sociology self reflection essay

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What I Learned in Sociology Class: a Reflection

Table of contents, the sociological imagination, social inequalities and structures, culture and identity, global perspective, research and critical thinking.

• Mills, C. W. (1959). The Sociological Imagination. Oxford University Press.
• Giddens, A., Duneier, M., Appelbaum, R. P., & Carr, D. (2021). Introduction to Sociology. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Andersen, M. L., & Taylor, H. F. (2019). Sociology: The Essentials. Cengage Learning.
• Kimmel, M. S., & Aronson, A. (2019). Sociology Now. Pearson.
• Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking like a Sociologist. W. W. Norton & Company.

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• Data Analysis
• Microsoft Corporation
• Open Source Software
• Information Technology
• Computer Programming
• Net Neutrality

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How to Write a Sociological Essay: Explained with Examples

This article will discuss “How to Write a Sociological Essay” with insider pro tips and give you a map that is tried and tested. An essay writing is done in three phases: a) preparing for the essay, b) writing the essay, and c) editing the essay. We will take it step-by-step so that nothing is left behind because the devil, as well as good grades and presentation, lies in the details.

Writing is a skill that we learn throughout the courses of our lives. Learning how to write is a process that we begin as soon as we turn 4, and the learning process never stops. But the question is, “is all writing the same?”. The answer is NO. Do you remember your initial lessons of English when you were in school, and how the teacher taught various formats of writing such as formal, informal, essay, letter, and much more? Therefore, writing is never that simple. Different occasions demand different styles and commands over the writing style. Thus, the art of writing improves with time and experience. 

Those who belong to the world of academia know that writing is something that they cannot escape. No writing is the same when it comes to different disciplines of academia. Similarly, the discipline of sociology demands a particular style of formal academic writing. If you’re a new student of sociology, it can be an overwhelming subject, and writing assignments don’t make the course easier. Having some tips handy can surely help you write and articulate your thoughts better. 

[Let us take a running example throughout the article so that every point becomes crystal clear. Let us assume that the topic we have with us is to “Explore Culinary Discourse among the Indian Diasporic Communities” .]

Phase I: Preparing for the Essay  

Step 1: make an outline.

So you have to write a sociological essay, which means that you already either received or have a topic in mind. The first thing for you to do is PLAN how you will attempt to write this essay. To plan, the best way is to make an outline. The topic you have, certainly string some thread in your mind. They can be instances you heard or read, some assumptions you hold, something you studied in the past, or based on your own experience, etc. Make a rough outline where you note down all the themes you would like to talk about in your essay. The easiest way to make an outline is to make bullet points. List all the thoughts and examples that you have in find and create a flow for your essay. Remember that this is only a rough outline so you can always make changes and reshuffle your points. 

[Explanation through example, assumed topic: “Explore Culinary Discourse among the Indian Diasporic Communities” . Your outline will look something like this:

• Importance of food
• Definition of Diaspora 
• Relationship between food and culture
• Relationship between food and nation
• Relationship between food and media 
• Relationship between food and nostalgia 
• How food travels with people 
• Is food practices different for different sections of society, such as caste, class, gender ]

Step 2: Start Reading 

Once you have prepared an outline for your essay, the next step is to start your RESEARCH . You cannot write a sociological essay out of thin air. The essay needs to be thoroughly researched and based on facts. Sociology is the subject of social science that is based on facts and evidence. Therefore, start reading as soon as you have your outline determined. The more you read, the more factual data you will collect. But the question which now emerges is “what to read” . You cannot do a basic Google search to write an academic essay. Your research has to be narrow and concept-based. For writing a sociological essay, make sure that the sources from where you read are academically acclaimed and accepted.  

Some of the websites that you can use for academic research are: 

• Google Scholar
• Shodhganga 

[Explanation through example, assumed topic: “Explore Culinary Discourse among the Indian Diasporic Communities” . 

For best search, search for your articles by typing “Food+Diaspora”, “Food+Nostalgia”, adding a plus sign (+) improves the search result.]

Step 3: Make Notes 

This is a step that a lot of people miss when they are preparing to write their essays. It is important to read, but how you read is also a very vital part. When you are reading from multiple sources then all that you read becomes a big jumble of information in your mind. It is not possible to remember who said what at all times. Therefore, what you need to do while reading is to maintain an ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY . Whenever you’re reading for writing an academic essay then have a notebook handy, or if you prefer electronic notes then prepare a Word Document, Google Docs, Notes, or any tool of your choice to make notes. 

As you begin reading, note down the title of the article, its author, and the year of publication. As you read, keep writing down all the significant points that you find. You can either copy whole sentences or make shorthand notes, whatever suits you best. Once you’ve read the article and made your notes, write a summary of what you just read in 8 to 10 lines. Also, write keywords, these are the words that are most used in the article and reflect its essence. Having keywords and a summary makes it easier for you to revisit the article. A sociological essay needs a good amount of research, which means that you have to read plenty, thus maintaining an annotated bibliography helps you in the greater picture.  

Annotate and divide your notes based on the outline you made. Having organized notes will help you directly apply the concepts where they are needed rather than you going and searching for them again.] 

Phase II: Write a Sociological Essay

A basic essay includes a title, an introduction, the main body, and a conclusion. A sociological essay is not that different as far as the body of contents goes, but it does include some additional categories. When you write a sociological essay, it should have the following contents and chronology: 

• Subtitle (optional)
• Introduction

Conclusion 

• References/ Bibliography 

Now let us get into the details which go into the writing of a sociological essay.  

Step 4: Writing a Title, Subtitle, Abstract, and Keywords 

The title of any document is the first thing that a reader comes across. Therefore, the title should be provocative, specific, and the most well-thought part of any essay. Your title should reflect what your essay will discuss further. There has to be a sync between the title and the rest of your content. The title should be the biggest font size you use in your essay. 

