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The Sociological
Perspective
McGraw-Hill
McGraw-Hill
© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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1
part
THE SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE
The Sociological
Perspective
McGraw-Hill
McGraw-Hill
© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
1
chapter
UNDERSTANDING
SOCIOLOGY
CHAPTER OUTLINE
•What is Sociology?
•What is Sociological Theory?
•The Development of Sociology
•Major Theoretical Perspectives
•Applied and Clinical Sociology
•Developing the Sociological Imagination
•Appendix: Careers in Sociology
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What is Sociology?
█Sociology
– The systematic study of social behavior in
human groups.
– Examines the influence of social
relationships on people’s attitudes and
behavior.
– Studies how societies are established and
change.
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What is Sociology?
█The Sociological Imagination
– Definition: An awareness of the
relationship between an individual and the
wider society.
– It is the ability to view our own society as an
outsider might, rather than from the
perspective of our limited experiences and
cultural biases.
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What is Sociology?
█Sociology and the Social Sciences
– In contrast to other social sciences,
sociology emphasizes the influence that
groups can have on people’s behavior and
attitudes and the ways in which people
shape society.
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What is Sociology?
█Sociology and Common Sense
– Knowledge that relies on “common sense”
is not always reliable.
– Sociologists must test and analyze each
piece of information that they use.
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What is Sociology?
█ Figure 1.1: Race of Victims in Death Penalty Cases
Source: Death Penalty Information Center 2003
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What is Sociological Theory?
█ Theory: An attempt to explain events, forces,
materials, ideas or behavior in a
comprehensive manner.
█ Sociological Theories: Seek to explain
problems, actions, or behavior.
█ Effective theories should explain and predict.
█ Sociologists employ theories to examine the
relationships between observations or data that
may seem completely unrelated.
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The Development of Sociology
█Early Thinkers
– Auguste Comte 1798–1857
• --Coined the term sociology as the science of
human behavior
– Harriet Martineau 1802–1876
• --Studied social behavior in England and the
United States
– Herbert Spencer 1820–1903
• --Studied “evolutionary” change in society
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Continued...
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The Development of Sociology
█Early Thinkers
– Émile Durkheim 1858–1917
• --Pioneered work on suicide
– Max Weber 1864–1920
• --Taught the need for “insight” in intellectual
work
– Karl Marx 1818–1883
• --Emphasized the importance of the economy
and of conflict in society
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The Development of Sociology
█Modern Developments
– Charles Horton Cooley 1864–1929
• --Pioneered work on small groups within
society
– Jane Addams 1860–1935
• --Combined sociological study with activism
– Robert Merton 1910–2003
• --Works on deviant behavior and crime
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The Development of Sociology
█Merton’s Micro and Macro
Approaches to the Study of Society
– Macrosociology: Concentrates on largescale phenomena or entire civilizations.
– Microsociology: Stresses the study of small
groups and often uses experimental study in
laboratories.
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The Development of Sociology
█ Prominent Contributors to Sociological Thought
Auguste Comte
1857
1798
Harriet Martineau
1802
Herbert Spencer
Karl Marx
1876
1820
1903
1818
1883
Émile Durkeim
1858
Jane Addams
George Herbert Mead
1860
1935
1863
Max Weber
Charles Horton Cooley
W.E.B. Du Bois
1864
1931
1920
1864
1929
1868
Talcott Parsons
1963
1902
Robert Merton
1979
1910
C. Wright Mills
2003
1916
Erving Goffman
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The “time lines” shown
here give an idea of
relative chronology.
1917
1962
1922
1982
Source: Figure 1-2 (p.15) in Richard T. Schaefer and Robert P. Lamm,
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Companies,
Inc.
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Sociology: An Introduction.
5th ed.
New
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Major Theoretical Perspectives
█Functionalist Perspective
– Emphasizes the way that parts of a society
are structured to maintain its stability.
– Views society as a vast network of
connected parts, each of which helps to
maintain the system as a whole.
– Each part must contribute or it will not be
passed on from one generation to the next.
Continued...
