My Social Construct of Reality

With consideration to social structure and power affecting social performance, being disabled became an ascribed master status which disabled me from maintaining more power within my past social interactions. Until I recently researched culture’s prejudice and discrimination in making disabled people a minority, I never quite understood why my self-consciousness about my disability became worse as an adult. Many stereotypical assumptions were once defining characteristics of my disabled master status, which included ascribed role strain subtly expressed through my impressions I involuntarily created in the minds of others.

After experiencing a conflict in the role of my husband status along with my straining master status of disabled, I began to attempt acquiring a master status of a student. In developing my new master status, I devoted three years to academics and social isolation while trying to ‘reset’ my entire status set and roles. Most people have their primary statuses performed within different environments, helping differentiate performances set with unique stages. By contrast, my statuses were all performed on the same stage that failed to change the set to provide for more distinctive performing roles.

Nearing the end of my associates’ degree, I have now come to understand the importance of socialization in developing the human personality, creating a new found desire to be around all my friends that had been complaining that I was always doing school work and never hung out with them. With a more confident master status of student, I still contained the roles of my disabled master status in the sense that when socializing I still lacked freedom in expressing my true self. Determined to develop stronger social interactions, I continually and carefully constructed a more powerful demeanor so as not to seem arrogant. Conversations that once only existed on a stage stuck inside my mind have now been socially constructed into my reality. Although I am not one hundred percent confident, my assertiveness has increased as a primary role within my master status which is gradually diminishing my self doubt and reservations; I am actually not scared to tell my friends I love them as they leave, even if they are not comfortable saying it back.

There has been some role tension and status conflict that at first I did not understand, but reading the text helped me comprehend the changes I have been experiencing in my new social interactions; allowing awareness of my developing a much stronger and confident demeanor than in the past with an ascribed disabled master status.