Pro Tip by Sociology Group: A title preferably should not exceed 5 to 7 words.  

This is an optional component of any essay. If you think that your title cannot justify the rest of the contents of your essay, then you opt for a subtitle. The subtitle is the secondary part of the title which is used to further elucidate the title. A subtitle should be smaller in font than the Title but bigger than the rest of the essay body.  

Pro Tip by Sociology Group: Make the font color of your subtitle Gray instead of Black for it to stand out. 

The abstract is a 6 to 10 line description of what you will talk about in your essay. An abstract is a very substantial component of a sociological essay. Most of the essays written in academia exceed the word limit of 2000 words. Therefore, a writer, i.e., you, provides the reader with a short abstract at the beginning of your essay so that they can know what you are going to discuss. From the point of view of the reader, a good abstract can save time and help determine if the piece is worth reading or not. Thus, make sure to make your abstract as reflective to your essay as possible using the least amount of words.  

Pro Tip by Sociology Group: If you are not sure about your abstract at first, it is always great to write the abstract in the end after you are done with your essay. 

Your abstract should highlight all the points that you will further discuss. Therefore your abstract should mention how diasporic communities are formed and how they are not homogeneous communities. There are differences within this large population. In your essay, you will talk in detail about all the various aspects that affect food and diasporic relationships. ]

Keywords are an extension of your abstract. Whereas in your abstract you will use a paragraph to tell the reader what to expect ahead, by stating keywords, you point out the essence of your essay by using only individual words. These words are mostly concepts of social sciences. At first, glance, looking at your keywords, the reader should get informed about all the concepts and themes you will explain in detail later. 

Pro Tip by Sociology Group: Bold your Keywords so that they get highlighted.

Your keywords could be: Food, Diaspora, Migration, and so on. Build on these as you continue to write your essay.]   

Step 5: Writing the Introduction, Main Body, and Conclusion 

Introduction 

Your introduction should talk about the subject on which you are writing at the broadest level. In an introduction, you make your readers aware of what you are going to argue later in the essay. An introduction can discuss a little about the history of the topic, how it was understood till now, and a framework of what you are going to talk about ahead. You can think of your introduction as an extended form of the abstract. Since it is the first portion of your essay, it should paint a picture where the readers know exactly what’s ahead of them. 

Pro Tip by Sociology Group: An apt introduction can be covered in 2 to 3 paragraphs (Look at the introduction on this article if you need proof). 

Since your focus is on “food” and “diaspora”, your introductory paragraph can dwell into a little history of the relationship between the two and the importance of food in community building.] 

This is the most extensive part of any essay. It is also the one that takes up the most number of words. All the research and note-making which you did was for this part. The main body of your essay is where you put all the knowledge you gathered into words. When you are writing the body, your aim should be to make it flow, which means that all paragraphs should have a connection between them. When read in its entirety, the paragraphs should sing together rather than float all around. 

The main body is mostly around 4 to 6 paragraphs long. A sociological essay is filled with debates, theories, theorists, and examples. When writing the main body it is best to target making one or two paragraphs about the same revolving theme. When you shift to the other theme, it is best to connect it with the theme you discussed in the paragraph right above it to form a connection between the two. If you are dividing your essay into various sub-themes then the best way to correlate them is starting each new subtheme by reflecting on the last main arguments presented in the theme before it. To make a sociological essay even more enriching, include examples that exemplify the theoretical concepts better. 

Pro Tip by Sociology Group: Though there is no word limit to the length of the paragraphs, if you keep one paragraph between 100 to 200 words, it makes the essay look more organized. 

The main body can here be divided into the categories which you formed during the first step of making the rough outline. Therefore, your essay could have 3 to 4 sub-sections discussing different themes such as: Food and Media, Caste and Class influence food practices, Politics of Food, Gendered Lens, etc.] 

This is the section where you end your essay. But ending the essay does not mean that you lose your flair in conclusion. A conclusion is an essential part of any essay because it sums up everything you just wrote. Your conclusion should be similar to a summary of your essay. You can include shortened versions of the various arguments you have referred to above in the main body, or it can raise questions for further research, and it can also provide solutions if your topic seeks one. Hence, a conclusion is a part where you get the last chance to tell your reader what you are saying through your article. 

Pro Tip by Sociology Group: As the introduction, the conclusion is smaller compared to the main body. Keep your conclusion within the range of 1 to 2 paragraphs. 

Your conclusion should again reiterate all the main arguments provided by you throughout the essay. Therefore it should bind together everything you have written starting from your introduction to all the debates and examples you have cited.]

Step 6: Citation and Referencing 

This is the most academic part of your sociological essay. Any academic essay should be free of plagiarism. But how can one avoid plagiarism when their essay is based on research which was originally done by others. The solution for this is to give credit to the original author for their work. In the world of academia, this is done through the processes of Citation and Referencing (sometimes also called Bibliography). Citation is done within/in-between the text, where you directly or indirectly quote the original text. Whereas, Referencing or Bibliography is done at the end of an essay where you give resources of the books or articles which you have quoted in your essay at various points. Both these processes are done so that the reader can search beyond your essay to get a better grasp of the topic. 

There are many different styles of citations and you can determine which you want to follow. Some of the most common styles of citation and referencing are MLA, APA, and Chicago style. If you are working on Google Docs or Word then the application makes your work easier because they help you curate your citations. There are also various online tools that can make citing references far easier, faster, and adhering to citation guidelines, such as an APA generator. This can save you a lot of time when it comes to referencing, and makes the task far more manageable. 

How to add citations in Google Doc: Tools → Citation

How to add citations in Word Document: References → Insert Citations 

But for those who want to cite manually, this is the basic format to follow:

• Author’s Name with Surname mentioned first, then initials 
• Article’s Title in single or double quotes
• Journal Title in Italics 
• Volume, issue number 
• Year of Publication

Example: Syrkin, A. 1984. “Notes on the Buddha’s Threats in the Dīgha Nikāya ”, Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies , vol. 7(1), pp.147-58.

