Diffusion in Sociology Definition, Theory, Examples

Diffusion, also known as cultural diffusion, is a social process through which elements of culture spread from one society or social group to another, which means it is, in essence, a process of social change. It is also the process through which innovations are introduced into an organization or social group, sometimes called the diffusion of innovations. Things that are spread through diffusion include ideas, values, concepts, knowledge, practices, behaviors, materials, and symbols. Sociologists and anthropologists believe that cultural diffusion is the primary way through which modern societies developed the cultures that they have today. Further, they note that the process of diffusion is distinct from having elements of a foreign culture forced into a society, as was done through colonization. Social Sciences Theories The study of cultural diffusion was pioneered by anthropologists who sought to understand how it was that the same or similar cultural elements could be present in numerous societies around the world long before the advent of communication tools. Edward Tylor, a British anthropologist who wrote during the mid-nineteenth century, posed the theory of cultural diffusion as an alternative to using the theory of cultural evolution to explain cultural similarities. Following Tylor, the German-American anthropologist Franz Boas developed a theory of cultural diffusion for explaining how the process works among areas that are close to each other, geographically speaking. These scholars observed that cultural diffusion happens when societies that have different ways of life come into contact with each other  and that as they interact more and more, the rate of cultural diffusion between them increases. In the early 20th century, American sociologists Robert E. Park, Ernest Burgess, and Canadian sociologist Roderick Duncan McKenzie were members of the Chicago School of sociology, scholars in the 1920s and 1930s who studied urban cultures in Chicago and applied what they learned elsewhere. In their now-classic work The City, published in 1925, they studied cultural diffusion from the standpoint of social psychology, which meant they focused on the motivations and social mechanisms that allow diffusion to occur. Principles There are many different theories of cultural diffusion that have been offered by anthropologists and sociologists, but the elements common to them that can be considered general principles of cultural diffusion are as follows. The society or social group that borrows elements from another will alter or adapt those elements to fit within their own culture.Typically, it is only elements of a foreign culture that fit into the already-existing belief system of the host culture that will be borrowed.Those cultural elements that do not fit within the host cultures existing belief system will be rejected by members of the social group.Cultural elements will only be accepted within the host culture if they are useful within it.Social groups that borrow cultural elements are more likely to borrow again in the future. The  Diffusion of Innovations Some sociologists have paid particular attention to how the diffusion of innovations within a social system or social organization occurs, as opposed to cultural diffusion across different groups. In 1962, sociologist and communication theorist Everett Rogers wrote a book titled  Diffusion of Innovations, which laid the theoretical groundwork for the study of this process. According to Rogers, there are four key variables that influence the process of how an innovative idea, concept, practice, or technology is diffused through a social system. The innovation itselfThe channels through which  it is communicatedHow long the group in question is exposed to the innovationThe characteristics of the social group These will work together to determine the speed and scale of diffusion, as well as whether or not the innovation is successfully adopted. Steps in the Process The process of diffusion, according to Rogers, happens in five steps: Knowledge: awareness of the innovationPersuasion: interest in the innovation rises and a person begins to research it furtherDecision: a person or group evaluates the pros and cons of the innovation (the key point in the process)Implementation: leaders introduce the innovation to the social system and evaluate its usefulnessConfirmation: those in charge decide to continue using it Rogers noted that, throughout the process, the social influence of certain individuals can play a significant role in determining the outcome. In part because of this, the study of the diffusion of innovations is of interest to people in the field of marketing. Updated by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.

