IMPACTS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ON FAMILIES: SOCIOLOGICAL VIEWPOINT

Elham Ahmad Panahi M.A. Sociology, OU elham.a.panahi@gmail.com

Mohammad Hossein Broomand M.A. Psychology, OU m.h.broomand@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
In 21th century, the rapid enhancement and development of science and technology have produced some ineluctable fruits, heading towards the improvement of tools and apparatus. This has brought some advantages and disadvantages to bear on both families as a simplest and the most important social primary group and the society in which this institution comes into existence as well. From the viewpoint of Sociology, Science is referred to a body of knowledge concerning the natural world and a method for discovering such knowledge and a social institution organized around both and also Technology is the use of scientific discoveries to solve practical problems. If the navigation of science and technology is positively steered, it will lead to the sustainable development. This article embraces the pros and cons of science and technology regarding the social norms and mores of families because the fundamental interactions as well as the formation of individuals personality are happened and formed in a cozy family milieu. Moreover, Psychological, educational, communicational and ethical impacts on the families are scrupulously discussed. KEY WORDS: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, JUSTICE, SOCIAL NORMS AND MORES OF FAMILIES, IMPACTS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT ON FAMILIES

INTRODUCTION

cience and technology has become a part of modern life. The future of the world is determined by scientific discoveries and technological achievements so the importance of study the impact of Science and technology development on society is emerged. It is obvious that it has brought changes in different aspect of society and people find it more and more difficult to adjust and accommodate them to this fast growing technology. In this article, the pros and cons of science and technology development from sociological point of view are surveyed and Psychological, educational, communicational and ethical impacts on the families as the smallest social institution are scrupulously discussed.

II. Science From a sociological stand point, science is a body of knowledge about the natural world and a method for discovering such knowledge and a social institution organized around both. Science is generally divided into two branches namely pure science and applied science. (I) Pure science is concerned with the acquisition of knowledge and not its application like Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Sociology, etc. (II) Applied science is the application of scientific knowledge and the outcome in many cases is new technologies. (Henslin: Sociology) (Koeing: An Introduction to the Science of Society) (A.G.Johnson: The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology) (Shankar Rao: Principles of Sociology)

I. Sociology Since the development of science and technology from sociological point of view is being discussed, first we should know what sociology is. Sociology is composed of two words: socius, meaning companion and logos, meaning science or study. Sociology is one of the members of the family of Social Sciences. The etymological meaning of sociology is the science of society. As August Comte, the founding father of sociology, defines sociology as the science of social phenomena subject to natural and invariable laws, the discovery of which is the object of investigation. (Shankar Rao: Principles of Sociology) (Giddens: Sociology) (Penguin Reference: Dictionary of sociology)

III. Technology Technology is an aspect of culture and can be defined as The use of tools and knowledge to manipulate the physical environment in order to achieve desired practical goals. In sociological usage, technology embraces all forms of productive techniques, including hand-working, and is not synonymous with machinery as in some popular accounts. Only the close link between science and technology can accelerate the process of development. In the past centuries, they have changed the face of the earth using heavy industrials, big dams, international airports,

supersonic rockets, super satellites, oil refineries, etc.

computers,

(Penguin Reference: Dictionary of sociology) (A.G.Johnson: The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology) (William P.Scott: Dictionary of Sociology) IV. Family Family is the most important primary group in society. It is the simplest, the most elementary form of society as well as the first and the most immediate social environment to which a child is exposed. It is an outstanding primary group, because, it is in the family that the child develops its basic attitudes. So for understanding the impact of science and technology on society we should start from the smallest social institution i.e. family. (William J. Goode: The Family) (Plummer: Sociology the Basics) (Mitchell: A Dictionary of Sociology)

behavior, our philosophies and ethics, our morals and manners, our customs and traditions, our religious, economic and other types of activities. Culture is not something static. No culture ever remains constant. It may undergo change due to science and technology development in different ways such as immigration, international trade, mass media etc. In this part, pros and cons of mass Medias as modern way of communication and cause of cultural change are being discussed. (Shankar Rao: Principles of Sociology) (Merrill & Wentworth: Culture and Society) Pros: -Mass Medias such as TVs, Radio, Cell phones, Internet, Satellite and etc. can be used as the sources of entertainment as well as awareness in the families. Movies, documentaries and other programs can spear useful information about the consequence of using drugs or other social deviance. - Media provides news and information required by people and also informs the public about government policies and programs and how these programs can be useful for them. -By using modern communication means the established definition of boundaries has changed and the globe has become like a small village in which all people from all over the world can communicate easily.

