SOCIOLOGY

Chapter One Worksheet

SOCIOLOGY: the scientific study of social behavior and human groups

Sociology focuses on
• Social relationships are
• How those relationships influence human behavior
• How societies develop and change

THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION

C. Wright Mills coined the term “sociological imagination”

• Defined as an awareness of the relationship between an individual and the wider society,
both today and in the past
• A key element is viewing society from an outsider’s perspective.
• We go beyond personal experiences to understand broader public issues.

SOCIOLOGY AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

Science: the body of knowledge obtained by methods of systematic observation

Natural science: the study of the physical features of nature and the ways in which they interact and
change

Social science: the study of the social features of humans and the ways in which they interact and change

Social sciences include

• Sociology
• Anthropology
• Economics
• History
• Psychology
• Political science

Common focus is on the social behavior of people.

Sociologists study
• The influence that society has on people’s attitudes and behavior
• The ways people interact and shape society

WHAT IS SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY

Theory: a set of statements that seeks to explain problems, actions, or behaviors

Effective theories can be explanatory and predictive in nature.

Theories are not final statements about human behavior.

 EARLY THINKERS

Auguste Comte (1798–1857)

• Believed in the need for a theoretical science of society and a systematic
investigation of behavior
• Coined the term sociology

Herbert Spencer (1820–1903)

• Hoped to understand society better, not improve it
• Applied Darwin’s work on evolution of species to societies to explain how they
change over time
• Adapted the “survival of the fittest” argument, saying it is natural that some
people are rich and others are poor

Emile Durkheim
● Appointed as one of the first sociology professors in France
● Behavior must be understood within a larger social context
● Anomie: the loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior
has become ineffective
● Occurs during time of profound social change
● People lose sense of purpose and direction
● Durkheim also concerned about alienation, loneliness, and isolation in modern industrial
societies

Max Weber
● To comprehend behavior, we must learn the subjective meanings people attach to their
actions.
• Verstehen: German word for understanding or insight

Karl Marx
● Society divided between two classes that clashed in pursuit of their own interests
• Owners versus the workers
• Economic, social, and political relationships allowed owners to maintain power
and dominance over workers.
• The Communist Manifesto
• Masses of the people, “the proletariat,” should overthrow capitalist societies.
• Writings inspired others who would later lead communist revolutions in Russia,
China, Cuba, and other countries
Macrosociology: focuses on large-scale phenomena or entire civilizations
-----Functionalist Perspective
-----Conflict Perspective

Microsociology: focuses on small groups

-----Interactionist Perspective

THREE MAJOR THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES--(IMPORTANT!!)

The three most widely used perspectives in sociology
• Functionalist
• Conflict
• Interactionist

Functionalist Perspective
• Emphasizes how the parts of society are structured to maintain social stability

Manifest functions
• The open, stated, and conscious functions of institutions
Latent functions
• The unintended consequences of an institution
Dysfunctions
• Elements or processes of society that can disrupt the social system or reduce
stability

Conflict Perspective
Social behavior is best understood in terms of tension between groups over power or the
allocation of resources
Forms of tension can include
• Labor negotiations
• Party politics
• Budget disputes
Conflict perspective (Cont.)
• Based on the work of Karl Marx
• Conflict is now viewed as a part of everyday life.
Conflict theorists
• Focus on how social institutions maintain privilege and subservience of different
groups
• Emphasize social change
• Emphasize redistribution of resources
• Are more radical than functionalists

Conflict Perspective (Feminism)

Gender inequality central to all behavior and organization
Women’s subordination inherent in capitalist societies

Conflict perspective (Queer Theory)

Study of society from the perspective of a broad spectrum of sexual identities, including
• Heterosexuality
• Homosexuality
• Bisexuality
Basically, what is acceptably human sexuality varies between cultures and periods of time

Interactionist Perspective
Study social interactions to explain society as a whole
Humans are viewed as living in a world of meaningful objects, including
• Material things
• Actions
• Relationships
• Symbols

Interactionist Perspective---Symbols
Symbols are especially important to this perspective.
Central to communication
Shared meaning among all members of society
Nonverbal communication
• Gestures, facial expressions, postures.
• All express meaning.