Download Theoretical Perspectives

The 5 Major
Sociological
Theoretical Perspectives
page 22-30
1.2 You will demonstrate an understanding of major
sociological perspectives
Introduction
* Do not copy*
 Given the many ideas that influenced the development of
sociology, how do contemporary sociologists view society?
 Some see society as a stable and ongoing entity
 Others view it as many groups in conflict for scarce resources
 Others describe it as based on everyday routine interactions
among individuals
Each view represents:
 A method of examining the same phenomenon/social
issue Ex. suicide
 General ideas as to how social life is organized and
 Represents an effort to link specific observations in
meaningful ways Ex. Why suicide occurs ?
Introduction con’t
 Each view utilizes a theory – a set of logically interrelated
statements that attempts to describe, explain and occasionally
predict social events
 Sociologists refer to this theoretical framework as a
perspective – an overall approach/ viewpoint on some subject
 We will have a look at 5 theoretical perspectives that have
emerged in sociology

These will be referred to throughout the course
Introduction con’t
 When sociologists analyze human behaviour or society, they use one
of the theoretical perspectives as the basis for their analysis.
 They usually will not directly state what perspective they are using,
but we can identify it by looking for clues in their description and
analysis.
 Each perspective involves specific ideas and assumptions about
society. As well, the words a sociologist uses and the topics he/she
researches help us to identify the sociologist’s perspective.
Functionalist
 influenced by Comte, Spencer, Durkheim
 Based on the assumption:
 that society is a stable and orderly system
 Majority of members of society share a common set of values, beliefs and behavioral
expectations
 Society is composed of interrelated parts, each serve a function and contribute to
the overall stability of society
 Every part of society exists and works because it serves a purpose of some kind in
meeting some aspect of our basic needs. Ex. Family, education, government,
religion, economy
 That purpose may not always be obvious at first glance, but if we look beneath
the surface, we will find a very good reason why a society has adopted a
particular pattern of behaviour or adopted a particular form of a social institution.
Manifest Functions
 Intended /overtly recognized functions
 Ex. Education
 The intended purpose is to transmit knowledge and
skills from one generation to the next
Latent Functions
 Are hidden/unintended functions
 Ex. Education
 matchmaking – we learn to court - to meet your future spouse
 As previously stated - the purpose may not always be obvious at first glance, but if
we look beneath the surface, we will find a very good reason why a society has
adopted a particular pattern of behaviour or adopted a particular form of a social
institution.
Functionalist cont’d
 Society is like a well-oiled machine – each part performs its role and as
a result the entire society “works” – it is by nature harmonious and
productive.
 If anything adverse happens to one of the parts, all other parts are
affected, the system no longer functions properly and creates strain
 Durkheim noted, rapid social change and more specialized division of
labour = strain = breakdown in traditional institutions and may result
in social problems such as increased rates of crime and suicide
 Any parts that may cause disorder or disrupt the smooth operation of
a society will either be changed or eliminated over time.
Applying Functionalist Perspective to
Suicide
 Functionalists focus on importance of shared moral values and
social bonds to society
 Disruptive social conditions may erode moral values, people
may become uncertain how to act and suicide rates increase
 Example: Lithuania (social upheaval) and Japan (prolonged
economic slump)
 Read page 23 to 24
Conflict
 Influenced by Simmel, Marx and Weber
 Groups in society are engaged in a continuous power
struggle/clashes for control of scarce resources
 Tension and clashes amongst social groups and individuals are
inevitable in every society.
 People who control the resources act to maintain this power; people
who do not have access to these resources attempt to obtain it by
taking it away from those who do.
Conflict cont’d
 Inequality is a fundamental characteristic of society. Every
society consists of individuals/groups who “have” and
individuals/groups who “have not”.
 Major inequalities in power lie beneath the surface of the
everyday events in our lives.
 Those in authority strive to maintain their power by creating
social institutions that preserve their power and influence and
prevent others from obtaining it.
