Chapter 1

Developing a Sociological
Perspective
Chapter Outline
 What is Sociology?
 The Sociological Imagination
 The Significance of Diversity
 The Development of Sociology
 Theoretical Frameworks in Sociology
What Is Sociology?
 The study of human behavior in society.
 A scientific way to think about society and
its influence on humans.
 Includes the study of social behavior and
social change.
Question
 What do the following people have in common?
 Dan Akroyd (actor; comedian)
 Debra Winger (actress)
 Saul Bellow (novelist; Nobel Prize recipient)
 Joe Theissman (NFL quarterback)
 Rev. Jesse Jackson
 Robin Williams (comedian; actor)
 Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
 Ronald Reagan
Answer
 They were all sociology majors.
 Disciplines of Sociology
 Psychology analyzes human
behavior.
 Anthropology is the study of human
cultures.
 Political Science is the study of
politics.
Disciplines of Sociology
 Economics studies the production,
distribution and consumption of goods
and services.
 Social Work uses the social sciences to
serve people in need.
The Sociological Imagination
 Ability to see societal patterns that
influence life.
 C. Wright Mills wrote about sociological
perspective in The Sociological
Imagination.
 Sociology can reveal how society shapes
our lives.
Troubles and Issues
 Troubles are private problems in an
individual’s life.
 Issues affect large numbers of people
 Issues shape the context within which
troubles arise.
Debunking
 Studying the patterns and processes that
shape behavior.
 Questioning actions and ideas that are
usually taken for granted.
 Acting as “an outsider within.”
Understanding Diversity
 Understanding diversity is critical to
understanding society because patterns of
social change and social structure are
influenced by diverse group experiences.
 Diversity includes:
 the shaping of social institutions by different
social factors
 the formation of group and individual identity
 the process of social change
Share of Minorities in the
U.S. Population
America’s Diversity: % White
America’s Diversity:
% African American
America’s Diversity:
% Hispanic
America’s Diversity:
% Asian American
America’s Diversity:
% American Indian
Sociology and the
Enlightenment
 Faith in the ability of human reason to
solve society’s problems.
 Belief that natural laws and processes in
society are used for the general good.
Influence of the
Enlightenment
 Positivists - society could be studied
using the natural sciences.
 Humanitarianism - human reason can
direct social change for the betterment of
society.
Sociology in Europe: Comte
 French philosopher
 Coined the term sociology
 Believed sociology could discover laws of
human social behavior and help solve
society’s problems
Sociology in Europe:
Tocqueville
 French citizen who traveled to the United
States 1831
 Wrote an analysis of U.S. democratic
culture and society.
 In the United States the tyranny of kings
was replaced by the “tyranny of the
majority.”
Sociology in Europe:
Martineau
 British citizen who toured the United
States in 1834.
 Wrote Society in America, an analysis of
social customs she observed.
 Wrote first sociological methods book on
participant observation.
Classical Sociological
Theory: Durkheim
 Viewed society as an entity larger than
the sum of its parts.
 Conceptualized social facts as social
patterns external to individuals.
 Discovered the social basis of human
behavior.
Classical Sociological
Theory: Marx
 Work was devoted to explaining how
capitalism shaped society.
 Profit is produced through the exploitation
of the working class.
 Considered the economic organization of
society the most important influence on
what humans think and how they behave.
Classical Sociological
Theory: Weber
 Theorized that society had three
dimensions: political, economic,and
cultural.
 Believed that to understand social
behavior one had to understand the
meaning that a behavior had for social
actors.
Sociology in America
 American sociologists believed sociology
could help solve social problems.
 The Chicago School - concerned with the
relationship of individual to society and
society as a human laboratory.
Key Sociological Concepts
 Social structure
Organized pattern of social relationships
and institutions that together constitute
society
 Social institutions
Established and organized systems of
social behavior with a recognized
purpose.
Key Sociological Concepts
 Social change
The alteration of society over time.

 Social interaction
A behavior between two or more people
that is given meaning.
Sociological Theory:
Individual and Society
Individuals occupy fixed social
Functionalism
roles.

Individuals subordinated to
Conflict Theory
society.

Symbolic Individual and society are

Interaction interdependent.
Sociological Theory:
View of Inequality
Inevitable; functional for
Functionalism
society
Result of struggle over scarce
Conflict Theory
resources.

Inequality demonstrated
Symbolic
through meaning of status
Interaction
symbols.
Sociological Theory:
Basis of Social Order
Consensus on common
Functionalism
values.

Conflict Theory Power; coercion

Collective meaning systems;

Symbolic
society created through social
Interaction
interaction
Sociological Theory:
Source of Social Change
Disorganization and
Functionalism adjustment to achieve
equilibrium.

Conflict Theory Struggle; competition

Ever-changing web of
Symbolic
relationships and meaning of
Interaction
things.
Sociological Theory:
Criticisms
Functionalism A conservative view of society
that underplays power
differences among and between
groups.
Conflict Theory Understates the degree of
cohesion and stability in society.

Symbolic There is little analysis of

Interaction inequality and it overstates the
subjective basis of society.
Polling Question
 Which sociological perspective do you
think is generally the weakest in
explaining things in our society?
A.) Functionalist
B.) Conflict Theory
C.) Symbolic interaction
Polling Question
 Which sociological perspective do you
think explains the concept of inequality in
our society the most accurately?
A.) Functionalist
B.) Conflict Theory
C.) Symbolic interaction
Quick Quiz
 1. Sociology is the study of:
a. personality types
b. political philosophy
c. human behavior
d. the distribution of goods and services
Answer: c
 Sociology is the study of human
behavior.
2. The ability to see the societal patterns
that influence individual and group life is
referred to as:
a. commonsense
b. social speedup
c. Wright's Theorem
d. the sociological imagination
Answer: d
 The ability to see the societal patterns
that influence individual and group life is
referred to as the sociological
imagination.
3. The sociologist that first coined the term
sociology is:
a. Auguste Comte
b. Emile Durkheim
c. Karl Marx
d. Harriet Martineau
Answer: a
 The sociologist that first coined the term
sociology is Auguste Comte.
4. According to Karl Marx, the most
important influence on what humans think
and how they behave is:
a. the socio-emotional organization of
society
b. the economic organization of society
c. the political organization of society
d. the religious organization of society
Answer : b
 According to Karl Marx, the most
important influence on what humans think
and how they behave is the economic
organization of society.
5. Symbolic interactionism emphasizes:
a. the role of coercion and power
b. class struggles
c. face-to-face contact
d. the interdependent parts of society
Answer: c
 Symbolic interactionism emphasizes
face-to-face contact.