A political social movement Essay Example for Free

A political social movement Essay One problem the researcher had when operationalising the meaning of punk is that there was a varying meaning of punk. To the people who defined themselves as punk it was a political social movement, to others it was seen as fashion. Another problem is that it was hard to say whom the punks were because of how they act or dress. Some of the people who would say they were punk would not dress or act to the ideal, where others who were acting and dressing to the ideal would not identify themselves as punk. One reason why some sociologists may prefer qualitative methods is that it gives a truer insight into what a respondent has to say. This therefore improves the validity of the research. A second reason is that it provides greater depth into social life. It allows the researcher to look at society in more detail and other than its counter part not just as figures in a table. The research findings in item A tell us that once you label yourself as punk, you undertake three stages in a punk career. In the three stages there are what they define as being punk, how they behave, and their core values. The first stage is rebellion. Their definition of a punk is unconventional and a non-conformist. Their behaviour is anarchic and deviant. The way they dress and hairstyle is aimed to shock people and offend. Their core values at this stage are rejecting and opposing mainstream values. The second stage is belonging. They become a member of a subculture. They conform to common standards of dress, behaviour and may also start body piercing. They value being accepted by peers of being a true punk, not just a poseur. The third stage is belief in core values. They believe that punk values are more important than dress, looks etc. Their behaviour is individual do it yourself creative expression. They value personal integrity, individualism, honesty, and being unique.