Blog #4 – The Flaws in Eye witnessing
Micro-sociology is one of the major terms used in the field of sociology due to its focus on the act of everyday social interactions. Because the concept of micro-sociology is such a detailed term, there are many other components that assist in making up the concept as a whole. Some of the concepts that factor within the definition of microsociology are social construction and symbolic interactionism. The concept of social construction focuses primarily on learned roles/actions embedded into society as well as the idea of reality and knowledge. On the other hand, symbolic interactionism focuses on the importance of interaction in society and how social interactions are embedded within the society. When looking deeper into the concept of symbolic interactionism we learn that reality is subjective and that in order for something to become defined as real, its consequences must also be real. In other words, through the concept of social construction, it is explained that we as humans act in accordance to what we personally believe to be true, not the actual truth necessarily. This component of social construction that focuses on how different people have different realities and that we define for ourselves what is real is thoroughly exhibited within the concept of eyewitnesses, their importance and the flaws within the eyewitness system.
In the idea of social construction, the constructions of different things in society are learned from others that may be doing these specific social actions the “normal” way. In addition, social construction is not real in the objective sense but it is real in the subjective sense. An example of a social construction within the world today is the concept of race and gender. In addition, within social construction, the similarities and differences about reality and knowledge are exhibited. When breaking down the definition of what makes something reality it is important to understand that reality focuses on the outside. Typically, we as humans can react with reality but reality is something that exists outside of us. This concept can be related to Durkheim’s theory of social fact. Unlike reality, knowledge deals with the inside self and is created through a shared common sense. For example, the certainty that different phenomenon’s are real and things on the outside do exist. One person is unable to create their own knowledge; instead, people interact with one another based on prior knowledge.
When a social injustice goes on within the society, there typically is some type of punishment that acts as a result. In the United States, when someone commits a crime and is arrested, they have a right to go to trial. These trials are typically held in a courtroom with a judge, sometimes a jury (if its a jury trial, if not, it’s a bench trial), attorneys, witnesses, etc. When these trials are taken place and the judge/law enforcement are trying to figure out who committed the criminal act, the eyewitness testimony is used and it is very important factor of evidence (more important than DNA testing). An eyewitness testimony is accounts given by people who have witnessed the event take place. The eyewitness could even be the victim of the crime. However, due to the fact that eye witnessing holds so much power, there are often flaws in the system. Innocent people may be wrongfully convicted of committing a crime due to the weight that an eyewitness carries. How is this fair considering the fact that within the concept of symbolic interactionism, it is proven that there are multiple realities and that people see/interpret the world around them differently then someone else may? If we as humans act in accordance to what we believe is true opposed to what actually happens, then an eyewitness testimony should not hold as much weight in the courtroom that it does.
In the interview conducted by the news-reporting program 60 Minutes, Jennifer Thompson’s explains how when she was 22 her home was broken into and she was sexually assaulted. Jennifer made a promise to herself to pay close attention to what the man whom assaulted her was wearing and how he looked so that if she survived this horrible attack she would help the police catch him and lock him up forever. Long story short, when Jennifer was asked by the police to pick out the picture of the man who assaulted her, she in fact picked the wrong man. When she went to trial, she stated that she saw the man whom assaulted her in the room and pointed at an innocent man by the name of Ronald Cotton. Later, the real rapist Bobby Poole was brought to jail for another crime he committed and admitted to another inmate that Ronald Cotton had been serving 7 years for a crime that he didn’t commit. After talking to his attorney and after serving 11 years for a crime he didn’t do, Cotton was freed from jail when DNA reports came back with positive results for Booby Poole.
This unfortunate story relates to the concept of social interactionism and the concept that reality is subjective. Just because Jennifer thought she paid close attention to every feature of the man who raped her, she was unable to correctly distinguish him from a line-up of men. The flaws in eyewitness testimonies can correlate to the symbolic interactionism and reality being subjective because though we may believe we see something and we believe something to be true, this may not always be the case.