Pro Tip by Sociology Group: Always make sure that your Bibliography/References are alphabetically ordered based on the first alphabet of the surname of the author and NOT numbered or bulleted. 

Phase III: Editing 

Step 7: edit/review your essay.

The truth of academic writing is that it can never be written in one go. You need to write, rewrite, and revisit your material more than once. Once you have written the first draft of your essay, do not revise it immediately. Leave it for some time, at least for four hours. Then revisit your essay and edit it based on 3 criteria. The first criteria you need to recheck for is any grammatical and/or spelling mistakes. The second criteria are to check the arguments you have posed and if the examples you have cited correlate or not. The final criteria are to read the essay as a reader and read it objectively. 

Pro Tip by Sociology Group: The more you edit the better results you get. But we think that your 3rd draft is the magic draft. Draft 1: rough essay, Draft 2: edited essay, Draft 3: final essay.

Hello! Eiti is a budding sociologist whose passion lies in reading, researching, and writing. She thrives on coffee, to-do lists, deadlines, and organization. Eiti's primary interest areas encompass food, gender, and academia.

Sociology. Identity and Self-Reflection

Identity in the social sense can be described as the human craving to have a sense of belonging within one’s self, a sense of belonging to the people and the community around us, to the things happening around us, and to influence these things.

Self-reflection on the other hand is a process where an individual or individuals stop and reflect on what they have done or been through in their lives to look for a solution to the many questions one may have about the self. There are many ways to look at it; one way is from the satisfaction we gain, the creation of a culture which is mainly thought to be associated with some diverse thoughts that together form a society of distinct opinions. Just like the readings by Chan, Staples, and Heyward who all identify themselves as very unique people with different cultural backgrounds and insightful perspectives. However, they do fit themselves in some kind of boxes created by society. This is where the idea of the melting pot comes in. this idea shows that everyone is losing his/her identity gradually when society generates several boxes or categories. But in the face of this, do we have individual characters; are we able to take time off communal matters to attend to ourselves, to meet the needs of the innate being? This paper seeks to answer that question and to find out whether these people exist in these societies. It will also seek to find out if their perceptions of their beings affect their activities?

Proper self-reflection leads to self-efficacy. This is people’s internal belief about their abilities to produce quality levels of output that influence events that can change their lives. It opens up human beings to their inner beings, leading them to understand much about their fundamental nature and purpose in life. The principles surrounding self-efficacy are highly associated with beliefs and thoughts, people’s feelings, how they motivate themselves and their behaviors. The result is a person with a strong sense of well being, one that understands people and their capabilities. These people approach difficult situations as challenges to be overcome instead of fear that are to be scared off. They also set very high goals for themselves in life and commit their lives towards achieving the goals. Like in Chan’s essay about how she has been ill-treated by people who think disabilities would make hopeless both physically and mentally. According to Chan, people are always limited by their definitions of self. One could reverse the marker that has been put on them based upon their physical condition. Acting in the way one believed, is more likely to have a higher chance letting others perceiving the innate beauty of one (Chan, 68).

Chan also expounds on the issue of self by examining the nature of the personality of human beings. In defining the ‘self’ Chan explores the following aspects; “race, gender, economic class social status, religion, nationality, and sexuality. She states that these are some of the most significant ways by which we identify ourselves in the twenty-first century (Chan, 62). Chan takes our attention to not only these but also to the physical abilities and disabilities in individuals. Chan also includes the societal aspect by examining the stereotyping power. By this, she brings forth the questions that follow; “how do the views of others define us as individuals? How we allow those definitions to limit the boundaries of our ambitions and to circumscribe our relationships with fellow human-beings? And finally, how can we transgress and transcend these limits?” (Chan, 62)

This point of view in life encourages such deep interest making them fully engrossed in their daily activities. They are not discouraged when they are facing failure, instead they relate to it as a chance to stop and rediscover more to see what went wrong and where the mishaps occurred. They personally attribute failure to lack of preparedness and shortage of the required skills which are all achievable by harder practices. They also have this inner belief that they can exercise control over unfortunate circumstances.

Self efficacy in itself is, however, a process and is motivated by several factors, both individual and collective. The goals to be achieved by an individual are influenced by the internal belief in ones capabilities. The stronger the awareness, the higher the challenge one sets up. For these people the challenges become their goals in life. As if Chan was trying to prove herself to her family, doctors, colleagues, etc. She was basically doing everything she could to change her life, and more importantly, change the way others perceived her basing upon her unfortunate physical condition.

Motivational processes entail the inner ability of individuals to direct their behaviors and spur their spirits to persist in their endeavors until they attain the set goals. Self influence plays a greater part in this action. Self satisfaction is attained through accomplishment of the set goals. Like in Chan’s case her unfortunate state acted as a motivation in the achieving of greater goals. Unfairness reminds a person to intensify his/her output and quality. Beliefs of self efficacy also determine the degree of ambition in people, how much of their efforts would be required, their degree of persistence when challenge incurs, and their abilities to adjust themselves when they are facing failure or to adapt certain quick changes. When facing extreme hardships, people who have doubts about their abilities give up quickly. However, people who have strong belief in mind are capable of turning their ambitions to overcome challenges. This determination leads to one accomplishing the goal and tasks set upon them. Referring this back to the Staples’s essay, being over supervised and avoided on purpose in the public is something he feels very insulting.

The self and self reflection is also considered by the magnitude of our identity in self definition and to some extend the magnitude of this that is socially build. As shown by Staples (67), we should try to define the self through other people’s eyes and on the contrary which magnitude we anticipate them to be conventional to our anticipations of them. Staples, notably shows how people view the self of others by merely viewing their outer personality. He shows that the society can decide to label you with a tag which is not yourself. This he explains is brought about by the way we carry ourselves.

