Download HOW DO SOCIOLOGISTS USE THEORETICAL PARADIGMS TO

HOW DO SOCIOLOGISTS
USE THEORETICAL
PARADIGMS TO FRAME
THEIR THINKING?
Sociological paradigms
• What are paradigms?
• Functionalism
• Conflict theory
• Symbolic interactionism
Sociological paradigms
• What are paradigms?
• Functionalism
• Conflict theory
• Symbolic interactionism
The Three Major Paradigms
of Sociology
• Paradigms:
• the theoretical frameworks through which scientists study
the world
• Sociology has three major paradigms
• functionalism
• conflict theory
• symbolic interactionism
• Core questions of the three paradigms
• see next slide
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Sociological paradigms
• What are paradigms?
• Functionalism
• Conflict theory
• Symbolic interactionism
Functionalism
• Functionalism is the theoretical framework that
defines society as a system of interrelated parts
• Social problems are due to the interrelated nature of
society
• E.g., globalization and urban poverty
• Believes best way to understand society as a whole is to
understand how parts of society are interrelated
• Analogy of the body, division of labor
• E.g., stratification rewards those who contribute most to society
• Davis and Moore Thesis: the rich get that way because they are harder
working than the poor
• Social problems are necessary
• E.g., crime, prostitution, poverty
Functionalist Thinkers
• Herbert Spencer (1820–1903)
• Society can be considered a living organism
• Social Darwinism
• Social problems are caused by biologically inferior people
• Emile Durkheim (1858–1917)
• Division of labor
• Social integration and social control (e.g., social facts, norms
and values) hold society together
• Social problems are caused by lack of integration
• E.g., egoistic suicide
• Social problems are caused by weakening of norms (anomie)
• E.g., anomic suicide
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Functionalist Thinkers
• Talcott Parsons (1902–1979)
• Society is a grand interrelated system in which each individual
is instrumental in keeping the system functional
• Social problems are caused by individuals or groups not functioning
properly
• E.g., instrumental and expressive roles in the family
• Robert Merton (1910–2003)
• Every action in society has manifest functions and latent
functions
• Social problems are latent consequences of societal action
• E.g., housing projects
• Social problems can be seen as dysfunctions in society or caused by
dysfunctions in society
• E.g., school shootings
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Sociological paradigms
• What are paradigms?
• Functionalism
• Conflict theory
• Symbolic interactionism
Conflict Theory
• Theoretical framework that views society as being in a
constant struggle over a limited amount of resources
• E.g., struggle between the capitalist class and the working
class
• Also uses a macro approach because it deals with
interaction of multiple groups fighting to gain power
• E.g., whites and racial and ethnic minorities
• Conflict theory can be applied to many institutions, not
just social class
• E.g., age, gender, race, religion
• Any social construct in which inequality can be viewed as a social
problem
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Conflict Theorists
• Harriet Martineau (1802–1876)
• Society’s actions are often quite different from the values
expressed by that society
• Social problems often contradict our values
• E.g., the valuing of democracy in contrast to giving women the right to vote
• E.g., egalitarianism and intense social stratification
• Karl Marx (1818–1883)
• Capitalism breeds conflict between the rich and the poor, the
bourgeoisie and the proletariat
• Capitalism relies on ideology, or false consciousness
• The rich benefit from inequality of wealth
• E.g., better schools, neighborhoods, access to healthcare
• For the poor, the free market is hardly free
• Coerciveness of capitalism (Burawoy and Wright)
• Social problems are caused by capitalism
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Conflict Theorists
• W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963)
• Social equality is impossible to achieve in corrupt social
systems
• The past strongly influences the present
• Social problems endure due to past corrupt social systems
• Those with power attempt to protect their positions
• E.g., opposition to affirmative action, busing
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Sociological paradigms
• What are paradigms?
• Functionalism
• Conflict theory
• Symbolic interactionism
Symbolic Interactionism
• Symbolic Interactionism
• A theoretical framework that focuses on how individual
interactions between people influence their behavior and
how these interactions can impact society
• Analyzes how social interactions influence, create, and sustain
human relationships
• E.g., high rates of attempted suicide among transgender teens
• Social problems emerge in the interaction
• E.g., poor student-middle-class teacher interactions
• E.g., gender inequality
• This paradigm is a micro approach because it deals with
individuals, not groups or institutions
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Symbolic Interactionists
• George Herbert Mead (1863–1931)
• Society is made up of symbols that teach us to understand the
world
• Howard Becker (1928–present)
• Social interactions can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies that
limit a person’s outcomes
• Labeling
• E.g., secondary deviation
• Social problems are social constructions
• E.g., marijuana smoking, health issues, mental illness
• E.g., drug epidemic and the state (see Katherine Beckett)
• Meanings affect behavior
• E.g., becoming a marihuana smoker
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Sociological paradigms
• What are paradigms?
• Functionalism
• Conflict theory
• Symbolic interactionism