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WHY SOCIOLOGY?
Jagoda MrzygłockaChojnacka PhD
JAGODA MRZYGŁOCKA- CHOJNACKA PHD
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INTRODUCTION
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb4Q20z0T1Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6GxIuljT3w
JAGODA MRZYGŁOCKA- CHOJNACKA PHD
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WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?
Sociology is the systematic study of social behavior and human groups.
It focuses on social relationships,
how these relationships influence people’s behavior,
how societies, the sum total of these relationships, develop and change.
Sociology is the study of human behavior in society.
Sociologists are interested in the study of people and have learned a
fundamental lesson: all human behavior occurs in a societal context. That
context—the institutions and culture that surround us—shapes what people do and
think.
JAGODA MRZYGŁOCKA- CHOJNACKA PHD
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WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?
Sociology is a scientific way of thinking about society and its influence on
human groups. Observation, logical analysis, research combined with
knowledge are the tools which the sociologists use.
Sociology is based on observations that are objective and accurate to
create analyses that are reliable and that can be validated by others.
Sociology focuses on three main issues:
How social relationships influence people’s attitudes and behavior
How social institutions affect us
How we affect other individuals, groups, and organizations
JAGODA MRZYGŁOCKA- CHOJNACKA PHD
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WHAT SOCIOLOGISTS STUDY
Sociology is the study of the social world. It involves studying human beings
and their patterns of behavior. In order to do this, we focus on the way
people form relationships and how these relationships connect people in
society and social groups.
In this respect, the focus of the sociologist’s attention is group behavior.
People are born in the groups and belong to groups and join into the
groups and these groups have the most effect on people behavior
JAGODA MRZYGŁOCKA- CHOJNACKA PHD
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HOW SOCIOLOGISTS STUDY THE SOCIAL
WORLD.
The definitions included words like
“scientific”, “systematic” and
“objective”
- ideas that tell us something about both ways sociologists study social
behavior and the kind of knowledge theyare trying to produce about
social life.
JAGODA MRZYGŁOCKA- CHOJNACKA PHD
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HOW SOCIOLOGISTS STUDY THE SOCIAL
WORLD.
Objective means that sociologists try to create knowledge that is
factual, not only subjective. In simple terms, sociologists try to avoid
personal opinions or values affecting into their studies.
To do this, they use:
Systematic ways of studying the social behavior. By this is meant
that sociologists try to use research methods, which are regulated
by rules of science evidence.
For example, a sociologist will try to test his or her ideas in some way.
We will see an example of this in a moment when we look at the
difference between commonsense and sociological explanations of
human behavior.
JAGODA MRZYGŁOCKA- CHOJNACKA PHD
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SOCIOLOGY AND COMMONSENSE.
Commonsense ideas and explanations represent a form of social
perspective and represent things that “everyone knows” about
The social world and human behavior. These ideas, whatever they may
be, are not necessarily incorrect. They are simply assumed to be true.
Sociological knowledge has greater validity than most forms of
commonsense knowledge because it has been tested through some form
of observation.
Sociological knowledge is often at odds with “what everyone knows”,
mainly because it is the product of theory development and testing.
JAGODA MRZYGŁOCKA- CHOJNACKA PHD
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SOCIOLOGY AND COMMONSENSE.
We can illustrate some differences between commonsense and
sociological perspectives by examining a number of commonsense
statements about various forms of human behavior.
This short test should show you the difference between sociological
knowledge and common sense, which does not necessarily give us a
true picture of the social world.
JAGODA MRZYGŁOCKA- CHOJNACKA PHD
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A WOMAN WALKING ALONE AT NIGHT IS IN GREATER DANGER
OF SEXUAL ATTACK OR RAPE BY A STRANGER THAN A WOMAN
IN A FAMILIAR PLACE WITH A MAN SHE KNOWS.
The Women’s Safety Studies of 2005 showed that:
50% of sexual attacks and 25% of rapes have involved strangers.
Most rapists are known to the victim. The most likely rapists include a
friend, boss or supervisor, workmate, family member or neighbour.
The most common places for rape or attack are, in order of frequency:
in the victim’s home.
at a street
in the attacker’s home.
JAGODA MRZYGŁOCKA- CHOJNACKA PHD
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IN BRITAIN 100 YEARS AGO THE FAMILY WAS LESS LIKELY TO
BREAK-UP THROUGH DIVORCE AND SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES
WERE VERY RARE.