Theodore Roosevelt, President Of New York - 1745 Words

Born in New York City on October 27, 1858, Theodore Roosevelt was governor of New York before becoming U.S. vice president. At age 42, Teddy Roosevelt became the youngest man to assume the U.S. presidency after President William McKinley was assassinated in 1901. He won a second term in 1904. Known for his anti-monopoly policies and ecological conservationism, Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize for his part in ending the Russo-Japanese War. He died in New York on January 6, 1919. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was born on October 27, 1858, in New York City, to Theodore Roosevelt Sr., of Dutch heritage, and Martha Mittie Bulloch, a Southern belle rumored to have been a prototype for the Gone with the Wind character Scarlett O Hara. His family owned a successful plate-glass import business. As a young boy, Theodore Roosevelt as he was known to his family members â€Å"Teddy†, spent a lot of time inside his family s handsome brownstone, home schooled due to his illnesses and asthma. This gave him the opportunity to nurse his passion for animal life, but by his teens, with the encouragement of his father, whom he revered, Theodore developed a rigorous physical routine that included weightlifting and boxing. When his father died during his second year at Harvard College, Roosevelt channeled his grief into working even harder: After graduating magna cum laude in 1880, he enrolled at Columbia Law School and got married to Alice Hathaway Lee of Massachusetts. Roosevelt didn t stay longShow MoreRelatedTeddy Roosevelt And The Development Of The National Parks1353 Words   |  6 Pages Teddy Roosevelt and the development of the National Parks 11/30/2014 Nicholas Wittkopp He was the youngest candidate to become president. He was the leader of the progressive movement. He was our twenty sixth president, he served from 09/14/1901 to 03/4/1909. He was a writer of thirty five books. He was New York s thirty third governor. He was a naturalist. He was a war hero in the Spanish-American War. He was a member of rough riders. He trust busted forty corporations. He madeRead MorePresident Roosevelt: Steward of the People Essay1386 Words   |  6 PagesTheodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States and made a huge impact on the world. Not only was he the youngest President at age 42, but he was also a greatly respected war hero (Theodore Roosevelt). He was also the first US President to win the Nobel Peace Prize (Theodore Roosevelt - Biography). As President, Roosevelt looked at the role of President as a â€Å"steward of the people† (Theodore Roosevelt). Theodore Roosevelt was not only known to be the first modern President butRead M oreEssay Theodore Roosevelt: One of Our Greatest President1718 Words   |  7 PagesTheodore Roosevelt was one of our greatest presidents. He created the FDA and improved the position of the presidency greatly. Before Theodore came to be president, the position of presidency was slow and wasn’t very interesting so he made the executive branch more powerful by starting new reforms and a strong foreign policy. The life of a president is hard. It is full of stress, responsibilities, and a strong dedication the welfare of your country. Theodore had to deal with all of these presidentialRead MoreTheodore Roosevelt : A Modern Presidency1384 Words   |  6 PagesSchwarz/1 Theodore Roosevelt once said, â€Å" Believe you can and you are halfway there.† During his time in office, he added 5 national parks to our nation, tripled the amount of forest area, created 50 wildlife refuges, wrote many books, and captured the attention of many Americans, no matter what their political party was. Theodore Roosevelt is credited with having created a modern presidency and held a number of political positions before he was thrown into office after the assassination of PresidentRead MoreThe First Modern President Of The United States1069 Words   |  5 PagesThe First Modern President of the United States: Theodore D. Roosevelt Some may wonder why Theodore Roosevelt would deserve the title â€Å"the First Modern President†. He accomplished many things, and although he was liked by most, he promised he would not run a second term. In his short four years as president, Theodore Roosevelt was able to pass many acts such as: Dolliver-Hepburn Railroad Act, Extension of Forest Reserve, National Irrigation Act, Improvement of waterways and reservation of waterpowerRead MorePresident Of Government And Political Affairs1130 Words   |  5 PagesDepartment of Government and Political Affairs May 3rd, 2017 What does president do that makes the public feel as if they are strong, or powerful, and what determines a president to be labeled as limited? That’s really up to one s views on politics, their morals, and opinions. In this paper I will go over three of what I consider to be the best, and strongest Presidents history has ever had. The presidents will be judged on how they handled themselves in office, as well as any importantRead MoreTheodore Roosevelt : President Roosevelt1564 Words   |  7 Pages President Theodore Roosevelt By Ryan Baglietto  Table of Contents: 1. Presidential Facts 2. Theodore Roosevelt’s Childhood 3. Education 4. Personal Life 5. Accomplishments 6. What do I think of President Roosevelt: 7. Presidential Picture 8. Bibliography  1. Presidential Facts: My president’s name is Theodore Roosevelt. His nickname is Teddy. Did you know the Teddy Bear was named after him? President Roosevelt was in office from September 14, 1901 until March 4, 1909Read MoreTheodore Roosevelt . Introduction To The Life Of Theodore1574 Words   |  7 PagesTHEODORE ROOSEVELT Introduction to the Life of Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt was born October 27, 1858 in New York City to Theodore Roosevelt Sr. and Martha Bulloch. Theodore was also known as Teedie or Teddy. Due to his continuing battle with health issues, which started at birth, Roosevelt was homeschooled along with his siblings. The family house also had a gymnasium where he lifted weights and boxed to help him gain strength. Despite what appeared to be a sickly and weak child, RooseveltRead MoreTheodore Teddy Roosevelt And The President Of The United States955 Words   |  4 Pages Theodore â€Å"Teddy† Roosevelt was the 26th president of the United States. He was born in New York City on October 27, 1858. His parents, Theodore and Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, had 4 children. Teddy’s brother’s name was Elliot, and his sisters were Anna and Corinne. As a child, Teddy was active and curious. He had asthma, though, and was also nearsighted. He traveled a lot with his family. He went to Europe and the Middle East when he was 10 and 14. When he was 12, his father built a gymnasium forRead MorePresident Roosevelt s President Of The Republican Progressive Party1481 Words   |  6 PagesMy president’s name is Theodore Roosevelt. His nickname is Teddy. Did you know the Teddy Bear was named after him? President Roosevelt was in office from September 14, 1901 until March 4, 1909. He was the 26th president of the United States. President Roosevelt was in the Republican Progressive Party. Theodore Roosevelt was born in New York City, New York on October 27, 1858. He died in Cove Neck, New York on January 6, 1919. He was 60 years old. President Roosevelt’s wives names