Applying Conflict Perspective to
Suicide
Social Class
 Canadian youth are confronted with a capitalist economy
based on consumption and waste and the need to achieve high
levels of success
 Some youth may feel that they do not have a future due to lack
of education or employment opportunities
 Low family income, low education, unemployment and
financial uncertainty are risk factors for youth suicide
Applying Conflict Perspective to
Suicide con’t
Race
 Read page 26
Feminist
 Focuses on gender inequalities in modern society.
 We have traditionally lived in a male dominated (patriarchal)
society. Men possess a greater share of economic and social
privilege and power.
 The exploitation and subordination of women is widespread in
our society.
 Focuses on women’s issues and perspectives on current social
problems.
Feminist cont’d
 Gender roles and the inequalities they create are a product of
the society in which we live. They are not caused by nature
(biology).
 Society teaches and reinforces established gender inequalities
through the way in which we are raised and educated.
Applying Feminist Perspective to
Suicide
 North American females are more likely to attempt suicide
 Males are more likely to take their own lives
 Analyst using a feminist perspective would look at why
women, more than men, are likely to attempt suicide – is it due
to their sense of powerlessness in a male-dominated society?
 Read page 27
Side note …
 Conflict and Functionalist are criticized for focusing on
macrolevel analysis – examining whole societies, large scale
social structures
Versus
 Symbolic Interactionist focus on day-to-day interactions and
their behaviour in small groups/microlevel analysis
Symbolic Interactionist
 According to this perspective, society is the sum of the interactions
of individuals and groups
 Theorists using this perspective focus on the process of interactions
and the part that symbols play in communication
Key Terms:
 Interactions – communication between two or more people
 Symbols – anything meaningful that represents something else
ex. Signs, gestures, written language, shared values
Symbolic Interactionist cont’d
 Symbolic Interaction occurs when people communicate
through the use of symbols
Example
 Gift of food – cake or a casserole
 Facial expression – smile or a frown
 Gesture – hand sake or a clenched fist
 Tone of voice – stern, high pitched or whinny
Symbolic Interactionist cont’d
 Symbols are instrumental in helping people derive meaning from
social situations
 In social encounters, each person’s interpretation of a situation
becomes a subjective reality from that persons viewpoint
 We often consider what we see to be reality is shared by everyone;
but this is often incorrect (in the larger context of the world)
EXAMPLE
 The horn fingers
In Canada, “the horn fingers” is adopted by rockers and it is a sign of approval, rock on!
Hook ’em Horns is the slogan and hand signal of the University of Texas at Austin. But in
many Mediterranean and Latin countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba,
Spain, Italy and Portugal, to make this sign at someone is to tell them that their spouse
is cheating on them.
 How people interpret symbols, messages and situations becomes
their subjective reality and may strongly influence their behaviour
Simply put…
 Focus on daily face-to-face interactions with others and
the roles they play in society
 we define particular situations according to our subjective
reality
 Social learning shapes our thoughts and behaviours; it is
important in how we define ourselves and our
relationships to others!
Applying Symbolic Interactionist
Perspective to Suicide
 Focuses on various meanings that are attributed to the act of suicide
 There is a great variation across cultures
Ex. Japan – suicide traditionally accepted, death is something to be
welcomed
Aboriginal communities – see page 29
Postmodern
 Reject previous theories - unsuccessful in explaining social life in
contemporary societies (post industrial, consumerism and
global communications)
Post modern societies are characterized by:
 Information explosion- Many people work in occupations that
either create information or provide it for others.
 Daily consumption of a wide variety of goods and services plays
a significant role in our lives. We live in a “consumer society”.
 Global village - electronic technologies allow us to
communicate with others in our society and around the world
almost instantly.
Post modern con’t
 These changes in postmodern technology and
consumerism has significant influence in shaping our
daily behaviour and society
 This theory is still emerging and it remains to be seen
what influence it will have on sociology
Applying Post Modern Perspective to
Suicide
 Do information technologies bind people together, or
create a world where people feel disconnected in the
collective life and interpersonal relations?
 How may this influence rates of suicide?
 Are individuals and the media able to easily create fake
and widespread realities and pseudo-explanations in the
absence of real knowledge about events?
Conclusion
 Each perspective involves different assumptions
 Leads us to view the world differently and ask different
questions
 Summary Table is on page 30
Activity
 COMPLETE “Theoretical Perspective” Activity