IMPACT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ON FAMILIES: SOCIOLOGICAL WIEVPOINT

Science and Technology have roots in our daily lives. Therefore, they have brought us many new facilities making life easier but this convenience is not without any effects which some of them are positive and other negative. In this part, some impacts of science and technology on families in the social and psychological milieus are discussed. 1. Culture and values Culture is one of the distinguishing traits of human society. It includes our modes of

Cons: -By using mass media in the family, children and teenagers face large amount of

information and messages that may not be appropriate for their age. This may cause conflict of values, i.e. they observe different cultures which some of them do not have any harmony with their family and society norms and culture. They like to immediate alien ways of clothing, speaking, eating and everything that may change their life style. It is not accepted by most families especially the traditional ones. The result is that teenagers will be rejected by their families and society and this is the beginning of many social deviances. -Spending too much time for surfing internet, watching satellite, TVs, using cell phones and telephones has made a gap between members of a family. Although they all live in a place called home but in fact everyone has separate personal world, busy with his/her own worries. -In recent decades the violence in movies, cartoons and video games has increased, doing irreparable harms on teenagers and children.

2. Education Education is one of the basic activities of people in all human societies. The traditional education was more a means of social control and teachers were engaged in transmitting a way of life to the students. But today, education aims at imparting empirical knowledge that is, knowledge about science, technology and other types of specialized knowledge. Education today has been chiefly instrumental in preparing the way for the development of science and technology. Some cons and pros of science and technology development on education are being discussed in this part.

Pros

-Nowadays teachers have become more skilled, practicing new methods learned through new methods of teaching courses. -Class atmosphere has changed, making it more energetic and colorful for students. Education is shifted from classical viewpoint to the modern one, i.e. learning kit and related tools using to enhance and improve the level of education among the students. - Distance education or distance learning is a new way of education which emerged by science and technology development. It focuses on teaching to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational atmosphere called a classroom. Some advantages of this kind of education is that no time will be wasted commuting to classes and it has more benefits for disable people. There is no transportation cost and one can schedule

Here is the graph about playing video games with children and teenagers.

his time around his current job and personal schedule because the hours are flexible. -Thanks to new technologies, nowadays there are different kinds of educational software and programs that can help students learn more effectively. (Plummer: Sociology the Basics) (Eldridge: Fundamentals of Sociology) Cons: -One of the negative sides of new educational system is that everything is ready for students and they are not motivated to search and do the experiments themselves. - New education system is producing machines out of students. They read books and speak them. Most teachers ask pupils to write exact words in exams and the sense of creativity is being ignored. Most of the time the just memorize mass of information without thinking and understanding.

normally consist of members who at least belong to three generations: husband and wife, their children, and their grandchildren. But nowadays most families are Nuclear families which composed of husband and wife with their children. In this part, some pros and cons of new family system are mentioned. (William J. Goode: The Family) (Shankar Rao: Principles of Sociology) Pros: -Unlike the joint families, new couples in nuclear families are independent and they follow their own interests. -In most joint families, women have only secondary role but in modern families they are considered as important as men and most of them are earning members. -In nuclear families, parents can give personal attention for training their children and kids dont grow up with old habits and ideas. They can apply modern methods of training.

- Unfortunately some students in higher levels use technological devices for cheating and this bad habit has effects on their future. -May be the most important disadvantage of distance education is the lack of face-to-face interaction with teachers and other classmates. 3. Family structure The family structure has some changes in the past half a century. Its structure has changed and various factors such as social, economic, cultural, technological have been responsible for this. In the past, joint or undivided families were common. They

Cons: -In modern families intimacy has decreased because in joint families all members live together and they have more interaction. -In most nuclear families, parents have to work and children are alone. They miss their grandparents stories and support. -Children get in touch with both their parents and grandparents less than those who live in the joint family. Therefore, they show less respect towards them.

