Early Childhood Experiences: Bourdieu's Theory Of Dispositions
The foundation of the essay will be based on Bourdieu’s theory “habitus is a set of dispositions” and “dispositions are acquired through a gradual process of inculcation, in which early childhood experiences are particularly important”. (Bourdieu & Thompson 1991, p12). Dispositions would be best described as a perspective or frame of mind with regards to the essay’s context.
Bourdieu continues to elaborate that an individual’s habitus is the “internalisation” of their surroundings and that habitus is the relative reflection of the individual’s environment rather than the “product” of it. (Bourdieu, 1991, p14) Furthermore, he expands on the notion that an individual might not be fully consciously or aware of the influences of their surroundings …show more content…
An astonishing 95% of the students (who were current smokers during the survey) have peers who also smoke, 59% of these students have at least a parent who smokes and 44% have siblings who smoke.
From the evidence above, a vivid image presents the social impact of smoking from various influences on the youths. Exposed to the habit of smoking at a very early age, these youths later form varying stances about the smoking habit, with some eventually picking it up.
Additional evidence from a survey of pregnant women over 28 States within the United States of America by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2008) also suggest that more than half of the participants (55.6%) did not quit the smoking habit prior to their pregnancy, implying that these women did not change their habitus despite their pregnancy, due to varying degrees of intention with some not intending to quit and others who are unable to quit despite various attempt(s).
Thus, this concludes that an individual is likely to remain the habitus they are socialised into as a …show more content…
And if it is quantifiable, should it be measured and how significant the quantity should be to reflect an actual change in one’s habitus when the boundaries of habitus are ever-expanding. And even if the individual leaves the specific social environment in which he has developed a certain habitus as a child or an adult, undoubtedly the individual will have residual remnants of the habitus which they have discarded, conscious or subconscious. Therefore, the outcome would be that habitus cannot and should not be quantified and that change in habitus can only be an abstract, intangible concept in which to understand the behaviour of humans and
Bourdieu continues to elaborate that an individual’s habitus is the “internalisation” of their surroundings and that habitus is the relative reflection of the individual’s environment rather than the “product” of it. (Bourdieu, 1991, p14) Furthermore, he expands on the notion that an individual might not be fully consciously or aware of the influences of their surroundings …show more content…
An astonishing 95% of the students (who were current smokers during the survey) have peers who also smoke, 59% of these students have at least a parent who smokes and 44% have siblings who smoke.
From the evidence above, a vivid image presents the social impact of smoking from various influences on the youths. Exposed to the habit of smoking at a very early age, these youths later form varying stances about the smoking habit, with some eventually picking it up.
Additional evidence from a survey of pregnant women over 28 States within the United States of America by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2008) also suggest that more than half of the participants (55.6%) did not quit the smoking habit prior to their pregnancy, implying that these women did not change their habitus despite their pregnancy, due to varying degrees of intention with some not intending to quit and others who are unable to quit despite various attempt(s).
Thus, this concludes that an individual is likely to remain the habitus they are socialised into as a …show more content…
And if it is quantifiable, should it be measured and how significant the quantity should be to reflect an actual change in one’s habitus when the boundaries of habitus are ever-expanding. And even if the individual leaves the specific social environment in which he has developed a certain habitus as a child or an adult, undoubtedly the individual will have residual remnants of the habitus which they have discarded, conscious or subconscious. Therefore, the outcome would be that habitus cannot and should not be quantified and that change in habitus can only be an abstract, intangible concept in which to understand the behaviour of humans and