Contemporary Theoretical
Perspectives
Structural Functionalism
Social Conflict
Symbolic Interactionism
Theory
• A statement of how and why specific facts are
related
• Theoretical Approach: a basic image of society that
guides thinking and research
Think of theories as lenses that
we look through to view
sociology in different ways.
Structural Functionalist Perspective
• Views society as a complex system whose parts work
together to create stability
• Focus on institutions that shape society as a whole
• The family, education, government, religion &
economy
• Consequences affect all institutions, not just one
• Example: Difficult home life affects an
adolescent’s performance in school
Structural Functional Lens
• Herbert Spencer compared
society to the “body” and the parts
of society (norms, customs,
traditions, institutions) to “organs”
• All parts or “organs” are important
and have a specific function
• Other Theorists: Auguste Comte,
Talcott Parsons, and Robert Merton
Structural Functional Lens
• How does society become dysfunctional?
– Parts of society that create dysfunction include
poverty, crime and prostitution
Social Conflict Lens
• Think about Social Conflict Theory in relation to shopping…
• Everyone in society is competing for power and resources
• Conspicuous Consumption
“Shopping entails the joy of going into a safe spot filled with things to
look at where shoppers are treated deferentially. Although no one
has hooked up a lie detector to a shopper, if they did, the machine
would register increased arousal, heightened involvement, perceived
freedom and fantasy fulfillment.” (Twitchell, sociological scholar)
“Get in loser, we’re
going shopping.”
-Mean Girls
Social Conflict Lens
• Views society as an arena of inequality that creates
conflict and change
• Groups compete for control of scarce resources
– “Owners” vs. “Workers”
– Continuous conflict between the two ends in revolution
• Inspired by Karl Marx
• Functional Theory looks for stability, whereas
Conflict Theory looks for tension
Symbolic Interactionism Lens
• The way we learn to interpret and give meaning to the
world through our interactions with others
• Interactions are interpreted through existing symbols
– Verbal & non-verbal communication
– Understanding symbols is important to understanding human
behavior
• Theorists: George Herbert Mead, Erving Goffman
and Herbert Blumer
Symbolic Interactionism Lens
• Dramaturgical Approach (Erving Goffman)
– Compares everyday life to actors on a stage
– We wear a variety of masks & act differently
depending on the situation we are placed in
• Focus on people’s face to face interactions and
the roles people play