IMPACT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ON FAMILIES: PSYCHOLOGICAL VIEWPOINT

Pros: - The most important advantage is the growth of awareness about mental disorders among the people. -New drug treatments as well as new ways of counseling have been appeared by the development of science and technology. -The mental health is increased by establishing many institutions which speared mental knowledge among all individuals. -The viewpoint of people about the concept mental disorders has been changed and they realized that there are different kinds of treatments for mental disorders and they should visit psychologists. Cons: -Due science and technology development, many new psychological or psychiatric disorders have occurred. -By the growth of science and technology, the anxiety and stress disorder has become more tangible. All of us, experience many stressful situation every day such as trapping in the traffic jam while having to reach our appointment duly, etc. -Another disadvantage of science and technology is that every one becomes too busy and he/she does not enough time even for interacting with his/her family members.

any region. Normally any definition of development consists of three distinct inter related elements- economics, social and cultural. Economic development results in social and cultural transformation. The Social and Cultural transformation in turn determines economic growth. In modern times, economic growth has become everybody concern and with the help of the science and technology society can have a best use of natural and social sources which leads to development.

IMPACT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ON JUSTICE

The general meaning of Justice is right, fair, appropriate and deserved. Social justice is concerned with equal justice in all aspects of society. This concept demands that people from the lower class to highest class have equal rights and opportunities to use the natural and unnatural sources of the society. In many societies, rapid growth of science and technology has increased the gap between lower classes and upper classes for examples in industry sector all benefits go to capitalism pockets and poor workers have to work more to satisfy them. Justice should be followed in every parts of the society from families to the leaders of the country. Although by developing science and technology, awareness about justice and equal right for everyone has increased but still there are parents who do not treat equally to their boys and girls. They believe that facilities should be provided for boys as a superior child and they do not even allow girls to be educated. In every country, government has conducted programs to divine sources equally and speared justice in the society. With the help of modern and technological machines, some programs for developing justice in the society have been done, such as building

IMPACT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ON DEVELOPMENT

Development basically means change for better. It is a change from a given situation to a better one. It is a planned effort to improve

schools, hospitals and service institutions in rural areas as well as providing them phone lines, Internet access, drinking water, electricity facilities and etc. If all governments follow the ethical and religious doctrines, people will enjoy equal society with equal opportunities in every aspect of their lives ranging from treating their sons and daughters to applying for a job and using social facilities.

CONCLUSION
In this article, impact of science and technology on families and societies from sociological and psychological viewpoint were discussed. The impact of new technologies and development on justice was also mentioned. The main focus was on pros and cons of science and technology on cultural, educational function of families and also changes in family structures. It can be concluded that families are the most important social institutions that are involved in any changes occur in the society. Therefore, this agent of socialization should train skilled, just and responsible persons that can reach high levels of science and technology development and speared justice in the world.

C.N. Shankar Rao: Sociology, Principles of Sociology David K. Berlo: The Process of Communications Dhar, D.P.: Planning and Social Change Duncan Mitchell: A Dictionary of Sociology Eldridge and Others: Fundamentals of Sociology F.E. Merrill and H. Wentworth: Culture and Society- An Introduction to Sociology Giddens: Sociology Henslin: Sociology Koeing: An Introduction to the Science of Society Maclver and Page: Society Introduction Analysis Merrill & Wentworth: Culture and Society Penguin Reference: Dictionary of sociology Preston P W : Development theory- An introduction, Oxford Blackwell, 1996 Plummer: Sociology the Basics Richard T. Lapiere: Social Change Scarpitti F. R and Andersen M.L.: Social Problem Suresh Chandra Sharma: Media Communication and Development. William J. Goode: The Family

REFERENCES
Abercromabic and Others: The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology. A.G.Johnson: The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology A.P. Bates and J. Julin: Sociology- Understanding Social Behavior Alex Inkeles: What is Sociology? Barnes, Barry: Sociology of Science Bert F. Hoselitz: Sociological Aspects of Economic Growth