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Chris Nguyen
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27 December 2013
Socialization and Stigmatization of HIV/ AIDS in Developing and Developed Societies:
A Comparative Survey of Selected Recent Literature
Introduction
In the last thirty years the social perception of HIV/ AIDS has changed dramatically in the public conscious. The disease itself has shifted from being a baffling virus in the 1960s and 1970s, to the offensively termed “Gay-related immune deficiency” or GRID, to finally being termed the Human Immune-deficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the 1980s. Despite scientific advances in modern medicine, the perception of the illness is still highly sexualized and carries a deeply negative stigma, especially in economically developing societies. In this paper I will analyze a selection of current literature to gain understanding of how HIV/ AIDS first came into existence and how it was initially perceived in the public conscious. From this same pool of recent literature I will examine sub-Saharan African societies, specifically cases in Tanzania and South Africa, as well as the socio-political context surrounding HIV/ AIDS governance in present-day China. In contrast, I will also draw from an article that discusses stigma experienced by HIV-positive women living in Canada- a developed society. Despite the reams of scientific literature on the subject, public consciousness about living with HIV/ AIDS and preventing its transmission in developing and developed societies remains low.
Cultural and Socio-political Perceptions of HIV Infection
Modern perceptions of HIV and AIDS are driven by archaic and outdated social stigma that has existed since the discovery ...
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...gical sense. Obviously people observe different cultures and norms across all of the world’s societies. In order to address a common problem across uncommon environments, problem-solvers must seek-out culturally appropriate means and methods for confronting any given issue.
HIV and AIDS- related stigma is a problem that has plagued social society since the discovery of the illness. Even the most developed societies like Canada are not immune to prejudice and bias. As such, much responsibility falls upon educated people to share the importance of sexual and reproductive health with those who may not have access to the same level of quality education. While history has already written bias and stigma into the lives of those who have lived and continue to live with HIV or AIDS, the phenomenon of bias can be understood. And with understanding comes the hope for change.
Even after the disease and its modes of transmission had been correctly identified, fear and ignorance remained widespread. In the mid 1980s, “AIDS hysteria” became a well known term in the media and public life. For example, a magazine published details about how extensive AIDS/HIV related discrimination became. “Anxiety over AIDS in some parts of the U.S. is verging on hysteria,” the authors wrote; they later published this disturbing example:
The stigmatization and discrimination that goes hand and hand with a positive diagnosis of HIV/AIDS is overwhelming. FreeDictonary.com defines discrimination as the “treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit; partiality or prejudice.” In essence, discrimination is about actions and stigma relates to beliefs and attitudes. Both however are built up on negative views of a person just because they are apart of a specific group. All over the world, there are well-documented cases of people living with HIV that are being denied the right to health- care, work, education, and freedom of movement, among others. (UNAIDS 2005) This stigma and discrimination exist globally, although it appears differently...
Bobbie Harro states in “The cycle of socialization” (2000), “No one brings us a survey, in the womb, inquiring which gender, class, religion, sexual orientation, cultural group, ability status, or age we might want to be born. These identities are ascribed to us at birth through no effort or decision or choice of our own” (p.16). I was born into a system, just like everyone else, where I was judged and labeled due to the social categories that I identify with. What I have experienced throughout my schooling has shaped and molded my sense of self and the way that I view myself in terms of my gender and race/ethnicity. I live in a world where I have been both praised and ridiculed for these differing characteristics that seem to define me, but
Peter Vanable, a professor and chair of psychology at Syracuse University, conducted extensive research on the behavioral aspects of HIV and coping. He analyzed, for example, how HIV stigma affects mental health and medication adherence. “A significant subset of men and women who are HIV positive experience social rejection from family, from loved-ones [and] from partners, and those experiences of discrimination and rejection can really play out in difficult ways,” Vanable says. The way people react to news of an HIV diagnosis, he continues, can shape a patient 's long-term psychological response. “People 's experiences with social rejection and people’s internalized feelings of self-rejection tend to go hand-in-hand,” Vanable says.
Political socialization as defined by the University of Texas at Austin is “the process by which individuals acquire beliefs, values, and habits of thought and action related to government, politics, and society” (3.1). Individuals are taught the dominant values of their societies by religion, parents, teachers, pastors, siblings, churches, friends, and many others. One then obtains the feeling of self-evidence of these truths based on the plights of those who are closest to them imploring them of these truths almost from birth. Perhaps a couple of the most popular or effective agents of socialization are religion and higher education. Although most are not aware this process of socialization is taking place, we inevitably form our opinions and truths of political beliefs based on those in closest proximity to us as children.
Socialization is defined as the process by which an individual internalizes the norms, values and beliefs of their social world. The socialization process occurs throughout the life course of the individual and is influenced by agents of socialization, which include a variety of social institutions and daily social interactions. Some examples of such agents are peers,family, neighborhood,sports, schools, religion, the workplace, and especially the mass media. Socialization agents in your life shapes, develops, and help highlight who you are as a person. The agents of socialization that have molded and shaped my life through high school and college are family,school,neighborhood..These agents have have helped me become who I am today and has
Political socialization begins early on in life and is an ongoing process affecting individuals throughout. It is how people eventually identify personal beliefs and expectations in American politics. These political views can include our level of patriotism, faith in the democratic system, standards by which we hold governing bodies, and opinions regarding public policies. From the playground to the classroom, the office to the dinner table, much of our lives affect our political opinions. The most easily identified agents of this are family, schooling, peers, mass media, political parties and religious influences. Furthermore, these means indoctrinate us in the political society through four basic methods: latent, manifest, affective, and instrumental socialization.
When HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) was first discovered as a disease in 1980, the affected individuals were stigmatized to the extreme. HIV/AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) was first reported with homosexuals and IV drug users, which led the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to label the disease as Gay-related Immune Deficiency, as “gay” individuals were synonymous “drug users” due to their similar activities in the 1980’s (Stine 22). However, it soon became clear that female population were just as susceptible to contracting HIV as males.
My socialization while growing up had everything to do with my parents. In my household I didn’t have just one certain style of parenting. My mother was a permissive parent, and my father was very much an authoritative dad. This was able to happen because my father travels a lot of the time and is out of the house, therefore giving me the chance take advantage of my mom being so much of a push over. When my father was gone on business I could get away with anything such as not cleaning my room, staying up as late as I wanted, and receiving anything I wanted. If my Mom did not giving in to my requests I would just throw a simple temper tantrum and five minutes later victory would be mine. On the other hand when my dad was around everything was to be done his way. If he didn’t think I needed it, I did not get it, no matter how much complaining and whining. In my Dads mind I had to deserve everything I received, if I did something wrong couple days earlier he would remind me about it as I was asking for a bike or what ever else it is I wanted. Don’t get me wrong my dad wasn’t a mean guy or an abusive father, I knew my limits and when every I would get dumb enough to cross that line, he was right there to put back in my place.
This essay will discuss what is socialisation, and explain two agents of socialisation, which is primary socialisation and secondary socialisation and what the positives and negatives about the socialisations are and analyse. To start off what is socialisation, socialisation is where the process of learning of the culture of any society. (Browne 2006) which means that when you are born you are learning and learn your culture of living, language, beliefs, norms and values, defying what sex you are means you learn differently to each other you both are equal but have different norms and values of being a girl or a boy. This gets passed through generation to generation. Socialisation has a big part of defining who we are and what we do in our life, and help form our personalities. (Browne 2006) as we can define ourselves by where we live, sexuality, religion, gender, a student or mother/father. This helps us form an individual identity that we tell people, this can be helped from family, friends, school, work, the mass media. So primary socialisation will include being taught norms and values from early child hood years which is assisted by agents like the family or people that are close to you. Secondary socialisation is where you get taught your norms and values from agents like
From the moment scientists identified HIV and AIDS, social responses of fear, denial, stigma and discrimination have accompanied the epidemic. Discrimination has spread rapidly, fuelling anxiety and prejudice against the groups most affected, as well as those living with HIV or AIDS. It goes without saying that HIV and AIDS are as much about social phenomena as they are about biological and medical concerns. Across the world the global epidemic of HIV/AIDS has shown itself capable of triggering responses of compassion, solidarity and support, bringing out the best in people, their families and communities. But the disease is also associated with stigma, repression and discrimination, as individuals affected (or believed to be affected) by HIV have been rejected by their families, their loved ones and their communities. This rejection holds as true in the rich countries of the north as it does in the poorer countries of the south.
An agent of socialization is something that affects you and thus society as a whole. There are many different agents of socialization. The four most important agents of socialization are family, school, peer groups, and mass media. These agents of socialization influence almost everything and every aspect of one’s life. From how you think to what kind of music you like.
The emergence of HIV/AIDS is viewed globally as one of the most serious health and developmental challenges our society faces today. Being a lentivirus, HIV slowly replicates over time, attacking and wearing down the human immune system subsequently leading to AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) at which point the affected individual is exposed to life threatening illnesses and eventual death. Despite the fact that a few instances of this disease have been accounted for in all parts of the world, a high rate of the aforementioned living with HIV are situated in either low or medium wage procuring nations. The Sub-Saharan region Africa is recognized as the geographic region most afflicted by the pandemic. In previous years, people living with HIV or at risk of getting infected did not have enough access to prevention, care and treatment neither were they properly sensitized about the disease. These days, awareness and accessibility to all the mentioned (preventive methods, care etc.) has risen dramatically due to several global responses to the epidemic. An estimated half of newly infected people are among those under age 25(The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic). It hits hard as it has no visible symptoms and can go a long time without being diagnosed until one is tested or before it is too late to manage.
Socialization is learning what is expected from us by the people we are interacting with. We learn what is considered normal and how to interact with others. Socialization also gives us the ability to learn what is not acceptable behavior and the negative treatment that can come along with behaving outside of the norm (New York University Department of Sociology, 2013). It is beneficial to reflect on educational experience as a site of socialization because for the majority of us, this is our first real, complete, and honest experience of socialization. We may receive leniency or special treatment from our parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles because we are younger and cute. They do not expect the same level of standards for behavior as peers who
Socialization is the process of passing down norms, customs, and ideologies that are important to the society by the previous generations to the younger generations. The school system is a social agency that was created to enhance the processes of socialization through education. The importance of school as an agent of socialization can be best explained by the amount of time students spend in school and in activities happen around school. The manifest functions of school are to educate students the social norms, and the knowledge and skills that help them become economically productive in order to benefit the society. But students not only learn from the academic curriculum but they also benefit from socialize with their teachers and peers.