Affective process, engages peoples’ strong mindset and their abilities facing extreme pressure and anxiety. People who believe they can handle stress do not get easily distracted by disturbing thoughts, but only those with weaker mindsets. Their thoughts mostly based on their shortages, and how they improve it. Mainly, they find out why they are suffering from the hardship, and what is necessary to overcome the toughness. The stronger the feeling of self efficacy, the more effective people become in dealing with their goals and ambitions in life. As Heyward points out in her essay, the boxes created by ourselves within the society have definitely slowed down the pace of our growth on the way to human civilization. Apparently she knows what she wants and what she needs to leading her through this frustration. We are participating in a society that has been divided into different boxes based upon religions, sexuality, and numerous other labels. “We live with contradictions and partial truths” (Heyward, 144). By coming out of the boxes, our civilization is achievable, and justice is also indeed.

Beliefs of personal efficacy influence the type of activities people engage in. They shape the path of one’s life through their influence on which activities one may choose to participate in (Bandura, 53). This narrows it down to the selection process, the choice of what to do or what not to do. It is influenced by factors such as the environment and the people around us. Most importantly, it is the level of self belief one may have. People with higher self belief tend to do many things and have this perception that they can do anything they set out to do. They have this sense of liberty in their inner being and tend to handle challenging situations with relative confidence. As Heyward mentions, the box is collapsing nowadays, women and men are coming out of the box. Coming out means becoming the true self one really is, pursuing love, sexuality and justice without considering too much about how others think.

While talking about self reflection we cannot escape the topic of sexuality. In an article by Heyward, there is the placing of a lot of significance on sexual identity in a particular theme called coming out. Heyward argues that in the creation of individuality or self for that matter, sexuality has a spiritual importance. Heyward states that, this aspect could be, “the source all of higher passions, including our desire for peace, justice, and freedom. Here she reconciles her apprehension over the correlation between sexual labels and religious ideologies, between her sense of self and her calling as a religious leader” (Heyward, 78).

In spite of this, societies are not shaped by individuals; they are shaped by the masses. The traditions and rules that govern a specific place are efforts to restrain some characters and uphold others. As a result we have uniform characters, characters that do not have forms, a people that don’t know what they really are and don’t know their individual strengths. They are more like slaves of the established rule. In some societies, thinking outside the box is discouraged; in some cases it involved facing punishment, even death. Nevertheless, according to Rampton and Stauber, how much trust should people put into the authority nowadays? In the society filled with manipulation and propagandas, seeking the truly inner thought is crucial. Yet, still hearing others out, especially the ones with opposing opinions who would in fact makes one think deeper on one’s own idea, discovering the beauty of liberty of thought and discussion. Not speaking out one’s idea is no better than having the truth buried (Mill, 47).

Everyone can be greater than their thoughts. When people stand for what they believe in, when they fight to protect their ideas, and when nothing could stop them from being who they are, revolution happens (Hayes, 76). Even if they fail, the idea will still be developed or inspire by someone else to counting our way to achieving a good society overall.

Works cited

Bandura, James. Self efficacy. London: Stanford University press, 2005. Print.

Chan, Sucheng. You are short besides . Boston: Bacon press, 1989. Print.

Hayes, Daniel. The rapture of maturity: New York, NY: Oxford University press, 2000. Print.

Heyward, Carter. Our passion for justice. New York, NY: The pilgrim P, 1984. Print.

Mill, Stuart. Of thought and decision. Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth, 2008, Print.

Staples, Brent. Men and public places . Hapers, 1986. Print.

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Self-Reflection on Cultural Diversity and Systemic Oppression Essay

Systematic racism is one of the common concepts in many areas of life, embedded in the laws of different societies. It can be seen in such spheres as justice, housing, medicine, education, and environmental concerns (Evans et al., 2020). It might be complicated to detect this type of racism as it is not direct, and some people might not understand that the difference in skin color abuses them. However, the problem significantly protects human rights (Evans et al., 2020). The level of oppression increases in this case, and the role of social changes is becoming more crucial in discriminated communities.

My practice included close cooperation with people and communication with diverse individuals with specific backgrounds. The scheme lasted for 32 weeks, and I managed to understand the behaviors of most participants. By making an attendance report, I had to give more information about the people’s attitude to the probations. This practice has helped me understand specific diversity, inclusion, and social justice approaches. People of different races were invited to the program, and the field raised no racism. Moreover, it was unique as people could share their thoughts in relation to the problem of racism and provide possible solutions to the problem. NASW’s value of social justice helped me understand the importance of environmental factors in racism by showing that people care about the same climate problems (Schell et al., 2020). They are ready to unite to make significant changes together without discrimination.

The internship in the social organization has helped me understand how the problem of systemic racism can be addressed and what further studies should be done to improve this situation. However, the field needed to address social justice issues as more interpersonal aspects were discussed and analyzed. Consequently, populations need to work on a different aspect of social communication to cope with the problem of racism.

Evans, M. K., Rosenbaum, L., & Malina, D. (2020). Diagnosing and treating systemic racism . The New England Journal of Medicine, 383 , 274-276. Web.

Schell, C. J., Dyson, K., & Lambert, M. R. (2020). The ecological and evolutionary consequences of systemic racism in urban environments . Science, 369 (6510). Web.

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Self Reflection Essay Examples

Example of a self reflection essay, strengths, values and perseverance shape your personality.

Over the years, through the highs and lows life has got me through, I have been fortunate enough to understand my personality as an individual. Now, I am more aware of my strengths that I can thrive on and my weaknesses that need to be

 worked on. I have a better understanding of how I can learn, unlearn and relearn things. All these factors add up to my overall personality.