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Major Theoretical Perspectives
█ Functionalist Perspective
– Manifest Functions of institutions are open,
stated, conscious functions. They involve the
intended, recognized, consequences of an aspect of
society.
– Latent Functions are unconscious or unintended
functions and may reflect hidden purposes of an
institution.
– A dysfunction is an element or a process of
society that may actually disrupt a social system or
lead to a decrease in stability.
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Major Theoretical Perspectives
█Conflict Perspective
– Assumes that social behavior is best
understood in terms of conflict or tension
between competing groups.
– Conflict is not necessarily violent.
– Conflict can be over economics or over
competing values.
Continued...
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Major Theoretical Perspectives
█Conflict Perspective
– The Marxist View: Conflict is seen not
merely as a class phenomenon but as a part
of everyday life in all societies.
– This view emphasizes social change and
redistribution of resources, making conflict
theorists more radical than functionalists.
Continued...
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Major Theoretical Perspectives
█ Conflict Perspective
– A Racial View: W. E. B DuBois: Encourages
sociologists to view society through the eyes of
those segments of the population that rarely
influence decision making.
– Sociology, contended DuBois, had to draw on
scientific principles to study social problems such
as those experienced by Blacks in the United
States.
Continued...
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Major Theoretical Perspectives
█ Interactionist Perspective
– Generalizes about everyday forms of social
interaction in order to understand society as a
whole.
– Interactionism is a sociological framework for
viewing human beings as living in a world of
meaningful objects. These “objects” may include
material things, actions, other people,
relationships, and even symbols.
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Major Theoretical Perspectives
█Feminist Perspective
– Definition: Views inequity in gender as
central to all behavior and organization.
– Unlike conflict theory, with which it is
sometimes allied, the feminist perspective
often focuses on the micro-level
relationships of everyday life, just as
interactionists do.
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Major Theoretical Perspectives
█ Table 1.1: Comparing Major Theoretical Perspectives
View of society
Functionalist
Conflict
Interactionist
Stable, well integrated
Characterized by tension Active in influencing and
and struggle between
affecting everyday social
groups
interaction
Level of analysis Macro
emphasized
Macro
Micro analysis as a way
of understanding the
larger macro phenomena
Key concepts
Manifest functions
Latent functions
Dysfunction
Inequality
Capitalism
Stratification
Symbols
Nonverbal communication
Face-to-face interaction
View of the
individual
People are socialized to
perform societal functions
People are shaped
by power, coercion,
and authority
People manipulate
symbols and create their
social worlds through
interaction
Continued…
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Major Theoretical Perspectives
█ Table 1.1: Comparing Major Theoretical Perspectives
Functionalist
Conflict
Interactionist
View of the
social order
Maintained through
cooperation and
consensus
Maintained through
force and coercion
Maintained by shared
understanding of
everyday behavior
View of social
change
Predictable, reinforcing
Change takes place all
the time and may have
positive consequences
Reflected in people’s
social positions and their
communications with others
Example
Public punishments
reinforce the social order
Laws reinforce the
positions of those
in power
People respect laws or
disobey them based on
their own past experience
Proponents
Émile Durkheim
Talcott Parsons
Robert Merton
Karl Marx
W. E. B. Du Bois
Ida Wells-Barnett
George Herbert Mead
Charles Horton Cooley
Erving Goffman
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Major Theoretical Perspectives
█The Sociological Approach
– Sociologists make use of all four
perspectives.
– Each perspective offers unique insights into
the same issue.
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Applied and Clinical Sociology
█ Applied Sociology: The use of the discipline
of sociology with the specific intent of
yielding practical applications for human
behavior and organizations.
█ Clinical Sociology: The use of the discipline
of sociology with the specific intent of altering
social relationships and facilitating change.
█ Basic Sociology: Seeks a more profound
knowledge of the fundamental aspects of
social phenomena.
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Developing a Sociological
Imagination
█Theory in Practice
█Research in Action
█The Significance of Social Inequality
█Speaking Across Race, Gender, and
National Boundaries
█Social Policy Throughout the World
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Social Inequality
█ Barbara Ehrenreich discusses her book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not)
Getting By In America
(Click inside frame to start video)
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