Part I – The Study of Sociology
Chapter 1: What is Sociology?
Lecture #2
The Development of Sociological Thinking
What is “theory”?
“Theories involve constructing abstract
interpretations that can be used to explain a wide
variety of empirical situations.” (P.10)
The Development of Sociological Thinking
What is “theory”?
How does a thing happen?
↓
Why does a thing happen?
The Development of Sociological Thinking
What can theories do for us?
They “help us make sense of facts.” (P.10)
They “guide” (P.10) us so that we are able to
understand and explain the complexity of
societies.
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Theories are not…
- End-products (but, open-ended)
- Panaceas (but, limited)
The Development of Sociological Thinking
How must theories be?
(1) “We can only develop valid theoretical
approaches if we are able to test them out by
means of factual research.”(P.10)
The Development of Sociological Thinking
How must theories be?
(2) Diverse
“Diversity in theoretical thinking provides a rich
source of ideas that can be drawn upon in
research, and stimulates the imaginative
capacities so essential to progress in
sociological work.” (P.22)
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Why can we find much more AfricanAmericans in sports, for example NBA and
NFL, than any other ethnic group
populations ?
The Development of Sociological Thinking
“Why do men commit criminal acts much
more than women do?”
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Biological
Socio-cultural
Economical
Political etc.
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Modern theoretical approaches
- Functionalism
- Marxism/Conflict theory
- Symbolic interactionism (Constructionist
approach)
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Modern theoretical approaches
Functionalism
“How is society possible?”
Society = Human body
“Biological (organic) analogy”
- “functions”
- “needs”
- “purposes”
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Modern theoretical approaches
Functionalism
“How does society change?”
- “Adjustment”
- “Differentiation”
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Modern theoretical approaches
Functionalism
“Society creates us?” Or “Society is created by us?”
- Society creates us. Because we are born in society.
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Modern theoretical approaches
Emile Durkheim
1858 – 1917
- Social order
“organic solidarity”
“anomie”
- Social institutions
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Modern theoretical approaches
Marxism/Conflict theory
“How is society possible?”
- “Power”
- “Domination”
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Modern theoretical approaches
Marxism/Conflict theory
“How does society change?”
- “Conflict”
- “Competition”
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Modern theoretical approaches
Marxism/Conflict theory
“Society creates us?” Or “Society is created
by us?”
- Society creates us. Because the way of
thinking and acting of human beings are
determined by his/her position in society.
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Modern theoretical approaches
Karl Marx
1818 –1883
- Historical materialism
“History is created by men,
but not in the way they
are pleased.”
- Class struggle
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Modern theoretical approaches
Symbolic Interactionism
“Society creates us?” or “Society is created by us?”
- Society is no more than a product of human actions
(interactions).
- Individuals are not just passive learners of cultures,
customs, language…etc
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Modern theoretical approaches
Symbolic Interactionism
“How is society possible?”
- Society is a fabric of meanings and definitions provided
by its members in the process of interaction.
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Modern theoretical approaches
Symbolic Interactionism
“How does society change?”
- Society emerges from interactions between individuals
and groups. Thus, society is all the time the subject of
change depending on actions by them.
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Modern theoretical approaches
G. H. Mead
1863 – 1931
- Capacity of thoughts
- Symbols and
language
- Interactions
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Modern theoretical approaches
Max Weber
1864 – 1920
Mutual influence between
individuals and society
Interactions between
different institutions