As simple as it may sound, a self reflection essay is not as easy as it may seem. When you fully immerse yourself in the thought process, it may seem challenging. Think of self assessment essay as an experiential journey where you impart the experience you have gained and the ideas that you have come up with, over the years. A self reflection essay is a personal piece of writing that narrates your experiences. Let’s have a look at the key elements that make up a English self reflection essay for students.

Strengths, Motivators, Values and Personality

It is key to understand your strengths and make ways to thrive on them. Once you highlight your strong attributes, you get to values, the stable goals that are set in life and the most important factors to an individual.

To me, self-respect is of utmost importance. I am proud of who I am today, irrespective of the poor decisions that I have made in life. I don’t have any regrets, as each of those decisions gave me a life lesson.

Today, as an individual, I exhibit confidence, I am flexible with an open mind, I respect my seniors and am respectful towards my peers and those who are younger than me. I have an optimistic attitude and believe life is too short to be a pessimist.

Besides the positive attitude that i have towards life i wouldn’t say that i have it all figured out, it’s a complex phenomenon. Primarily which is why I have this curiosity that makes me question the surroundings, the good and the bad that happens.

As an individual, I am always punctual. I like to go out but am not very social. I feel socializing makes me anxious, especially when it’s a total stranger on the other end. But whenever I do interact with people, I make sure that I am honest about who I am and try to give the other individual the space he/she needs to feel comfortable communicating.

Talking about positive experiences in life, I have had a chance to get quite a few of them when I graduated from college, when I got my first promotion at work and when I bought myself a home. Such cherishable memories.

My college experience was life altering, I understood my potential and my tolerance threshold that added to my confidence level. I also learned how to handle different social situations and to have an open mind that accepts imperfections in people, everyone has their own special strengths. These are some of the factors that further helped me thrive at my workplace and lead me to getting my first house ever.

As a normal person, I have had my share of challenging moments as well. Recession hit us hard, but it was the hardest when I was laid off and lost a loved one. It was the darkest time of my life where I felt a gush of emotions, sad, angry, lonely and in denial. I was upset at everyone, even God and blamed myself for every single thing that had happened in this time.

I was devastated, but time heals everything. I was lucky enough to get  myself out of this darkness and rediscover myself. However, the experiences shaped me into the person I am today. It was only because of the positive attitude and self belief that I was able to find learning lessons in such difficult times and came out as a better improved version of myself.

My family is very supportive and the driving factor behind my motivation. My parents and siblings encourage me to live life to the fullest and that everyday counts. With my positive attitude, I want to bring positive changes in the society that have a lasting effect. Everyday is an opportunity for me to learn something new and grow simultaneously.

Perseverance is Key to a Content Life

It is my belief that if I keep up the optimistic approach, I will be able to impact society in a positive manner. Also, I want to clarify when I talk about changing the society, it’s not the society as a whole, but in fact impacting few individuals who will be inspired to lead a better life.

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out – Robert Collier

I believe that success is a journey and not a destination. Success is that realization in the morning that someone somewhere is leading a better life because I was able to make a difference. This satisfying feeling that I get by helping others experience a change is what leads me to my leadership journey.

In my role as a leader, I am able to bring about that change in people that makes people’s lives healthier, more secure and satisfied.

Key Elements that Shape up a Good Leader

Emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is a key trait in a leader. It helps manage strong emotions such as fear, anger and sadness. These emotions are usually triggered by the loss of a loved one, or a series of difficult events in life. When an individual is emotionally intelligent, he/she is better equipped to manage themselves and the ones around them because they are self-aware. Emotional intelligence fosters empathy, the ability to put oneself in other people’s shoes and understand things from their view point.

Values and Personality

The values of an individual and the kind of personality they have decides if they can be shaped into leaders. If someone aspires to be a leader, that individual ought to have certain traits that are in sync with the organizational structure and the job description. The attributes I bring to my leadership style include self-respect, flexibility, open-mindedness, family values and the ability to move past things make me suitable for the role of a leader.

Conclusion – The Journey Ahead

The bottom line is that the surroundings and experiences of an individual shapes up the personality of an individual. There are different factors that support this phenomenon that include strength, motivational factors and values. If a person is flexible enough, he/she can adapt to the changing environment and thrive in life. In order to do that, one needs to have empathy, a yearning to learn and good social skills. Life has taught me a lot of things so far with different experiences in life, and I look forward to the journey ahead after writing my self-assessment essay

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Critical Self Reflection Essay Example

My journey towards personal growth, introduction.

Writing a Self reflection is a crucial factor of personal development because it helps the individual to highlight their strengths to thrive on and identify weaknesses to mark areas for improvement. One of the key advantages of critical self reflection is that you get

 a very clear understanding of yourself. Very often we hold on to preconceived things about ourselves without ensuring their credibility. When we undergo a critical self evaluation, we get to challenge these assumptions and get a clear perspective on things.

This critical self reflection essay sample will shed light on my journey that led to personal growth. By writing this essay I aim to analyze my experiences and the choices that I made so I can better understand what factors added to the learning process and what steps I took to refine myself and get to the place where I am today.

The Journey Towards Personal Growth

Highlighting areas of improvement.

When I started my self-reflection journey, the first thing that popped up was that I tend to procrastinate. Whether it was about a simple task of completing the assignment or something bigger like achieving personal goals, I had a habit of leaving things to the last day. I realized, whenever I took this approach I not only compromised my ability to perform but also was not able to perform to the best of my potential. I had so much that I could do to add value.

Seeking Personal Growth

Once I highlighted my weakness, I realized this needed to change. I started looking for ways and strategies actively that would help me overcome this tendency to procrastinate. I attended some time-management workshops, read articles and books on how to increase productivity and sought guidance from individuals who overcame this problem successfully. Luckily, all my efforts put to use lead me to develop organizational skills, align task with respect to priority and eventually a more productive me. I am proud of myself.

