Download Overview of major theoretical perspectives - Soc

Prepared by:
Sara Chookolingo
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Sociology is a Science, more specifically a
social science.
Sociology is the scientific study of human
activity in the society.
Sociology is one of 6 social sciences.
A social science studies human behaviour,
institutions, or functions of human society in
a scientific manner.
Other social sciences include:
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Anthropology
Psychology
Economics
Political Science
History
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The belief that sociology is a science is
called positivism.
 It is important to note that sociology is
extremely complex because social life is
complex.
 So although traditional sociologists may
have applied the characteristics of a
science, it is not as simple as a
conventional science to investigate.
 People are very complex creatures.
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What makes sociology a science?
› Empirical – observable facts
› Theoretical – a set of ideas used to explain a
phenomenon
› Cumulative – builds on previous knowledge
› Objective – bias-free, not influenced by
personal opinion
› Value-free – free from criteria
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WHAT IS A SOCIETY?
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What is a society?
A society is any set of people living together
in a group comprising of a single
community and whose members are
interdependent (Mustapha 2009, 23).
 Sociology = Studies human society and
social behaviour in a scientific manner.
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Society is divided into:
1. Social interactions – how people relate to one
another and how they influence each others
behaviour.
2. Social Institutions – a group of people banded
together for a common purpose.
3. Social Phenomena – observable facts or
events that occur in human society.
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SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS
 In the social sciences, institutions are the
structures and mechanisms of social order
and cooperation governing the behavior of
a set of individuals within a given human
collectivity.
 Institutions include the family, religion,
education, peer group, economic systems,
legal systems, penal systems, political
systems, and the media.
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SOCIAL PHENOMENA
 There are many issues and phenomena that
are addressed in sociology. These include:
› Crime
› Stratification
› Poverty
› Technology
› Racism
› Social Media
› Inequality
› Population
› Illiteracy
› Corruption
› Underdevelopment
› Sexuality
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Understand how behaviour is influenced
by social factors.
 Learn how to view the world through
other’s eyes (sociological perspective).
 Attempt to connect the larger world with
personal life (sociological imagination).
 Find your place both within society and
history.
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A theory is a set of ideas that seeks to
explain how something works.
 A sociological theory seeks to explain
how society or aspects of society work.
 Most “facts” as we understand it in
today’s society are based on theory.
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Theories are extremely selective and as
such varying perspectives have its own
priorities.
 Thus, only a partial or one-sided view of
reality is presented.
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Analyses society as a whole and how it
functions.
 Human behaviour is affected or influenced
by the institutions, structures and society as
a whole.
Society  Human Behaviour (interaction)
 Life, interactions and social behaviour are
all determined by the institutions (school,
religion, government) and structures (norms,
values, customs, traditions) of society.
 One such Macro theory is Functionalism.
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One of the first sociological theories to
evolve.
 Became most dominant social theory in the
1940s & 50s, especially in the USA
 Society can be compared to a living
organism – INSTITUTIONS resemble ORGANS
 Functionalism
investigates the impact
society and institutions have on the
individual and behaviour.
INSTITUTIONS  BEHAVIOUR
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1.
View society as a system of highly
interrelated parts that function together
harmoniously.
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2.
Although societies differ and culture is
relative, Functionalists believe in a
general consensus (agreement) in
society.
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3.
Society seeks stability and the status quo
and
avoids
conflict.
Conflict
is
dysfunctional or pathological.
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Functionalism has been critiqued
over the years for the following
reasons:
› Too deterministic and ignores diversity
› Too ideal or perfect
› Too functional – minimizes conflict
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Like the Functionalists, conflict theory is a
structural or Macro- sociological perspective.
However, this is their ONLY similarity.
Marxism offers a radical or revolutionary
alternative to Functionalism.
Their MAIN tenet is that society is in a
perpetual state of conflict because there are
different groups with different needs and
interests.
According to Tischler (2007, 21), conflict
theorists view society as constantly changing
in response to social inequality and social
conflict.
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Conflict is normal and desirable
 Social equilibrium or order is the dominant
or ruling class ploy of maintaining control
 According to Marxists, there are two
groups in contemporary society:
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› Ruling Class (BOURGEOISIE or Capitalists)
› Lower/Subordinate Class (PROLETARIAT
Working class)
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or
History always had two groups opposing
each other with differing interests
(dialectic materialism)
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 Conflict
theory
has
been
condemned by several critics:
› Too ideologically based
› Too economically deterministic
› There are more than two classes
(growing middle class)
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While Functionalism and Marxism insist that
the structure or institutions are responsible
for the manner in which individuals
behave, social action or interpretive
perspectives see structure as being
influenced by the action of individuals.
 Max Weber challenges the view that
society exists outside or independently of
the individual.
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Social Action or Individual Behaviour should
be the focus of the study of society.
THE PROTESTANT ETHIC AND THE SPIRIT OF
CAPITALISM (1904)
Social Action is an action carried out by an
individual to which a person attached
meaning.
It is as a result of conscious thought where
an individual logically and rationally gives a
reason to an action in a public sphere.
Verstehen – understanding of the meaning
attached to an action.
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Also
remembered
for
his
work
on
Bureaucracies.
A bureaucracy was the dominant institution on
industrial society.
It is a rational organization with a hierarchy of
paid, full-time professionals who formed a topdown chain of command.
Bureaucracies are everywhere – government,
church, schools.
Humans rationally & logically think before they
act.
Saw three spheres that affect life – economic,
political and cultural.
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Symbolic Interactionism (by George H Mead)
 Society is the product of interaction between
people which takes place through the use of
symbols which have meaning for the
individuals involved.
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 Dramaturgy
(by Erving Goffman)
 It
is the belief that life is a stage and
we are all players or actors. We are
not our “real” selves in public.
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Ethnomethodology (by Harold Garfinkel)
 Society has a particular order in life based
on certain rituals that people use in order to
make sense of their world.
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 Phenomenology
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(Alfred Schutz)
How people make sense of their
environment and surroundings by classifying
objects based on their understanding.
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