Write down the major social theories? With personal life examples.

Answer:
Major social theories are as follows
 Symbolic Interaction Theory
 Social Learning theory
 Labelling theory
 Social exchange theory
 Functionalism theory
 Rational choice theory
 Structural strain theory
 Feminist theory
 Conflict theory
Symbolic interaction theory:
It's a viewpoint that claims that social structures like language are the result of
common symbols. The meanings that people attribute to events and interactions
with others so serve to form the social environment, and these symbols are
passed down through the generations through language.
Symbolic interactionists place a strong emphasis on the Self, a concept that
enables us to quantify the outcomes of our actions.
According to the symbolic interactionism idea, people react to aspects of their
surroundings based on the personal meanings they ascribe to them. For example,
meanings can be generated and changed through social interaction through
symbolic communication with other people.
Example:
I once met a group of Chinese people for a business deal along with my father and
I realized that their behavior greatly depends upon our symbolic gestures like
greeting them etc. They judge you a lot depending upon your gestures and they
way you interact with them.
Social Learning Theory:
The social learning theory holds that through imitation, modelling, and
observation, people can learn from one another. Albert Bandura, a psychologist,
blended behaviourist and cognitive learning theories in his theory of the term.
The goal of social learning theory is to understand how socialisation influences
human behaviour.
The behaviourist ideas of nature vs nurture, symbolic interaction, contextual
learning, reinforcement learning, and social development are all related to the
social learning theory, which is still widely utilised in social psychology today.
Example:
I never knew the concept and means of doing cheating in exams until I made
friends at school and college. I learnt about it through social learning.
I never knew to work on cars until I met with mechanics and watching them
working on my car that’s how I learnt about the mechanics of a vehicle.
Labelling theory:
The labelling theory is a school of thought in the sociology of deviance that
focuses on how social control agents associate stigmatising stereotypes with
particular groups and how those who have been stigmatised alter their behaviour
as a result.
As a response to sociological theories that solely looked at the qualities of the
deviants rather than the organisations that governed them, labelling theory is
linked to the work of Becker.
According to Howard Becker (1963), labels or external judgements can change a
person's perception of themselves and lead to deviation.
Example:
People always judge us depending upon the area we live in, the cast and culture
we belong to and what of financial background do we got.
Social Exchange Theory:
According to Social Exchange, people evaluate relationships using economic
principles, whether consciously or unconsciously, by doing cost-benefit analyses
and weighing their options.
According to Thibaut and Kelley, people attempt to maximise the benefits of a
relationship while minimising its drawbacks (the minimax concept).
Social exchange theory states that people would pursue partnerships where
benefits outweigh costs (net profit) and forego those where costs outweigh
benefits (net loss). Both a short-term and cumulative measurement of these
profits is possible. Costs and rewards have very individualised values.
Example:
I know a lot about cars and I give that knowledge to my friends while they in
return tell me about bikes and planes because they are more familiar with that
field.
Functionalism Theory:
A theory about the nature of mental states is called functionalism. Functionalists
contend that rather than focusing on the components of mental states, we should
instead look at what they do. In terms of familiarity or "received" views,
functionalism dominates among philosophers of mind and cognitive science.
Conflict Theory:
Conflict theories stress the need of considering structural power differences, such
as social class, while examining a society's past and current events.
Theorists as eminent as Karl Marx (1818–1833), Max Weber (1864–1920), Talcott
Parsons (1902–1979), and Ralf Dahrendorf (1929–2009) have developed theories
about the causes of conflict, its normalcy, and the effects it has on societies,
despite the fact that few contemporary sociologists identify as conflict theorists.
Conflict theories assume that all societies have structural power divisions and
resource inequalities that lead to groups having conflicting interests.
Example:
People who are a little weaker in financial state compared to you will always see
you with hate and will judge you a lot, happened with me a lot of times.
Feminist Theory:
A significant area of sociology is feminist theory. It is a collection of structural
conflict theories that sees conflict between men and women as the root of all
social problems. There is a perception that many social institutions oppress
and/or disadvantage women.
The goal of feminist theory is to draw attention to the societal difficulties and
issues that women face. Discrimination based on sex and gender, objectification,
economic inequality, power, gender roles, and stereotypes are a few of the main
topics of concern. Men and women should be treated equally, according to
feminists. Although gender equality is a goal shared by all feminists, there are
several ways to approach this philosophy.
Example:
Feminist theory has it’s own good sides and bad sides and it’s a long debate to
talk about but according to me if women use feminism in negativity for personal
gains then this theory has no meaning while if it is being used for productive
purpose then it is valid, but I have never seen any productive use of it.
Structural Strain Theory:
Social structural strain theory is another name for it. According to the strain
theory, people commit crimes as a result of pressure from social issues such a lack
of resources or a poor education. American sociologist Robert K. initially proposed
the concepts underlying strain theory in the 1930s.
Example:
I know a man of my locality who was a very nice man but due to his poor financial
conditions he became a part of timber and drugs mafia, his current location is
unknown.
Rational Choice Theory:
According to the rational choice theory, people employ logical calculations to
make rational decisions and arrive at results that are in line with their own
personal goals. These outcomes are also connected to maximising one's own
interests. Given the restricted options available to them, using rational choice
theory is anticipated to provide results that give people the maximum benefit and
happiness.
According to the rational choice theory, people make decisions that are in their
best interests when they use logic to weigh their options.
The ideas of self-interest, the invisible hand, and rational agents are frequently
linked to rational choice theory.
Many economists think that the aspects of rational choice theory are
advantageous to the economy overall.
One of the earliest economists to create the guiding ideas of the rational choice
theory was Adam Smith.
The validity of the rational choice theory and the invisible hand idea is contested
by many economists.
Example:
Nowadays my rational thinking is always revolving around the fuel economy, I do
calculations regarding the routes which seem the most suitable and short costing
me less fuel and reaching to the class in time.