Did not break-up through divorce, mainly because it was not
possible to get a divorce legally unless you were very rich and very
influential and male.
According to the 1851 Census (the study of England populations),
18% of households were headed by a single parent (mainly
because of things like the death of a partner, separation and so on)
compared with 9% in 2005.
JAGODA MRZYGŁOCKA- CHOJNACKA PHD
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IN COUNTRIES THAT HAVE A WELFARE STATE, THE POOR
BECOME DEPENDENT ON GOVERNMENT HANDOUTS AND LOSE
THEIR WILL TO WORK.
the studies of poverty have shown that poverty is not something
constant. Of course some people are poor whole lifes, but also for
example, people can become poor by the death of the member of
family, or by the births of children. As their lives change, people can
move out of poverty. It is untrue that most of the poor are poor of
their own choice.
In addition, most of the unemployed do not work because:
they are unemployed between jobs.
they are unable to work because ofdisability or age.
there are no jobs for them in the economic system
JAGODA MRZYGŁOCKA- CHOJNACKA PHD
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CONCLUSION.
The main point of this little test we have just done is not to discredit the
commonsense explanations. It is rather to demonstrate that:
The purpose of sociology is to complete knowledge about human behavior.
Knowledge that is produced through examination, helps us to explain more
than knowledge that is simply based on trust or opinion.
Knowledge that “everyone knows” is not by definition false. The objective of
all social sciences is to produce valid knowledge - knowledge that paints the
true and contemporary picture of human behaviors, meanings and motives.
JAGODA MRZYGŁOCKA- CHOJNACKA PHD
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THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
the sociological perspective helps us to see general social patterns in
behavior of individuals.
It allows us to discover new levels of reality
It encourages us to realize that society guides our thoughts and actions
it also encourages us to see individual in social context.
JAGODA MRZYGŁOCKA- CHOJNACKA PHD
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THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATIONSTHE ESSENCE OF SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
sociological imagination
ability of understanding how the one's own life and life the others are
connected with history, contemporary world, social structure and culture
In essence, it is understanding the private life in public conditions
JAGODA MRZYGŁOCKA- CHOJNACKA PHD
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IN OTHER WORDS
to understand people’s behavior, we must look around and see a
social contexts in which people live.
individuals make choices, but their choices are limited by social,
historical, cultural, political and economic factors.
the most important, people often do not realize the extent to which
their lives are influenced by things that are outside to them and
outside their control.
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CHARLES WRIGHT MILLS, AN AMERICAN SOCIOLOGIST (19161962) WHO WAS THE CREATOR OF THE CONCEPT OF
SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION GAVE US THE ESSENTIAL LESSON
OF SOCIOLOGY
The main point is, if we are to understand people’s behavior, that we must
take into consideration these all factors!
Why? Because peoples are a social being.
It means everyone lives surrounded by other people, in the world they were
built by people who lived before them, and everyone has a chance to build
a society for future generations.
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SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION
Sociological imagination is some kind of awareness.
Awareness of the relationship between individual and society
Sociological imagination is some way of understanding that our social
location is conected with contemporary and historical social context,
social actors, and social actions.
JAGODA MRZYGŁOCKA- CHOJNACKA PHD
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SUBJECT MATTER OF SOCIOLOGY
an analysis of society and culture from a sociological perspective.
to analyze the factors and forces leading to transformations of
society.
Study of basics of social life: It is associated with: social acts and social
relationships, individual personality, groups, communities, associations,
organizations and populations.
JAGODA MRZYGŁOCKA- CHOJNACKA PHD
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SUBJECT MATTER OF SOCIOLOGY
an analysis of development, structure and function of basic social
institutions: family, religion, property, economy, policy, law,
education, welfare and others.
an analysis of fundamental social processes: such as cooperation,
competition, accommodation, assimilation, social conflict,
communication, social differentiation and stratification;
socialization, social control,social integration and social change and
others.
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SOCIOLOGY PUTS EMPHASIS ON SOCIAL
RESEARCH
contemporary sociology has tended to become more and more rational
and empirical rather than philosophical and idealistic.
on the basis of research sociologists formulate concepts and theories.
Theories represent propositions that explain social phenomena
systematically. Sociological theories are mostly rooted in facts and data.
currently sociology has various specializations. Such as: sociology of
knowledge, sociology of history, sociology of organization, sociology of
culture, sociology of religion, sociology of family and others
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