THE SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE
MARX
NIETZSCHE
DURKHEIM
WEBER
DARWIN
SPENCER
THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
1. DEFINITION OF SOCIOLOGY: THE
SYSTEMATIC STUDY OF HUMAN SOCIETY
AND SOCIAL INTERACTION
• WE LIVE IN GROUPS AND GROUPS
AFFECT OUR LIVES
• THE FOCUS OF STUDY IS ON GROUPS
RATHER THAN THE INDIVIDUAL
• USE SCIENTIFIC METHOD- BEYOND
COMMONSENSE
2. SOCIOLOGY AS “DEBUNKING”
• LOOK BEHIND THE APPARENT UNMASKING REALITY
• LOOKING FOR NEW INTERPRETATIONS
OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR
3.STUDY OF “PATTERNED BEHAVIORS”
THAT MEET OUR SOCIAL NEEDS:
• PROVIDE GOODS AND SERVICESECONOMIC SYSTEM
• REGULATE SEX - THE FAMILY
• PASS ON OUR WAY OF LIFE-EDUCATION
• MAINTAIN ORDER- GOVERNMENT/LAW
• GIVE MEANING TO LIVE - RELIGION
4. THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION
• PERSONAL ISSUES SEEN IN SOCIAL
CONTEXT
• SEE HOW SOCIAL STRUCTURES AFFECT
OUR INDIVIDUAL LIVES
5. SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF REALITY
• WE DEFINE WHAT IS REAL
• WHO HAS THE POWER TO DEFINE
REALITY
SOCIOLOGICAL
THEORY
EMILE DURKHEIM
KARL MARX
MAX WEBER
Slide 4 of 7
STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONAL
THEORY
1. EXAMINES HOW SOCIAL STRUCTURES
FUNCTION TO MEET SOCIAL NEEDS
2. ASKS THE QUESTION:
“WHAT STRUCTURES EXIST, AND ARE
THEY FUNCTIONING PROPERLY?”
ASSUMPTIONS
1. SOCIAL STRUCTURES COME BY
CONSENSUS
2 SOCIETY LIKE ORGANISM WITH
INTERACTING PARTS
3. STABILITY IS THE MAIN CRITERION
4. LATENT AND MANIFEST
CONSEQUENCES
•SOCIAL STRUCTURES MAY BE
DYSFUNCTIONAL
•SOCIAL STRUCTURES ADAPT TO
CHANGING SOCIAL NEEDS
EVALUATION OF FUNCTIONALIST VIEW:
• A STATIC AND CONSERVATIVE VIEW OF
SOCIAL SYSTEMS
• TENDS TO SUPPORT THE STATUS QUO
CONFLICT THEORY
1. GROUPS IN SOCIETY ARE IN CONSTANT
STRUGGLE FOR CONTROL OF SCARCE
RESOURCES
2. ASK THE QUESTION: “WHO BENEFITS?”
3. BASED ON MARX’S CLASS CONFLICT
4. INEQUALITIES ESTABLISHED BY THE
DOMINATE CLASS
KARL MARX
5. SOCIAL CHANGE COMES THROUGH
CONFLICT AND REVOLUTION
6. EVALUATION: TOO CRITICAL OF
EXISTING SOCIAL STRUCTURES
MARX
NIETZSCHE
DURKHEIM
WEBER
DARWIN
SPENCER
SYMBOLIC INTERACTION THEORY
1. INTEREST IN THE SYMBOLIC MEANING
PEOPLE GIVE TO INTERACTIONS
2. LOOK FOR THE SUBJECTIVE MEANING
PEOPLE GIVE TO EVENTS
3. ASK THE QUESTION: “WHO IS DEFINING
THE SITUATION?”
HERBERT BLUMER
CHARLES H.COOLEY
GEORGE H. MEAD
ERVING GOFFMAN
4. ASSUMPTIONS
• BEHAVIOR, GESTURE AND WORDS
CAN HAVE MULTIPLE INTERPRETATIONS
• MEANING IS CREATED THROUGH
INTERACTION, DOES NOT EXIST IN
THE ACT ITSELF
• MEANING RESULTS FROM THE
“DEFINITION OF THE SITUATION”
THE
END