Link to interview: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/eyewitness-how-accurate-is-visual-memory/4/
Micro-sociology is one of the major terms used in the field of sociology due to its focus on the act of everyday social interactions. Because the concept of micro-sociology is such a detailed term, there are many other components that assist in making up the concept as a whole. Some of the concepts that factor within the definition of microsociology are social construction and symbolic interactionism. The concept of social construction focuses primarily on learned roles/actions embedded into society as well as the idea of reality and knowledge. On the other hand, symbolic interactionism focuses on the importance of interaction in society and how social interactions are embedded within the society. When looking deeper into the concept of symbolic interactionism we learn that reality is subjective and that in order for something to become defined as real, its consequences must also be real. In other words, through the concept of social construction, it is explained that we as humans act in accordance to what we personally believe to be true, not the actual truth necessarily. This component of social construction that focuses on how different people have different realities and that we define for ourselves what is real is thoroughly exhibited within the concept of eyewitnesses, their importance and the flaws within the eyewitness system.
In the idea of social construction, the constructions of different things in society are learned from others that may be doing these specific social actions the “normal” way. In addition, social construction is not real in the objective sense but it is real in the subjective sense. An example of a social construction within the world today is the concept of race and gender. In addition, within social construction, the similarities and differences about reality and knowledge are exhibited. When breaking down the definition of what makes something reality it is important to understand that reality focuses on the outside. Typically, we as humans can react with reality but reality is something that exists outside of us. This concept can be related to Durkheim’s theory of social fact. Unlike reality, knowledge deals with the inside self and is created through a shared common sense. For example, the certainty that different phenomenon’s are real and things on the outside do exist. One person is unable to create their own knowledge; instead, people interact with one another based on prior knowledge.
When a social injustice goes on within the society, there typically is some type of punishment that acts as a result. In the United States, when someone commits a crime and is arrested, they have a right to go to trial. These trials are typically held in a courtroom with a judge, sometimes a jury (if its a jury trial, if not, it’s a bench trial), attorneys, witnesses, etc. When these trials are taken place and the judge/law enforcement are trying to figure out who committed the criminal act, the eyewitness testimony is used and it is very important factor of evidence (more important than DNA testing). An eyewitness testimony is accounts given by people who have witnessed the event take place. The eyewitness could even be the victim of the crime. However, due to the fact that eye witnessing holds so much power, there are often flaws in the system. Innocent people may be wrongfully convicted of committing a crime due to the weight that an eyewitness carries. How is this fair considering the fact that within the concept of symbolic interactionism, it is proven that there are multiple realities and that people see/interpret the world around them differently then someone else may? If we as humans act in accordance to what we believe is true opposed to what actually happens, then an eyewitness testimony should not hold as much weight in the courtroom that it does.
In the interview conducted by the news-reporting program 60 Minutes, Jennifer Thompson’s explains how when she was 22 her home was broken into and she was sexually assaulted. Jennifer made a promise to herself to pay close attention to what the man whom assaulted her was wearing and how he looked so that if she survived this horrible attack she would help the police catch him and lock him up forever. Long story short, when Jennifer was asked by the police to pick out the picture of the man who assaulted her, she in fact picked the wrong man. When she went to trial, she stated that she saw the man whom assaulted her in the room and pointed at an innocent man by the name of Ronald Cotton. Later, the real rapist Bobby Poole was brought to jail for another crime he committed and admitted to another inmate that Ronald Cotton had been serving 7 years for a crime that he didn’t commit. After talking to his attorney and after serving 11 years for a crime he didn’t do, Cotton was freed from jail when DNA reports came back with positive results for Booby Poole.
This unfortunate story relates to the concept of social interactionism and the concept that reality is subjective. Just because Jennifer thought she paid close attention to every feature of the man who raped her, she was unable to correctly distinguish him from a line-up of men. The flaws in eyewitness testimonies can correlate to the symbolic interactionism and reality being subjective because though we may believe we see something and we believe something to be true, this may not always be the case.
Link to interview: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/eyewitness-how-accurate-is-visual-memory/4/