The Sociological

Theories
Report by:
Suzenne Barrion
Mary Crischael Boaquina
Mitchellin Jan Caalim
Gem Kristel Manay

Catholic Church &

Believers
Blasphemous and
sacrilegious
Mockery

Artists & Other Sectors

Expression of one self
Devoid of any moral
judgment
Power play

Two persons may

look at the same
thing but they may
look at it
differently.

Society is
composed of 2
structures that
continue to
function to
maintain stability
in the society.

Society is composed
of 2 opposing poles,
each trying to grab
power from the
other.

Society is a world
of symbols
brought by the
constant
interaction of the
people in the
society.

Trial

and error mechanism

things that promote societal
practice are upheld while those
that deteriorate it are discarded.

Inequality

natural phenomenon
in society. It is necessary for
people to be unequal.

Structural Functionalism

This perspective focuses onsocial systemsas a whole, how

they operate, how they change, and the social consequences
they produce.

is a sociological theory that attempts to explain why society

functions the way it does by focusing on the relationships
between the various social institutions that make up society
(e.g., government, law, education, religion, etc).

one of the key ideas in Structural Functionalism is that

society is made-up of groups or institutions, which are
cohesive, share common norms, and have a definitive
culture.

Herbert Spencer,

an English sociologist, was a

forerunner of formalized
Structural Functionalism. He
is best known for coining the
phrase "survival of the
fittest. One of the primary
focus in Spencer's work was
societal equilibrium. Spencer
argued that there is a natural
tendency in society towards
equilibrium.

mile Durkheim

laid the primary foundations of Structural

Functionalism. Durkheim originally
wanted to explain social institutions as a
shared way for individuals in society to
meet their own biological needs. He
wanted to understand the value of
cultural and social traits by explaining
them in regards to their contribution to
the operation of the overall system of
society and life. Later the focus for
structural functionalism changed to be
more about the ways that social
institutions in society meet the social
needs of individuals within that society.

Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown

individuals

were
only significant in
relation to their
positions in the
overall structure of
social roles in
society.

Robert K. Merton
argued

that
functionalism is
about the more
static or concrete
aspects of
society,institutions
like government or
religions.

Conflict Perspective
views

the world in
constant conflict and
class struggle.

Karl Marx
German

philosopher,
leading proponent of this
theory.

Two Classes of People

The

owner's of factors of
production
The worker's who earns
wages

Communism

- only resort
to end social evil.

Socialism

- one step to
communism

SYMBOLIC-INTERACTION
PERSPECTIVE: A SocioPsychological Approach

PROPONENTS

George

Herbert Mead
Charles Horton
Cooley

This

theory primarily focuses

its analysis on social
interactions between and
among individuals and how
these interactions create a
change in the society as a
whole.

ARGUMENTS
The

world is basically composed of

individuals who constantly interact
with each other.
Individuals are the major and the
most important component of the
society -The world is nothing but a
world of symbols.

OTHER SOCIOLOGISTS
Erving

Goffman Dramaturgical Approach

Harold

Garfinkel Ethnomethodology