Fourth Summary 2007

Angel María Dávila
Level 6

Fourth Summary: Social Norms


According to Barbara S. and Richard J. Bonnie in the chapter “Social Norms and Acceptability of Tobacco Use” state that the habit of tobacco is a behavior acquired and mediated by the social environment where the tobacco users inhabit (Barbara S. and Richard J. Bonnie Growing up Tobacco Free, 1994, p.71). In addition, it is affirmed that in many cases people begin using tobacco when they are very young because they associate tobacco consumption with a certain kind of social identity (Barbara S. and Richard J. Bonnie Growing up Tobacco Free, 1994, p.71) and it is implied that this habit persists till adulthood (John Britton, ABC of Smoking Cessation, 2004, p.14). It is said that, continuously, this process is reinforced with repeated false information and messages from many contexts telling that tobacco use is normal, natural and acceptable as away of enjoying life or gaining individuality as well as social security (Barbara S. and Richard J. Bonnie Growing up Tobacco Free, 1994, p.71). Therefore, it is reported that the influence that carries people to continue using tobacco products come from different sources: friends, peers, family, school, the place where people work, films, magazines, radio, television, electronic media, advertising, sports events and so forth (Barbara S. and Richard J. Bonnie Growing up Tobacco Free, 1994, p.72). So, it is stated that the information received from the sources above mentioned modifies the behavior and tell people what they should do (Barbara S. and Richard J. Bonnie Growing up Tobacco Free, 1994, p.72). This is affirmed by Carmen Daniels who says that persons who grow up in a smoking environment are twice as likely to smoke as those who live under a non-smoking environment (Carmen Daniels, a Cultural Approach to Addiction and Recovery for Aboriginal Youth, 2002, p.30). To conclude, Carmen Daniels says that when smokers want to quit, but if they are surrounded and interacting in smoking environments it is very hard to stop smoking and the result is to continue smoking (Carmen Daniels, a Cultural Approach to Addiction and Recovery for Aboriginal Youth, 2002, p.42).
































Critique
Angel Dávila

In this Chapter the authors’ purpose is to inform about the influence that the social environment has on people who become smokers (Barbara S. and Richard J. Bonnie Growing up Tobacco Free, 1994, p.71). Therefore, I agree with the authors when affirmed that the majority of people who smoke begin the tobacco habit when being very young and continue smoking till adulthood. They said that the reasons why many persons start smoking is because of the influence received from the social environment where they interact such as friends, school, family, television and so forth. But, however, I must say that I share just part of this viewpoint because there are a lot of people who interact in these environments and they do not become smokers. And this is my case, I have friends and family members who are smokers, I go to places where many people are tobacco users, and I see movies and other events where cigarette is promoted. But I have never tried a cigarette. After all, I accept that the repeated information and influence that we receive from many contexts can change the human behavior, but It is also true that as a human beings we are it is our responsibility every decision that we make to follow certain norms of behaving. That is to say, every decision taken is personally and bad habits are not mandatory. For instance, if I decide to smoke it is my own responsibility because I have to take into account the economic and health cost of the habit. Thus, I think that writers when documenting about a habit such as smoking can not assume a general idea as a true fact because what is true for me might be false for you.