Transcript File

So, What IS
Sociology???
The following information can be
found in the text, Sociology and You,
and is for use in Mrs. Gabriel’s
Sociology class.
Sociology is only one of a number of the Social
Sciences.
Social Science is a branch of learning that deals with human society.
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology is the scientific study
of social structure
In other words, Sociology is
figuring out why groups of
people do what they do.
Hey!!! Isn't that
Psychology ???
I took Mrs. Zehner's Psychology
class last year and we learned
that psychology is the study of
why people do what they do!!!
You are kind of right.
Psychology is the science of behavior and mental process.
However psychologists may study the individual. Why YOU do
what you do.
Sociologists NEVER focus on the individual. The sociological
perspective (its point of view) always remains at the social or
group level.
Psychology studies the individual
Sociology studies the group
1. Someone who can't find a job is _____________________.
2. Homelessness is the result of _________________.
3. Immigrants come here because of ________________________.
Personal
Societal
Though Sociologists as caring professionals are
interested in individual causes and explanations, they
are more concerned with explaining behaviors in
terms of societal causes
It is the patterned interaction of people in social relationships
--what sociologists call social structure -that captures the attention of sociologists
So, how do group behavior and individual behavior differ?
Sociologists assume that social relationships are not
determined by the particular characteristics of the
individuals involved.
Sociologist attempt to explain events without relying on personals factors. They look at
social rather than personal explanations when they examine delinquency, divorce, or
suicide.
They might explain the events in the following way:
Young men join gangs because they have been taught by their
society to be "masculine."
More women divorce because of the social trend toward sexual
equality.
Teens commit suicide because of peer group
expectations of performance, material
possessions, and physical appearance.
Why do people conform?
Regardless of size, all groups encourage conformity.
Conformity within a group occurs, in part, because
members have been taught to value the group's ways.
Members generally tend to conform even when their
personal preferences are not the same as the group's
The sociological perspective allows us to develop a
sociological imagination. That is, knowing how
social forces affect our lives can prevent us from
being prisoners of those forces.
C. Wright Mills, and American sociologist called
this personal use of sociology the sociological
imagination - the ability of individuals to see the
relationship between events in their personal lives
and events in their society.
The Origins
of Sociology
Auguste Comte
The "Father of Sociology"
Coined the phrase "sociology" to
describe this science
Wanted to use scientific observation in
the study of social behavior. He called
this positivism.
Distinguished between social statics, the
study of social stability and order, and
social dynamics, the study of social
change (ex Industrial Revolution causing
people to move farms to cities).
Harriet Marineau
Best known for her translation of
Comte's work
Established herself as a pioneering feminist theorist,
because she saw a link between slavery and
the oppression of women.
Herbert Spencer
Explained that, like a body, society is composed of parts
working together to promote its well-being and survival.
Introduced Social Darwinism, which is a theory of
social change based on Charles Darwin's theory of
evolution. He believed that evolutionary social change
led to progress - provided people did not interfere.
Karl Marx
Felt great concern for the poverty and
inequality suffered by the working class of
the capitalist system of his day
Believed that the key to unfolding history was class
conflict which is a clash between the bourgeoisie (those
who controlled the means for producing wealth) and the
proletariat (those who labored for the bourgeoisie). He
felt that workers would eventually overthrow the
capitalists just as slaves overthrew their owners.
Out of this class conflict would come a classless
(communistic) society-one where there would be no
powerless proletariat.
Emile Durkheim argued that we do not attempt to explain
bronze in terms of its separate parts (lead, copper, and tin).
Instead we consider it a totally new metal created by the
combination of several other metals.
Indeed, people's behavior within a group cannot be predicted
from their personal characteristics. Something new is created
when individuals come together.
In preindustrial times, societies were based on mechanical
solidarity. With these societies, there was widespread
consensus of values and beliefs, strong social pressures for
conformity, and dependence on tradition and family.
Durkheim believed that industrial societies are
based on organic solidarity, which is social unity
based on highly specialized roles.
Emile Durkheim
Max Weber
Had the single most important influence on the
development of sociological theory.
Believed human beings acted on the basis
of their own understanding of a situation.
Believed the best method for understanding the
personal meaning behind a situation, was
accomplished through the method of versthen understanding the social behavior of others by
putting yourself mentally in their shoes.
Identified rationalization (the mind-set emphasizing knowledge, reason,
and planning) as a key influence in the change from a preindustrial to an
industrial society.
The best known of the early women
social reformers in the United States
was Jane Addams.
Addams focused on the problems
caused by the imbalance of power
among the social classes, and was
concerned about the exploitation of
the lower class.
Theoretical
Perspective
s
Perception is the way the brain interprets an image or
event. Similarly, perspective is the way you interpret the
meaning of an image or event.
A theoretical perspective is a set of assumptions about an area of study
this case, about the workings of society.
A theoretical perspective is viewed as true by its
supporters and it helps them organize their
research.
Competing, even conflicting, theories in science usually exist a
the same time.
- in
Sociology has three overarching theoretical perspectives:
Functionalism
Conflict theory &
Symbolic interactionism
Functionalism
Emphasizes the contributions (functions) of
each part of society. For example, family,
economy, and religion are "parts" of a society.
Functionalists see the parts of society as an integrated whole. A
change in one part of a society leads to changes in other parts.
Functionalism assumes that societies tend to return to a state of
stability after some upheaval has occurred.
Do all functions have a positive effect?
According to Robert Merton, there
are two kinds of functions
Manifest functions - those intended and
recognized
&
Latent functions - those which are unintended and
unrecognized
A manifest function of school is to teach math. A latent (and positive) function of school is the
development of close friends.
Not all elements of a society make a positive contribution. Elements that have
negative consequences result in dysfunction.
Conflict Perspective
Conflict Perspective emphasizes conflict,
competition, change, and constraint within a society
(Giddens). The distribution of power is important in
the conflict perspective. Conflict Perspective
assumptions are the reverse of the Functional
Perspective assumptions.
Supporters of the conflict perspective see social
living as a contest of Who gets What.
Symbolic Interactionism
Developed by Charles Horton Cooley and George Herbert Mead.
Claims that the group exist only because
their members influence each other's
behavior.
A symbol is something chosen to represent
something else. It may be an object, a word,
a gesture, a facial expression, a sound. A
symbol is something that is abstract. A
person may wave to represent hello or
goodbye.
According to Herbert Blumer, who coined the phrase,
symbolic interactionism, there are three assumptions
central to this perspective
1. We learn the meaning of a symbol from the way we see
others reacting to it.
2. Once we learn the meaning of symbols, we base our
behavior (interaction) on them.
3. We use the meanings of symbols to imagine how others
will respond to our behavior.