Module 2 Case Assignment: Socialization

Culture is defined as the ways and means by which human beings deal with universal

human situations and problems, beliefs, and behaviors in a given social group. All groups of

people have an integrated belief system that drives the way that they interact and view basic

elements of life. In today’s ever changing society any given person’s culture can change with

the different organizations he is affiliated with.

Structure-Functionalism

Every organization has aspects that make it unique and either directly or indirectly drives

norms that link the members together. In the Air Force every Airmen has an individual job that

relies on the jobs of everybody else to enable the organization to function properly. No one

Airmen can do his job without the others. “Many functionalists argue that social institutions are

functionally integrated to form a stable system and that a change in one institution will

precipitate a change in other institutions. Societies are seen as coherent, bounded and

fundamentally relational constructs that function like organisms, with their various parts (social

institutions) working together to maintain and reproduce them. The various parts of society are

assumed to work in an unconscious, quasi-automatic fashion towards the maintenance of the

overall social equilibrium.”

(http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Introduction_to_Sociology/Sociological_Theory)

Conflict

In an organization such as the Air Force there is inter-organizational conflict. As Airmen

come from all walks of life some conflicts come from ignorance. This kind of conflict is

especially harmful because of the sheer irony due to all conflicting parties are fighting for the

freedom that gives them the right of religion, yet some Airmen discriminate against others for
this very reason. This is why the Air Force has a zero tolerance policy which ensures the

suppression of this conflict. There are also the conflicts of authority and personality differences

that are also found in normal society.

Interaction

Interaction is one of the most important qualities that the human race has. It can range

from a simple smile from a lover to a look of admiration from a child. As we get older we

appreciate these interactions more because of the realization that some of these interactions may

be the last of their kind. In the Air Force interactions may range from an official order to a peer

saving your life, although some civilians may not realize that Air Force interactions do not stop

in the work place. They continue through the lifelong friendships that are built brick by brick as

we protect our nation together.

Culture

Culture is the invisible bond that links a group together. Growing up we pick up

attributed from our parents making their values our own, but as we get older we develop our own

point of view. We make our own judgments after being influences by the organizations we are

affiliated with. As an Airman in the USAF we horizons are broadened because we are exposed

to all races, religions, cultures, and sub-cultures. This exposure allows us to create our own

culture within the organization. We are rewired with different beliefs, outlooks, and motivation

to accomplish a common goal. This internal culture within our organization serves the same

function as the culture that all of the individuals came from. Furthermore, this culture is

perpetuated as Airmen get married and have children that only know the Air Force culture.
 Society is bonded together by the structural functionalism, conflict, interactions, and

culture that is created through losses and triumphs. Whether it is in the city that you grew up in

or it is the organization that has given you a purpose the culture plays the same roles in our lives.