THEORITICAL PERSPECTIVES IN SOCIOLOGY

 A perspective is simply a way of looking at the world. A theory is a set of interrelated principles designed
to answer a question or explain particular phenomenon; it provides us with a perspective. Sociological
perspective help us to explain and predict the social world in which we live.
 Sociology includes three major theoretical perspectives: The Sociological Perspective, the functionalist
perspective, and the symbolic interactionist perspective
1) THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
INTRODUCTION:-
 Sociology offers a perspective, a view of the world. The sociological perspective opens a window into
unfamiliar worlds and offers a fresh look at familiar worlds. In this, Sociologists study the social contexts
that underlie human behavior.
EXPLANATION:-
 Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber were early thinkers in the
development of sociology. The idea of applying the scientific method to the social world, known as
positivism, was first proposed by Auguste Comte.
 Sociology is one of several disciplines referred to as a “social science.” The other social sciences include
anthropology, economics, political science, and psychology.
 As a scientific discipline, sociology seeks to explain why something happens . Sociology specifically seeks
to explain the causes of human behavior and to recognize the patterns of human behavior. It also seeks
to predict the future behavior of people.
 Although sociologists usually do not make decisions on how society should be changed or people
treated, sociologists provide valuable research data that can be used by authorities who do make such
decisions.
 The sociological perspective is an approach to understanding human behavior by placing it within its
broader social context. Wright Mills referred to the sociological perspective as the intersection of
biography and history.
CONCLUSION:-
 This perspective is important because it provides a different way of looking at familiar worlds. It
allows us to gain a new vision of social life.
2) THE FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE
 The functionalist perspective is based largely on the works of Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, Talcott
Parsons, and Robert Merton.
STATEMENT:-
 According to functionalist perspective, society is a system of interconnected parts that work together in
harmony to maintain a state of balance and social equilibrium for the whole.
FOR EXAMPLE:-
 For example, each of the social institutions contributes important functions for society: Family provides
a context for socializing children; education offers a way to transmit a society’s skills and knowledge to
its youth; politics provides a means of governing members of society; economics provides for the
production and consumption of goods and services; and religion provides moral guidance.
CONCLUSION:-
 A theory is a general statement about how parts of the world fit together, relate to one another, and
affect each other. Functional analysis examines how the various parts of society work together to fulfill
their respective functions and create a harmonious society.
 3) THR SYMBOLIC INTRACTIONIST PERSPICTIVE
INTRODUCTION:-
 Unlike the sociological perspective and functionalist perspective that view the society from the macro-
level, but symbolic interactionist perspective view the society from the micro-level.
 The symbolic interactionist perspective sees the society as a product of every day interaction of people
doing thing together.
WHAT IS A SYMBOLIC INTERACTION:-
To understand symbolic interacionist perspective, we must first understand that what is symbol.
Symbol are things that represent something else. This include gestures, signs, objects, signals and words.
FOR EXAMPLE:-
when we see a stop sign, we know it is telling us to stop. Symbols are things that help us to understand the
world around us. Without symbols, it will be hard to navigate the world we live in.
In communication, there is always a sender and a receiver. To ensure the effective communication, the
interpretation of symbols should be the same for both the sender and the receiver.
SYMBOLIC INTERACIONIST PERSPECTIVE
 Symbolic interactionist perspective is a micro-level theory, That focuses on the relationship among
individuals within the society.
 Unlike the sociological perspective and functionalist perspective that wiew the society from the macro-
level, but symbolic interactionist perspective view the society from the micro-level.
 Symbolic interactionism is a micro-level theoretical perspective in sociology that addresses the manner
in which individuals create and maintain society through face-to-face, repeated, meaningful
interactions.
 Symbolic interactionism also suggests that our identity or sense of self is shaped by social interaction.
We develop our self-concept by observing how others interact with us a label us. By observing how
others view us, we see a reflection ourselves that Cooley calls the “looking glass self.”