Taking New Challenges Head On

Further, to support my personal growth, I understood that I am not flexible enough to step out of my comfort zone, that had to change. I purposely sought after challenging tasks academically, personally and professionally. At first the fear of the unknown was overwhelming for me but then I quickly learned to adapt to different situations and was able to solve problems effectively. This practice helped me build resilience.

Developing Self Awareness

Once I developed the sense of self awareness, it altered my life and acted as a key factor towards my personal growth journey. During the critical reflective analysis of my thoughts I was very conscious of my thinking process, the emotions I was feeling and my actions.

It is during this reflective process I noticed that I also have negative emotions such as fear of failure or self doubt. All of which are natural but not normal if I let them persist. When I realized this, I started taking proactive measures to take them head on by addressing them. Since I was now aware of my strengths and weaknesses, I was more regulated and could make decisions in an effective manner that would in turn add value to my personal growth.

Accepting Constructive Criticism Gracefully

The ability to receive feedback and embrace criticism in a positive manner is important for the growth of an individual. At first, I was offended easily and found embracing criticism very challenging, but now that I have learned the importance of criticism and how it helps me improve my personality and refine my skills, I have learned to accept it gracefully and wholeheartedly. Now I pay full attention to the feedback, listen carefully, perform an objective analysis and then implement the changes that are necessary to improve my performance as an individual.

Enhance the Ability to Empathize

During this journey of critical self reflection I learned that it has enhanced my ability to empathize with others. As I engaged myself into questioning my own bias, I paid more attention to how other people feel and think, their perspective mattered to me.

This led me to gain deeper insight into the complex thought process and behavioral patterns of humans and how several factors add to shaping it. This new sense of being empathetic helped me build stronger relationships and communicate as well as collaborate with others. It enabled me to step out of my comfort zone and have a wider view of people’s thought process with diverse perspectives.

Self-Care is of Utmost Importance

Throughout, this critical reflective analysis has been a great learning point for me and made me realize that selfcare is of utmost importance. I need to pay heed to my physical and mental well being only then can I strive for positive personal growth.

To inculcate self-care into my routine, I started practicing mindful techniques, added physical exercise to my routine and made sure I took proper rest so that my body gets to relax.

The effects of adding these to my routine were amazing, not only did my body and mind feel relaxed but also boosted my productivity level and the overall outlook on life.

The Final Say – Conclusion

Lastly, it is important to note that personal growth is not a one time thing. Individuals need to adapt themselves according to their changing environments. By conducting a critical self reflection analysis I have realized that I have set on a transformative journey that will add to my personal growth by making me more productive.

Through this amazing  journey I was able to highlight my strengths, mark my areas of improvement, sought personal growth, challenged myself, became more self aware and accepted constructive criticism which led me to become a better version of myself. I believe success is not a destination but a continuous journey. I look forward to this fruitful and life altering journey where I get a chance to grow in all aspects of life.

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Self Reflection Essay On Group Work Example

Self reflection on a group work can be explained as the voluntary collaboration of members who benefit from cooperative learning that enhances the overall output of the activity in comparison to if it was done individually. As beneficial as it is, working in groups can be quite challenging as well. Each member may have a different perspective and may not agree on the same thing.

Group work is fundamental for professional and academic life. Building connections via collaboration, it promotes different viewpoints and provides opportunities that lead to individual and collective growth. I had the opportunity to take part in a group project for my Sociology course recently where I had a challenging yet enlightening experience.

In this English self reflection essay on group work I will do an analysis of the role i played within the group, how did the dynamics change and what lessons did i get to learn on this valuable journey.

Overview of the Project and Group Composition

We formed a group of four members, each of the members coming from a different background, each exhibiting a different skill set and each of them having a different perspective on things. The project required a research study to be performed on a local social issue and then presenting the project findings to the class.

This project was challenging because it required creativity, critical thinking, effective collaboration and coordination. Moreover, we were able to apply the classroom knowledge in theory to practical use in a hands-on situation.

My Role and Value Additions

It was decided during the early stage of the project that I would be the group leader. This role came with a lot of responsibility where I had to manage meetings, set deadlines and ensure smooth communication among team members. Initially, I was a bit apprehensive about taking on such a big responsibility but then I realized it is a chance for me to learn and would help in my personal growth. I am glad I took the decision to continue because I learned effective communication skills, better time management skills and was also able to devise conflict resolution strategies.

Additionally, while I managed all these responsibilities as a leader, I supported my team by actively participating in conducting research. While I was at it, I enjoyed conducting interviews, data collection and data analysis. It was such a wonderful experience where I got to witness the strength of working in a team and how each of our individual efforts added to the comprehensive understanding of the project.

Dynamics and Challenges of the Group

When different people work together, conflicts and challenges are imminent. Just like any other group working as a team, ours had our own set of challenges. One of the most prominent issues that arose was about the direction of our research, different members have different opinions. While these differences of opinions created some tension in the group we soon realized that our distinctive viewpoints can help add value to our study. Instead of negating the opinions, we strategized and integrated them in our analysis.

Another major challenge for us was to align our variable schedules so that we all can sit together and work on the project. Furthermore, maintaining a balance between coursework, personal commitments and this project was quite overwhelming. In order to overcome this problem we decided to create a shared calendar online where everyone can see the team’s schedule. Also, each team member was considerate and flexible when it came to meeting schedules.

The Learning Experience

While working in the group as a team, I have gained the following experiences and insights:

• Development as a Leader: In my role as a group leader I learned several skills that helped me develop into a good leader, these include organizing meetings, delegation of work and conflict management. In this role I realized that to become an effective leader I had to juggle between guiding the group and developing a collaborative environment.
• Diverse Perspectives: I realized if a group leader embraces diversity and respects the different backgrounds then a rich and well curated outcome can be achieved. The best thing about different perspectives was that it forced us to see one thing with several angles, this critical analysis led to a more enhanced, quality oriented research.
• Effective Communication: In any team or a group, communication is key. Clear, concise, and regular communication helped us in overcoming challenges quickly and effectively. Also, it maintained a sense of unity and harmony in the group.
• Flexibility: It was essential to adapt to different working styles. Each of the group members exhibited great understanding of the fact that diversity would help reach us more comprehensive solutions.
• Conflict Management: What caused tension in the beginning soon became our strength where we solved conflicts effectively. We no longer avoided disagreements but welcomed them as they helped improve our decisions.
• Time Management: Without a doubt, balancing work and individual roles is challenging. I managed tasks by prioritizing them which helped me in timely delivery.