Health Promotion Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Levels Free Essays

Health promotion is composed of three levels. Primary is the initial level of health promotion and prevention of diseases. The next level is secondary which involves early detection of a disease and prompt intervention to prevent the progression of the disease. We will write a custom essay sample on Health Promotion: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Levels or any similar topic only for you Order Now Tertiary, the final level, is when a disease is permanent and the goal is to return the individual to the best possible level of functioning (Edelman Mandle, 2010). According to American Diabetes Association website, the 2011 diabetes statistics in America is 25. 8 million of the population has diabetes. This paper focuses on the health promotion in primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of patients diagnosed with diabetes. Health promotion can affect many factors of a patient’s life from progression of a disease to loss of school or work days therefore loss of education and income to increase in healthcare. O’Donnell (2009) defines health promotion as: â€Å"the art and science of helping people discover the synergies between their core passions and optimal health, enhancing their motivation to strive for optimal health, and supporting them in changing their lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal health. Optimal health is a dynamic balance of physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual health. Lifestyle change can be facilitated through a combination of learning experiences that enhance awareness, increase motivation, and build skills and, most important, through the creation of opportunities that open access to environments that make positive health practices the easiest choice. † Patient’s active participation is a main part of health promotion. Patients have to take an active role because education provided to patients is to empower them to make better decisions in their healthcare. Primary interventions include making changes to the individual’s diets, activity levels, motivation, and knowledge. These interventions were utilized in a study to decrease the development of diabetes. The participants were selected by having diabetic risk factors including hypertension, obesity, increased blood sugar, hypercholesterolemia, or family history of diabetes (Penfold, 2013). Diet and nutrition advice was given to individuals. They were educated and demonstration provided on how to make healthy changes in their meals that was within a limited budget. Exercise sessions were also used as a preventative measure in which the individuals were encouraged to participate in cardio activities. The program encouraged the individuals to continue with the exercising by offering free classes. The participants of the study had a positive outlook as they progressed with the new healthy changes. Follow up will be a main factor in this fairly new study to determine if primary intervention was successful. Once an individual is diagnosed with an illness, intervening without hesitation is the key to the secondary level of health promotion. The cause of gestational diabetes is not completely known. Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy in women who did not previously have diabetes, but certain risk factors such as obesity can increase a women’s chance of developing it (Webb, 2013). Secondary preventions include prevention of further complication and treatment of a disease to decrease complications (Edelman Mandle, 2010). The women should be educated on how to take blood glucose, targeted blood sugar levels and to contact providers with abnormal readings. Treatment of the gestational diabetes is also aimed at patients modifying their lifestyles with diet and exercise. If blood sugars remain uncontrolled Webb reports according to National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (2008) recommends metformin for treatment of gestational diabetes in spite of successful evidence. Patients that are not compliant are at risk of progression of diabetes. Primary and secondary prevention continue into tertiary level of health promotion. â€Å"Tertiary prevention focuses on rehabilitation to help people attain and retain optimal level of functioning regardless of their disabling condition (Edelman Mandle, 2010). A patient can suffer from many complications of diabetes such as eye complications, foot complications, hypertension, kidney disease, neuropathy and depression. Patients are encouraged to have a satisfying lifestyles and function with their diseases. In an article about health and lifestyles of diabetic adolescents â€Å"Diabetic adolescents had healthier eating habits and more positive attitude towards their satisfaction with life, but their health perception is less positive than that of other adolescents (Serrabulho, Matos Raposo, 2012). In the study diabetic adolescents had similarities of inactive activities and social support to adolescents without diabetes. The care of diabetic patient from a health promotion point view involves diet, exercise, medication, and knowledge. Involvement of experts in the fields and communities can assist the patient in awareness of diseases. When nurses and patients are educated on primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention care, they develop a mutual respect and responsibility in assisting patients to have successful healthy lifestyles. How to cite Health Promotion: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Levels, Papers