EVERYDAY LIFE: COMMON CHARACTERISTICS AND ACTIVITIES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

The daily life or daily life is part of the studies pertaining to the social sciences and histography. In general terms, it refers to everything made up of the experiences, activities and events that occur in the everyday life of ordinary people.

This concept brings together two main components: general experiences based on everyday actions such as eating, sleeping and washing; and personal situations, which are conditioned by the reality of each individual understood by their customs, creed, traditions and even socioeconomic level.

This topic is interesting since it takes into account the style and living conditions of different human groups, at the same time that it allows the understanding of past societies through the reconstruction of everyday events.

At present, this branch is considered one of the main study instruments due to the wealth of information that it can provide.

Definition

It is understood that daily life is responsible for studying only the daily aspects of a set of individuals in a certain period of time. Therefore, it is considered a branch apart from historical studies and other social sciences.

An important point to note is that, although this concept takes into account common situations and activities, these are a reflection of societies and their evolution over time.

According to some authors, everyday life also allows the analysis of other more complex elements, such as values, morals, and conceptions about good and bad.

characteristics

-Allows the reconstruction of past phenomena.

-It is considered one of the main pieces for the study of other social sciences such as sociology, psychology, history and anthropology.

-It is comprised of two main factors: on the one hand, activities considered common and routine, such as sleeping, eating and working; on the other, personal situations that can range from socioeconomic status, customs and religious beliefs, to values ​​and types of behavior.

-This concept also takes into account other important aspects, such as language and communication, recreational activities, health, education and work.

-Your study has been extended to the analysis of urban and rural settlements, since in both cases there are very characteristic elements.

-The consideration of daily life as an object of study has allowed the deepening of other subjects such as sexuality, love and relationships.

-According to some scholars, this concept is of vital importance because it allows to establish standards of normality -as well as of stability- in a given society. The main reason is because the range of uncertainty is minimized.

-It is described as an aspect of mundane and common life, but that differs from the conception of sedentary lifestyle.

-It is also used to understand the differences between social groups, age and gender.

-In several sociological theories, daily life has served as a research strategy for oppressed or socially undervalued groups, such as the study of the daily life of women.

-Nowadays there are companies that, through digital platforms, offer information and interactive activities related to daily life, to emphasize its importance from childhood. Some of these companies are also focused on people with Alzheimer's, or who suffer from memory problems.

Activities of daily living

The activities of daily life are the set of actions that are necessary for the independent and autonomous development of each person. This also allows you to determine how people spend their time and make their decisions.

These activities can be divided into two broad categories:

Basics

They include those that are related to care and grooming:

-Personal cleanliness.

-Eat.

-To drink.

-Dress.

-Bath / shower.

-Functional mobility.

-Break.

-Sexual activity.

Instrumentals

They are not necessarily essential to living, but they are important because they provide independence and autonomy. Some of these can even be delegated to other people:

-Buy and manage food supplies.

-Preparation of meals.

-Cleaning the environment (general maintenance of a house).

-Care and washing of clothes.

-Administration of income.

-Preparation for emergency situations.

-Mobilization outside the community, either on foot, by means of your own vehicle or public transport.

Common situations of everyday life

Education

Activities related to academic training: participation in a formal or informal educational system, as well as the exploration of personal interests based on one's own objectives.

Job

They are necessary to obtain remuneration, although for some authors volunteering activities are also included: job search, preparation for work, retirement and knowledge of the different types and groups of volunteers.

Pleasure

It is an essential situation in human life and takes into account everything related to entertainment and recreation during free time.

An interesting aspect in this area has to do with the changes that have taken place over time, even more so with the arrival of the media and the Internet.

This also affects decision-making about time and the way it is used according to group and individual inclinations.

Language

The management of language, formally and informally, is also essential for the study of everyday life, since it serves as a portrait of human relationships in a geographical space and in a given period of time.

As in the case of entertainment, the media are also important actors in the analysis, since they act as a reflection and reinforcer of a variety of idioms and expressions.

Social participation

It groups together the set of activities that allow the social organization of the different groups that live in a given space. These include the family, the neighborhood, the commune, groups of friends, groups of co-workers and neighbors, among others.

References

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