Description of Location and People Observed
As part of my field observation, I embarked on observing a church, specifically focusing on the church that I go to every Sunday for purposes of worship. Immediately, I got to the church; I began taking notes to concentrate on what was happening, as this would help provide me with an insight concerning trends and behavioral patterns associated with the people I observed. The church building is relatively new, and some part of it is still under construction even though specific sections have been well furnished and the bricks have been decorated. At the front section of the church is a curved wooden stage, which has a glassy pulpit at the very center. A review of the outside environment indicates that the compound is taken care of very well attributed to the fact that the grass has been cut short with the aim being towards suggesting a caring environment.
The congregation, in the church, is made up of children, infants, youths, adults, and older persons with the biggest number of those in attendance being the youths. The whole church is well organized, which is seen as a key factor that helps towards establishing an ambiance that reflects on the expectations for persons coming into the church, which is to engage in worship. Personally, I considered the mood within the church as being divine taking into account that a majority of those in attendance had created a mood of prayer and worship. The songs that were being played on the speakers also helped in setting the tone of worship with the aim being towards ensuring that the people would connect with the general ambiance.
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During the first hour of the service, it was clear that people had not settled in, as there was a significant number of people moving in and out of the church at any given point. I observed people shaking hands and hugging as a way of indicating that they were catching up with one another. I also took note of the fact that the youths were sitting on one side of the church while the adults and kids were sitting on the other even though there was no person involved in directing people towards where to sit. Most of the persons engaged in different activities within the church were women, some of who were involved in the praise and worship team while others were involved in verse reading among other activities. My last observation was on the fact that the church comprised of persons from multiple racial and ethnic categories, as it had whites, blacks, and Hispanics.
Trends and Patterns of Behaviors
I took note of the fact that a significant number of youths, in the church, did not pay much attention to what was being preached, instead, choosing to focus much of their attention on smartphones. It was evident that most of the youths were not attentive from the onset when compared to the adults and older persons. Some of the youths had dozed off during the sermon; thus, building on the fact that they did not have any form of attachment to what was being preached. Another key trend that I noted was the fact that a significant number of the youths did not have Bibles in comparison to the adults. When it was time for verse reading, most of the youths focused on their smartphones, suggesting that maybe they were using apps instead of having to come with physical Bibles.
In one or two instances, a member from the youth was involved in playing an instrument while others were involved in praise and worship, which reflected on the fact that indeed this was their area of expertise. When it was time for praise and worship, the youths were somewhat alert in comparison to other times during the course of the church service. The women, on the other hand, played a critical role in taking care of the children. In cases where an infant would cry while in church, the mother would quickly take it away to help ensure that they do not disturb other persons during the service. That also meant that the women would be able to understand the reasons why the children were crying without interrupting the sermon that was being delivered.
Possible Sociological/Theoretical Explanation for the Trends
Using sociological concepts, it becomes much easier to map a specific trend or pattern; thus, helping in the overall process of finding a possible sociological or theoretical explanation (Patterson, DeBaryshe, & Ramsey, 2017). The following are some of the concepts that would help in explaining the trends observed in the church:
Accommodation
Palomares, Giles, Soliz, & Gallois (2016) build on the understanding that accommodation creates a platform through which people can behave in the manner that they do within a specific social environment. In this case, church members may have accommodated particular behaviors leading to a situation where they built a trend or pattern of behavior. For example, when an infant cries, the design of expression suggests that the mother would take it out to ensure that the others are not interrupted in their bid to listening to what is being taught.
Beliefs
By visiting a religious center, one is ready and willing to build on a specific belief system that defines his or her faith concerning social expectations (Bloom, Arikan, & Courtemanche, 2015). In my observation, it was clear that members of the church had developed a belief system allowing them to engage in praise and worship to a Supreme Being. The preaching also sought to reflect on the expectations of faith for all members of the church.
Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy is a concept that defines a pattern in the way in which specific activities are undertaken within a given social environment (Argyle, 2017). In my observation, I noted the existence of bureaucracy, considering that the children's choir was expected to sing first followed by the youths and the adults before the pastor delivered his sermon. That suggests a specific pattern in how activities are expected to be undertaken; thus, building on the existence of bureaucracy within the confines of the church.
Deviant Behavior
Deviant behavior refers to a type of action that does not conform to social norms or expectations (Clinard & Meier, 2015). From my observation, the fact that some of the youths were concentrating on their smartphones rather than listening to the sermon suggests a deviant behavior. That would be of value towards explaining the fact that a majority of the youths were engaged in this behavior even though it can be categorized as being immoral or detrimental.
My Thoughts/Feelings
As I was completing the observation, my only thought was that human beings tend to follow a specific pattern of behavior that can only be explained through a close examination of how people interact in social environments. It was clear, from my observation, that most of the behaviors that were being exhibited reflected on a trend that members of the church had created over some time. I found my comment somewhat uncomfortable to complete, as it required me to take noted even when other people were engaged in other activities such as singing or worship.
References
Argyle, M. (2017). Social Interaction: Process and Products . Routledge.
Bloom, P. B. N., Arikan, G., & Courtemanche, M. (2015). Religious, social identity, religious belief, and anti-immigration sentiment. American Political Science Review , 109 (2), 203-221.
Clinard, M. B., & Meier, R. F. (2015). Sociology of deviant behavior . Nelson Education.
Palomares, N. A., Giles, H., Soliz, J., & Gallois, C. (2016). Intergroup accommodation, social categories, and identities. Communication accommodation theory: Negotiating personal relationships and social identities across contexts , 123-151.
Patterson, G. R., DeBaryshe, B. D., & Ramsey, E. (2017). A developmental perspective on antisocial behavior. In Developmental and life-course criminological theories (pp. 29-35). Routledge.
