Response Paper 1

Tina Veguilla

Response Paper 1

Sociology and its Contribution to My Education and Career Goals

          Does one’s economic class have any effect on their health and fitness level? Is gender another factor? Does one’s level of education matter when it comes to being fit and healthy? What might climate have to do with this topic of study? All these questions plus many more, can be answered with the study of Sociology and will definitely assist with my intended major in Adult Fitness.

          If asked, most people could come up with their own responses to the above inquiries, but how are we to know if their explanations are based on accurate facts, incorrect information, personal opinion or even guessing? My objective in life is to help people with their health and fitness goals and for that I need accurate information and correct answers with the evidence to back myself up. Being in the field of Adult Fitness, I have always been interested in the scientific method, but after doing the required reading for this week, I now realize how important the scientific method is in Sociology. Sociologists are loyal to this method and it assists in their research efforts. It is because of this week’s required reading and my new interest in how valuable the scientific method is in Sociology that I believe continued study will help with peers, clients and me to reach our objectives.

          I have become a fan of Max Weber’s theory and feel as if he and I will be close friends, in a sense, throughout my entire career. His theory is something I will now live by. I will not only use it in my intended major, but in everyday life. Weber had insisted that sociologists use value neutrality which basically states that an individual’s personal feelings must not get in the way of understanding the data. There are plenty of ways to work out to become fit and healthy: cardio, yoga, Pilates, weightlifting, etc. My personal favorite is weightlifting, putting that personal challenge out there to see how much I can lift, but what is good for me and what I enjoy, does not apply to everyone else, nor may it be a good fit for all people mentally and/or physically.

          Since Weber and I are going to be “friends” throughout my entire experience, and I try to never disappoint a friend, sociology also allows me access to the tons of research which will need to be done constantly in my line of work. Health and fitness is constantly changing so I will need to keep up with the both past and current times. Lucky for me, research is also involved with my favorite topic, the scientific method. One of the important pieces for the scientific method is developing a plan for gathering data; this is known as research design. I would be able to obtain my information through experiments, observations, surveys and other existing sources. All of the questions I had mentioned in the beginning can finally have accurate answers if I successfully collect and analyze all data, having both reliability and validity.

          The question, “Does weight loss have anything to do with exercise, diet, your mental health or possibly all these factors?” is one that leads me to another example of a method that is used by sociologists: experimentation. In working with my clientele, I can explore what methods help better with one person and then relate it to another person by taking care of them in the same way, adding something or even taking something out to make it work better with the next individual.

          At some point in my life, I would love to be able to accurately answer all of these questions I have mentioned as well as explore many, many more. If I continue on my current path, completing my goals will not be a difficult task. In achieving my diploma for my intended major in Adult Fitness, I will be definitely be giving thanks to my course in Sociology, the scientific method and of course one of my close friends Max Weber.