Illegal Drinking and Sociological Theories

In the distance a new born baby is hungry and starts to cry. This loud cry echoes and catches the attention of its parents. By crying the baby just communicated to its parents the best way it could and got a response. Social interaction can occur in many ways including a baby crying. People socialize almost everyday with others through different methods that includes speech, body language, eye contact or other forms of expression. Sociologists can examine and analyze how groups of people relate to one another through different approaches. The roles people take can be explained through different sociological theories such as the dramaturgical theory, exchange theory, social pressure, and labeling theory of deviant behavior. 

As a student in high school there were many social situations that affected me. One event in particular involved a group of my friends. At the time, most of us were only 15 years old and never got into trouble. However, this certain social experience changed that. It was during school in the morning and one of my friends showed us that he brought some alcohol. He opened the bottle and started drinking some. My other friends joined him and then encouraged me to have some. My conscious told me that it was a bad idea because it was against the law and we were on school property. However my friends still changed my mind because of peer pressure. Half an hour later all four of us were in the principle’s office with the confiscated alcohol bottle. Luckily, we all only received one day of detention and a lecture from the principle about abiding school rules and state laws. Through the symbolic interaction approach this event can be explained through the different theories.