Habitus Vs Bourdieu

People have diverse interests and make choices based on the provisions of a given social structure. Situational analysis is a concept used to determine how individuals make choices subject to social restrictions within the society. Virtually all systems have room for individuals to make choices without the institutional responsibility that may be placed on them by such structured systems. Bourdieu (53) asserts that habitus, capital and field are the tools that shape an individual’s social space. Habitus influences both personal character and collective practices in response to schemes that are shaped by history. It links the aspect of history to influence perception, thought, and action so as to produce correct practices. Capital ensures a

I had no money so he was the one to purchase it. He insisted on buying a comedy movie while I wanted an action movie. He argued that action movies are not realistic and lack creativity. I had no option but to give in. The incident elicited mixed feelings of frustrations and anger in me. The inability to get my preferred movie left me with no option but to watch my friend’s choice. Bourdieu (158) states that the choices that we make are determined wholly by the available options. The options are largely influenced by the level of capital at our disposal. He further argues that our current lives may be determined by several instances in the past. When I connect the movie buying incidence with Bourdieu’s theory, I fully concur with the capital theory. In our family, people watched action movies and I grew up to like them. My perception on movies is a structured one. Individuals may regard themselves as free agents but rely on the behavior and attitudes of other people to make decisions. In brief, the Habitus is a mechanism through which individuals can break historically and socially set conditions. Bourdieu (55) assert that Habitus is an inventory mechanism that allows new practices to be introduced. Moreover, each society has conventional rules that determine how its members should behave.
Bourdieu’s theory claims that we carry history in us that determines which choices and perceptions we hold. We are ever in continual process of making history, but the conditions are beyond our control. The choices that we make are directly influence by our position in the social field. Bourdieu’s theory is very relevant to my movie buying incident. By the virtue that I had no money meant I had to conform to my friend’s wish. I now understand why each one of us held unto his opinion. The explanation is, therefore, appropriate and