Different Sociological Perspectives

1
Different Sociological Perspectives

• Structuralism
• Looks at the way in which society is
  structured
• Functionalism
• Looks at the function of society.
• Interpretative Approach
• Looks at the ways in which people
  interpret the societies they are exposed to.

2
Structuralism and Structural functionalism

• Structural theories suggest that social
  institutions are structured/ determined by
  society, leaving the individual with little
  autonomy.
• Structural functionalist is a name given to a
  group of sociologists who are both structuralist
  and functionalist.

3
Structural functionalism

• In structural functionalist approach, a social
  institutions described by the role it plays in
  maintaining the stability of the wider society.
• They believed that individuals and groups are
  constrained by structures.
• The task of sociology was to analyze society as a
  system of interrelated variables, and how each
  social institution functioned to maintain the
  whole society.
• Social order requires certain degree of
  Co-operation and Social solidarity.

4
Interaction theories

• Theories of action pay serious attention to
  action and interaction.
• They stress the importance of looking at
  individual in society.
• Theories of action holds that individuals
  construct structures.

5
Which comes first? Chicken or Eggs? Action or
structure?

• Action
  System
• The actions of indivs
  Social structures are the basic elements in
  social life. basic elements in social
  life
• Indivs define situations Social
  reality is external to indivs and construct
  reality and constrains
  their actions.
• Sociologists must understand Sociologists
  must look at the
• actions in their subjective meanings functional
  connections among the
• 
  structural parts of social systems
• Indivs improvise and create their Indivs
  conform to the role
• own roles on the basis of what they
  expectations that they
• learn during their socialization
  learn during socialization

6
Conflict theories

• Conflict theories highlighted the part played by
  divisions, power, force, and struggle
• They looked at the ways in which groups came to
  be organized for collective action, entered into
  conflict with one another and established
  relations of domination and control.

7
Consensus and Conflict

• Consensus
  Conflict
• Norms and values are the Interests are
  the basic
• basic elements of social life. elements of
  social life.
• There is a consensus They are the
  sources of
• over them.
  Conflict.
• People conform because People react to one
  another on the they are committed
  to their basis of inducement and coercion
• societies and their rules.
• Social life depends on Social life
  involves division and Cohesion and solidarity.
  Exclusion.
• People tend to cooperate People tend to
  struggle with one
  
  
• with one another
  another.

8
Origins of Sociology

• The West
• - Dominated by the church.
• - Belief society is structured acc to divine
  order.
• - Divine order is ascribed by god can not be
  questioned by humans.
• Church had power- controlled social thinking.
• Progress of Science to a level where even church
  could not question.
• - Opened up new ways of thinking.
• - Provided legitimacy and safety for
  social thinkers.

9
The Role of Science on Social Thought

• Science introduced Rational,logic,objectivity
• Social thinkers began asserting themselves as
  social scientists.
• By late 1700s sociology emerged as an
  objective and systematic study of human
  behaviour and society.
• In 1838 French social thinker Auguste Comte
  coined term Sociology to describe a new way of
  looking at the world.

10
Revolutions shape Social thought.

• Two major revolutions
• French revolution new ideas such as liberty
  and equality challenged traditional social order.
• Industrial revolution new technology
• -Broad socio economic changes
• - growth of cities
• -new ideas on democracy and political rights.
• -decline of traditional life style.

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ComteSociology and Positivism

• 1798-1857
• Objective To create a science of society that
  can explain the social world just as the natural
  science explains the functioning of the physical
  world.
• Positivism Philosophy of knowledge that studies
  society by using scientific methods.