Conclusion / The Last Word

Working as a group has been a great learning experience that has played a vital and pivotal role in my academic journey. This project served as a growth opportunity personally and professionally. Through the process, I also understood how collaboration and adaptability along with effective communication can take your project to a whole new level, in varying circumstances.

Besides the conflicts and the tension created by being diverse members, I learned to appreciate the value of diverse perspectives. Also, I understood that diversity brings in more effective solutions to complex problems. Going forward, these lessons helped boost my confidence which would add value to future group collaborations both academically and professionally.

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Sociology Reflection Essay

The working class Americans voted for Donald Trump overwhelmingly and they still continue to approve of his presidency despite his various policies that seem to contradict the overall wellbeing of the people. For instance, despite his fashion of the healthcare bill that disproportionally hurts them, the Americans still highly approve of him as president. In political continuum, the educated faction often leans on the Democratic side even when in many instances, the Republican side proposes tax policies that would benefit them more economically. Such is the intricate nature of the seemingly unfathomable behavior of people where they often support policies or political sides that hurt their wellbeing. This observation is what leads Arlie Hochschild to ask why people do vote against their best interests.

Hochschild as a well-known sociologist takes time to dive into the most vexing question that has perplexed people to date. The author seeks to explore why the Americans are so polarized, despite the constitutional freedoms that they enjoy. The residents of Louisiana, who are also deeply conservative are divided in a similar manner, as the less privileged, less educated, wealthy and having poorer health live amid the more industrial polluted areas. In recent years, the people have had a chance to choose a political candidate that supports their well-being, but they supported those candidates that are against their own interests. Thus, like many other people, this book elicits a sense of wonder and disbelief, that people are living as strangers in their homeland, and continue to support the very circumstances that continue to overwhelm their wellbeing socially, healthiest and economically.

In writing the book, she interviewed several key people, both the residents and local leaders, as well as, the political entities such as supporters of the Tea Party. The book focuses on the core of six areas, but is able to give the broader understanding and reflection of the community. Thus, from this perspective, I like the approach Hochschild takes in exploring this very difficult subject, with expertise. I particularly like the context of the book, as it focuses on the idea that if we really are in favor of protecting the environment, averting the global warming crisis and ending homelessness, poor health, and poverty, then it is imperative to understand the role of the government in supporting these efforts. The government, in this case, is presented as the very “line cutter” supporter which continues to promote the status quo and facilitate the oppression that the people face.

The book is very timely especially coming in the age of the Trump administration. Trump is a Republican and holds various beliefs such as changing the policies on social services and support on crucial programs like the healthcare bill. However, despite the disaster facing Louisiana and the very cries for the federal relief. Hochschild helps the public to realize that these people have an underlying psychological issue that prevents them from taking the required positive measures and selecting soliciting the political goodwill to help them overcome these social issues. For instance, speaking to Harold Areno, who is a pipefitter, his family has suffered the effect of the petrochemical plant pollution as it caused them cancer. However, he is not interested in enlisting for government support in seeking justice. These are harrowing revelations that are very surprising and shocking in my view. I cannot bring myself to understand how a person in their right mind, has the opportunity to find support and justice, but still refuses to take that chance. Despite the very evident devastating effects, the author enlightens my understanding on the mental frailty of these people as they live in a fantasy state of mind.

In general, as Hochschild started in the text seeking to understand the disconnection between the conservative voters and their social and economic self-interest. However, as she realizes in the course of her fact-finding, she realized it is an emotional self-interest. As the mood during the Trump political rally reveals, the people are a force to recon and they are not strangers after all to their situation. The book is very interesting and helps the readers to relate to the reality of social differences that influence the political decisions the people make. There is nothing about the book that is annoying, rather, it only elicits feelings of empathy for the people that are suffering and do not realize the need to take measures to end their social challenges. I tend to feel both anger and pity for these people, as they seemingly are very ignorant of the essence of having quality healthcare, a clean environment, and social amenities. They say they are seeking the “American Dream” like other Americans. However, they are still making retrogressive steps and decisions.

Nonetheless, irrespective of the feelings I have towards these people, I believe the author Hochschild, covered the key points that help understand the situation of the Louisiana people, and in a broader context, the challenges facing many communities in America and even in developing countries.

• College Experience
• Helping Others
• High School Experience
• Life Changing Experience
• Life Lesson
• Personal Challenges
• Personal Philosophy

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Sociology reflection

Grammar mistakes

Redundant words

Originality

Readability

In Sociology there are many interesting topics, people and facts that are discussed. I personally find this class to be very interesting with the new material that’s taught to me. In my breakout session I attended Friday, I learned about socialization and at the end I was assigned an assignment. My assignment was to find a section in chapter 3 that was interesting to me and express my opinions on it. The most interesting section to me was, Isolated Children. The first thing that pops into my head when I think of isolated children is being away from society. As well as being closed off from people, the community, sports and many other very important things a child needs while growing up. Isolated means separated, or being apart from others. If children don’t have the opportunity to be around other people when they grow up, they will never know how to do many different things. This is why this section interested me so much. I think one of the most important things kids need to learn is how to communicate with others (in other words their language). It stated in the book that language is key to human development.

