Transcript The Development of Sociology

Chapter 1: The Sociological Point of
View
 Section
 In
2 – Sociology: Then and Now
this section you will learn about early
leaders in sociology and about the 3
main schools of thought for studying
sociology.
The Development of
Sociology
• The rapid social and political changes that took place in
Europe as a result of the Industrial Revolution
• Rapid growth of urban populations produced a multitude
of social problems
The Development of Sociology
• Over time, it became difficult to ignore the effects
of society on the individual
• Sweeping political, social , and economic changes
caused some scholars to question the traditional
explanations of life and attempted to prove their
beliefs using a variety of methods
The Early Years


As stated, sociology began
to take shape in the 1800s,
as a result of the Industrial
Revolution.
Auguste Comte was on of
the originators. He
attempted to apply the
methods of scientific
research to the study of
society.
The Early Years

Comte is considered the founder of
sociology.
Comte focused on social order and social change
 Social order (Static) holds society together
 Social change (Dynamic) – society changes
through social processes
 He also practiced “cerebral hygiene”, where he
did not recognize the writings of people that did
not agree with his views

The Early Years

Herbert Spencer view of
society became know as
social Darwinism.
Only the fittest societies would
survive over time.
 He adapted ideas of evolution,
which Charles Darwin
developed in his study The
Origin of Species, and applied
them to the function of
society

Policies and actions formed based on
social Darwinistic beliefs; whereas others
used it to advocate the need for the
wealthy to help the poor


What might be some arguments against the
theory of social Darwinism?
Poor people have gone on to achieve success or
the positive social results of programs to help
disadvantaged groups
The Early Years


Karl Marx’s writings were a major impetus/drive
for the Russian Revolution in 1917. The
communist party was established based on
Marxist teachings.
2 Classes
bourgeoisie – capitalist > owned the means of production
 Proletariat – workers > own nothing & provide labor

• Marx believed this imbalance would lead to
CONFLICT. His view lead to the development
of conflict theory
Russian Revolution

Marx believed that conflict causes social change
The Early Years
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
Emile Durkheim believed in social order, much
like Auguste Comte
Similar to Herbert Spencer, he thought
interdependent parts maintain the system
(society) throughout time.
Durkheim viewed those parts as functions
 A function is the outcome that an element of society
produces for the maintenance of its social system.
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
Durkheim thought sociologists should only
study measurables (objectable phenomena) to
obtain statistical analysis
The Early Years
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
Max Weber separated groups in society not the
society as a whole. He studied the effects of
society on the individual
Weber established the principle Verstehen
Understand meanings people put to their actions.
The “why I did it” understanding
 He wanted to see things through someone else’s eyes
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Current Perspectives


Theory – explanation of the relationships
among particular phenomena (what do I think?)
Theoretical perspectives is a set of assumptions
about the nature of things (outlines ideas about
the nature of social life)
3 Main Theoretical Perspectives
Differ in Focus
• FUNCTIONALISTS – see society as a set of
interrelated parts that work together to produce a
stable social system; focus on functions and
dysfunctions
• Dysfunctional – disrupt society rather than
stabilize it (crime)
• Manifest function – expected consequence of
an element in society (planes, get you places fast)
• Latent function – unexpected consequence (nice
cars attract pretty girls)
Functions

Apply latent and manifest functions to the
purpose of schools.
Manifest function – educate youth
 Latent function – socialize students, teach teamwork
and cooperation, and teach societal values such as
honesty

Three Main Theoretical Perspectives
Differ in Focus
CONFLICT THEORISTS – focus on forces in
society that promote competition and change; see
social change as an inevitable feature of society
How does a labor strict represent a conflict?
It represents conflict between workers and
employers
Three Main Theoretical Perspectives
Differ in Focus
INTERACTIONISTS – focus on how individuals
interact in society and on the meanings individuals
attach to their own and to other’s actions
- symbols – anything that represents
something else
- symbolic interaction – the use of symbols
when interacting
- Popular in the US
- Used to study child development, relationships
between groups, and mate selection
Early
Sociologist
Topic of Interest
Theoretical
Approach
Comte
Social order and social change
Functionalist
Spencer
Social Darwinism
Functionalist
Durkheim
Function of different elements of
society in maintaining social order
Functionalist
Marx
Social effects of economic power
imbalance and class conflict
Conflict
Weber
Effects of society on the individual
and the meanings individuals attach
to their actions
Interactionist