Twin Peaks

Examples of Twin Peaks in the following topics:

• Growing Global Inequality

  • To discuss this global inequality, sociologists may refer to the world's "twin peaks," or two groups of its richest and poorest countries.
  • The existence of these twin peaks demonstrates that there is a wide gap between the world's wealthiest and poorest nations.
  • Current research indicates, however, that global inequality peaked around 1970.

• Are We Prisoners of Socialization?

  • One way that researchers attempt to prove the impact of nature is by studying twins.
  • Some studies followed identical twins who were raised separately.
  • For example, in 1968, twin girls born to a mentally ill mother were put up for adoption.
  • The parents, and certainly the babies, did not realize they were one of five pairs of twins who were made subjects of a scientific study (Flam 2007).
  • What race were the twins?

• Nature vs. Nurture: A False Debate

  • For example, researchers have long studied twins to determine the influence of biology on personality traits.
  • These studies have revealed that twins, raised separately, still share many common personality traits, lending credibility to the nature side of the debate.
  • Because of their identical genetic makeup, twins are used in many studies to assess the nature versus nurture debate.

• Property Crime

  • Fall and winter are peak seasons for burglary in Denmark.
  • The peak age for property crime arrests in the United States is 16, compared to 18 for violent crime arrests.
  • Fall and winter are peak seasons for burglary in Denmark.
  • The peak age for property crime arrests in the United States is 16, compared to 18 for violent crime arrests.

• Statistical Trends in Divorce

  • After reaching a peak divorce rate of 2.7 per 1,000 residents in 2001, the Australian rate declined to 2.3 per 1,000 in 2007.
  • In Japan, divorces were on a generally upward trend from the 1960's until 2002 when they hit a peak of 290,000.

• Theories of Socialization

  • For example, twin brothers, whose genetic makeup are identical, will differ in personality because they have different groups of friends, not necessarily because their parents raised them differently.

• Welfare State Capitalism

  • However, even at the peak of this form of welfare capitalism, not all workers enjoyed the same benefits.

• Countercultures

  • The counterculture in the United States lasted from roughly 1964 to 1973 — coinciding with America's involvement in Vietnam — and reached its peak in 1967, the "Summer of Love. " The movement divided the country: to some Americans, these attributes reflected American ideals of free speech, equality, world peace, and the pursuit of happiness; to others, the same attributes reflected a self-indulgent, pointlessly rebellious, unpatriotic, and destructive assault on America's traditional moral order.

• Peer Groups

  • The influence of the peer group typically peaks during adolescence.

• Informal Means of Control

  • The influence of the peer group typically peaks during adolescence.