Without language, there can be no culture or shared way of life- and culture is key to what people become. In this section, there was a story on a young girl named Isabelle who was mentally damaged. She was unable to speak due to being isolated her whole life. She wasn’t allowed the proper development a normal child is provided when growing up. Isabelle was able to get help and eventually started working with other people to get her back on track to where she needed to be. She took an intelligence test and scored a zero on it. After a year of working on her vocabulary skills she started improving. Isabelle finally reached the intellectual level that was normal for her age. She went on to school and was involved in activities like the rest of the kids in her class. Isabelle is now a healthy, bright, cheerful young lady. It frustrates me that parents do this to their own kids. I find it very striking that they think it’s normal to let them grow up this way. Every child should be provided a healthy lifestyle. I do agree and believe that language is key to culture and communicating with others and without that, life would be very difficult.

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I don’t think enough people pay attention to children who are isolated. Maybe its because people don’t realize how serious the long term effects are on children, or maybe its because people think kids can recover from it easily. Well that’s not the case. It’s a very serious situation and I think it’s important everyone stays alert so we can try to decrease the amount of children who are faced with this.

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Essay Writing as a Tool for Self-Reflection and Personal Growth

T raditionally, essay writing was seen as an academic exercise, but not anymore. An essay is a piece of writing that is written to convince someone of something or to inform the reader about a particular topic. As students write essays, they introspect and learn at the same time. They understand that the essay writing process is not just about forming arguments or persuading readers; it is also a powerful mechanism for self-discovery. By articulating thoughts and emotions on paper, you better understand your perspectives and experiences.

Writing essays encourages writers to confront their inner thoughts, beliefs, and values. This confrontation is not always comfortable. Many of you already know this fact. However, the process is invariably enlightening. Through the structured thinking that essay writing demands, individuals can explore and organize their thoughts in ways other forms of reflection might not allow.

This process often leads to a deeper understanding of oneself. And not just that; it’s crucial for personal development. A 2019 study found that expressive writing has been shown to improve emotional and physiological health. Besides, the iterative nature of writing, that is, drafting, revising, and refining, mirrors the iterative process of personal growth. What does this premise mean? Well, self-awareness leads to new insights, which then lead to further questions and exploration.

But not everyone can write a compelling essay. Even the most talented writers can struggle with some topics. However, did you know that professional essay writers can help you with your paper? These experts specialize in specific disciplines and can provide subject-specific, content-savvy papers that surpass your expectations. And if you are not very conversant with writing an essay, rest assured that they will convince you or be adequately informed.

All in all, an essay must include several important components to make it flow logically. Its main parts (or sections) are the introduction, body, and conclusion. In a standard short essay, five paragraphs can provide the reader with enough information in a short space. However, more than five paragraphs must be present for a research paper or dissertation to not overwhelm the reader with too much information in one section.

Moreover, essay writing is a tool for emotional intelligence. Yes, you read that right. It offers a safe space for writers to express and manage their feelings. You often find clarity and a sense of relief as you translate complex emotions into words. The reflective practice of writing helps individuals cope with past experiences and prepares them for future challenges by building resilience and adaptability. Thus, the benefits of essay writing are vast. The following is a list of how essay writing is a tool for self-reflection and personal growth.

How Essay Writing is a Tool for Self-Reflection and Personal Growth

Essay writing can be the bridge between internal exploration and external expression. But how so? This practice allows individuals to explore their thoughts and feelings, translating introspection into tangible form. As you articulate your experiences and viewpoints, you engage in a dialogue with yourself, which fosters emotional growth.

• Enhances self-awareness : As previously mentioned, writing essays requires self-examination, which can significantly increase self-awareness. When you choose topics that resonate personally, you’re prompted to reflect on your beliefs, behaviors, and motivations. This process helps you understand yourself, highlights areas for improvement, and reaffirms your core values.
• Cultivates empathy : A recent study on the importance of writing practice showed statistically significant increases in various aspects of empathy, such as reasoning, including multiple perspectives, expressing emotion, and proposals for action, and statistically significant increases in empathy as a latent construct. When crafting essays, writers often explore different perspectives and consider alternative viewpoints. This exercise can cultivate empathy, as it encourages them to understand and articulate feelings and situations from other people’s points of view.
• Promotes critical thinking : Like any other form of academic writing, essay writing compels students to think critically about their experiences and the world around them. But the question is: how so? It involves analyzing one’s thoughts and questioning existing beliefs. This process can lead to new insights and a more informed perspective. Besides, critical examination helps you develop a more mature understanding of complex situations.
• Improves communication skills : Strong writing skills contribute to effective communication. Regular essay writing hones one’s ability to convey thoughts clearly and effectively. In fact, this point is scientifically proven. Essay writing helps individuals learn how to express their ideas in a structured, coherent, and persuasive manner.
• Facilitates emotional healing : We cannot emphasize this point enough. Writing about personal experiences, especially traumatic ones, can be therapeutic. Yes, you read that right. Putting emotions into words helps people process and make sense of their experiences.
• Encourages mindfulness : Writing promotes mindfulness, or present-moment awareness, and its associated qualities of calm/relaxation, nonjudgment, and intentionality. The focus required in essay writing can promote mindfulness. By concentrating on the present moment and the task of articulating thoughts, you can experience a calming effect, reducing anxiety and enhancing your overall mental health.
• Strengthens problem-solving abilities : Students’ problem-solving skill is heavily influenced by the learning process in the classroom. Essays often explore solutions to problems. They can involve real-world problems that trigger learning and optimize the power of problems to incorporate key learning processes. This aspect requires writers to think strategically about possible solutions, weighing pros and cons and considering outcomes.

Improve Your Writing Skills

For students, most of your assessments are done through writing. You will be asked to write essays for assignments and exams in most study areas. Accordingly, knowing how to write well is suitable for your grades. But there are other personal benefits as well. It can be a tool for personal growth and self-reflection. Essay writing can transform your understanding of yourself and the world around you.

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