one would hope that the research would be a catalyst

for a society with stronger, healthier, and more intelligent individuals. The speech itself

relates to the principle of dynamics because Yates speech informs individuals of the

crucial need to give their children stimulation. Therefore becoming a variable in the

changing of society, because now that people are aware of Yates research it will shift

certain societal aspects. For instance, people taking more direct interest in their childrens

early development. Comte believed in altruism and positive progression, so therefore the

mere deliverance of DeeDee Yates speech shows the positive progression of society.

On the opposite spectrum, Karl Marx, co-founder of the conflict theory, believed

inequalities and an imbalance of classes fueled societal changes. So rather than having a

positive outlook, like Comte, Marx held a more pessimistic view on society. Therefore,

according to conflict theory, an individuals adult success correlates to class. Someone

could be raised in a loving home but if theyre in a lower class, they will continue to be

apart of the lower class. So Karl Max would contradict DeeDee Yates claim that an

individuals success stems from early childhood development, because the factors like:

class system, gender, race and ethnicity are what control an individuals opportunities.

The structural functionalist perspective, founded by Durkheim, states all parts of

societyinstitutions like schools, religion, etc.come together to form and maintain

society. Durkheim may not dispute Yates claims; however, might add that institutions

play a major role in the accessibility of giving a child the stimulation they need. For

instance, if a mother and father both need to go to work, the child must be left with a

caretaker. If a caretaker is provided by the state, then the state is contributing to the
overall betterment of the childs future. Although if an institution is not able to help the

parents, the childs development process will be stunted. A stunted growth, according to

Yates, will lead to a lack of success and opportunities. Therefore supporting Durkheims

theory of structural functionalism in that institutions are systems above the individual,

creating society.

The paradigm that most relates to DeeDee Yates speech is symbolic

interactionism founded by George Herbert Mead and Charles Horton Cooley. Yates

heavily emphasis the importance of one-on-one interactions with children; through these

intimate interactions the human brain thrives gaining the stimulation needed. This plays

into the essential and basic prose of Mead and Cooleys theory that one-on-one

interactions shape society. Yates stresses that in order for a strong society to form, strong

individuals need to arise, and these individuals will come from interactive homes with

loving and caring parents. Therefore, symbolic interactionism connects to the video the

most out of all the other paradigms.