Download Different Theoretical Perspectives of Sociology

4 Different
Theoretical
Perspectives of
Sociology
A LOOK AT THE MANY WAYS
IN WHICH SOCIOLOGISTS
EXPLAIN HUMAN SOCIAL
BEHAVIOR
Functionalism
• Society= sum of its parts
Government
– Economy
– Religion
– Education
– Family
• Codependency: Each part interacts with and impacts every other
– “Domino effect”
• Cooperation and shared core values
–
Group brainstorm & independent quick write in notes margins:
Provide 2 examples of the “Domino effect” as it relates to
sociology and functionalism
Conflict Theory
 Competition is king!! (It drives all human behavior)
 Over what do people compete?
Food
 Resources
 Wealth
 Territory
 Power
 Leads to hierarchy within groups, between groups and inter-group
conflict
 Us vs them; Haves vs have-nots

Independent quick write in your notes margins: List as many
examples as you can think of in 2 minutes that support conflict theory
Symbolic Interactionism
 Examines the roles of symbols, objects, words in shaping group and
inter-group behavior e.g.:
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
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peace sign
middle finger
swastika
red and blue bandanas
NFL sports team logo
1. Quick think: As you see the images, in your mind identify what
you see and think about the emotions or thoughts that
immediately come to mind
2. Quick pair share: When I ring the bell, share with your partner
what you see and how you felt (your gut reaction) as you saw the
image
Social Darwinism
 Herbert Spencer (1820-1903 England)
 Survival of the fittest promotes healthiest society
 When people must fight for power, wealth, basic
needs, they will work harder and weak will die out
 Government assistance creates weaker gene pool by
allowing survival of the unfit
In your notes margins, quick write:
a. Why do you think this is one of the more controversial sociology
perspectives?
b. What is your opinion about Spencer’s assertions?
Journal entry: 4 Perspectives of Sociology Summary & Analysis Prompt
Write a summary and analysis of the four perspectives of sociology.
You must do the following for each perspective within your response:
a) State the main idea of the perspective (1-3 sentences/perspective)
b) State your opinion about whether or not the theory is a good way to explain and
understand human behaviors (1-3 sentences/perspective). Be sure to support
your opinion with examples and explanatory statements!!
If you have trouble creating a strong topic sentence, use the following model in
your response: Fill in the blanks in the following topic sentence.
There are four different perspectives used by sociologists to
examine and explain human social behavior:
__________________, _____________________,
_____________________, and _____________________.