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Chapter 1
Sociology:
A Unique Way to
View the World
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
Why is the social world important?
Humans are fundamentally social beings
The social world is not just outside us; we
also carry it within us
We take social patterns for granted as
routine, ordinary, and expected
Without socially shared expectations, life
would be chaotic
Individuals and the social world mutually
influence one another
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
What is sociology?
Sociology: the scientific study of social life,
social change, and the social causes and
consequences of human behavior
Sociologists ask questions such as:
Why and how do people and groups interact with
one another?
How are different groups or societies organized?
How do they deal with conflict and change?
How do changes in one society affect other societies?
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
What is sociology?
Sociologists study groups of all sizes
Dyads (e.g., a romantic couple)
Small groups (e.g., a family)
Large groups (e.g., the auto industry)
Nations (e.g., the U.S.)
The global society (the world as an
interdependent entity)
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
What is sociology?
Underlying assumptions of sociology
People are social by nature
People live most of their lives in groups
Interactions between people and groups are
reciprocal: each influences the other
Groups feature recurrent social patterns,
ordered behavior, shared expectations, and
common understandings
Conflict and change are inevitable
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
What is sociology?
Sociology vs. Common Sense
Common sense ideas seem sensible to any
reasonable person; they are taken for granted
and rarely questioned
Sociology uses scientific methods to test ideas,
including common sense assumptions
Scientific methods involve analyzing evidence in a
way that is planned, objective, systematic, and
repeatable
Many common sense ideas are challenged by
scientific evidence
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
What is sociology?
The sociological imagination
Defined by C. Wright Mills as understanding
individual problems to be rooted in broader
social or public issues
For example …
How do social factors influence layoff rates and
personal experiences of unemployment?
How have social factors shaped the causes and
rates of divorce?
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
What is sociology?
Questions sociologists do and don’t ask
Sociologists don’t ask questions that require
philosophical or moral judgments
Sociologists do ask questions that can be
studied objectively and scientifically
e.g., sociologists may study a group’s religious
beliefs, but they do not make judgments about
whether the beliefs are right or wrong
Applied sociologists conduct research to create
change, for instance through social policy or by
helping organizations solve problems
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
What is sociology?
Comparing the social sciences
All study aspects of human behavior and social
life, but each has a different focus:
Cultural anthropology: the culture or way of life of a
society
Psychology: individual behavior and mental processes
Political Science: government systems and power
Economics: economic conditions and how people
organize, produce, and distribute goods
Sociology: human interaction, groups, and social
structure
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
What Do Sociologists Do—and Why?
Essential ingredients in sociological study:
Ability to observe what is happening
in the social world
Desire to understand and explain
why it is happening
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
What Do Sociologists Do—and Why?
Some practical rewards of sociological study:
Self-awareness and self-improvement
Better understanding of social situations
Objective, systematic understanding of
problems
Understanding of diverse cultural perspectives
Ability to assess the impact of social policies
Appreciation of the complexities of social life
Useful skills
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
What Do Sociologists Do—and Why?
What sociologists do
Work in colleges and universities
Teach, conduct research
Work in social service organizations
Address interpersonal relations or deviant behavior
Work in business
Address organizational needs or human resources
Work in government
Provide data for policy and planning
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
What Do Sociologists Do—and Why?
Useful skills honed in sociological training
Communication & interpersonal
Analysis and research
Computer/technical
Flexibility
Leadership
Sensitivity to diversity
Organizing and planning
Conceptual, problem-solving
Personal values
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
The Social World Model
Levels of analysis: size of the social groups being
considered, from the smallest to the largest
Understanding sociology requires understanding
multiple levels of analysis
The social world model allows us to picture levels
of analysis in our social environment as an
interconnected series of small groups,
organizations, institutions, and societies
Important question: How do the levels connect or
conflict with one another?
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
The Social World Model
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
The Social World Model
Social Structures
Social units: interconnected parts of the social
world
Social structure: a particular combination of
social units that orders our lives
Social institutions: provide the rules, roles, and
relationships to meet human needs and guide
human behavior
National society: a population of people living
in a specified area with a common political
authority, many common ideas, and a social
structure and institutions
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
The Social World Model
Social Processes
Social processes: actions taken by people in
social units. For example,
Process of socialization: how we learn to be
productive members of society
Process of stratification: process of layering people
on the basis of birth, income, or other factors
Process of change: every social unit is continually
changing, and change in each unit affects others
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
The Social World Model
The Environment
The environment: the setting that surrounds and
influences each social unit
e.g., physical, organizational, or technological setting
Each unit has its own distinctive environment, to
which it must adjust
To understand a social unit, we must consider
not only the structure and processes within the
unit, but also its interaction with the surrounding
environment
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
The Social World Model
Studying the Social World: Levels of Analysis
The social world can be studied at many levels:
Micro-level (individuals and small groups)
• Importance: micro interactions form the basis of all
social organizations
Meso-level (intermediate size units)
• Importance: helps explain relations among
institutions, organizations, and large groups
Macro-level (nations, global & international trends)
• Importance: helps explain how larger social forces
shape everyday life
Each level adds depth to a topic
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
The Social World Model
Levels of Analysis
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
The Social World Model
Which level of analysis would you use to
examine each of the following questions?
How do couples divide housework
responsibilities?
Which factors determine the percentage of
women in political power in a certain country?
Does the size of a school’s sports stadium
matter for students who are choosing a college?
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.
The Social World Model
Answer:
All three questions could be studied from any
of the levels, or from a combination of levels
© Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011.