Thinking about Theory

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• Thinking about Theory
• Salzmans Point About Margaret Mead
• Three Levels of Theory Meta, Heuristic,
  Substantive
• Two Types of Theories Nomothetic and
  Idiographic
• The Bulletin Board Postings What they tell us
  about sociological theory

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Question What is the point that Salzman wants to
make in his discussion of Margaret Mead and the
subsequent controversy over her research?
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Meta-Theory, Heuristic Theory, and Substantive
theory
Meta-theory has to do with the nature of
knowledge what we can know and how we can know
it. Philosophical (epistemological) assumptions.
Question What kind of meta-theory did Margaret
Mead hold that she shared with most
anthropologists and sociologists at the time?
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What is the difference between heuristic theory
and substantive theory? What was Meads heuristic
theory? What was Meads substantive theory?
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Why should anyone care if Derek Freeman thinks
that Mead didnt describe 1930s Samoa correctly?
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Lets discuss why.... Heuristic theories cannot
be directly tested. Their test is whether they
are fruitful for research, understanding, and
action. Substantive theories can in varying
degrees be tested and can be either supported or
not supported by data. But substantive theories
can never be conclusively proven. Facts are
always interpretations. They do not stand
outside of theory.
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Two Types of Substantive Theories
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Theory in the Bulletin Board Postings

• Are the theories put forward by your fellow
  students mostly nomothetic or idiographic?
• Are they meta, heuristic, or substantive
  theories?
• Are the standpoints generally etic or emic?
• What distinguishes the stronger from the weaker
  postings? What makes a posting theoretical?
  What makes a posting sociological?

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Attending Rutgers-Camden I decided... I
wanted I felt. I liked I changed my
mind... The reasons I chose The factors
behind my decision. What are the limitations
of a sociological theory couched in these terms?
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The major factors (in explaining the students
volunteer work) were my religious background,
being a recipient of Federal and community social
programs, and being socialized to believe giving
to social programs can better help society. How
is this statement different from the ones
described in the previous slide?
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Several Postings The power of the idea of race
in our race-obsessed society.
Let me leave you with a short story summarizing
how America's obsession with race affected me.
One day, about 4 or 5 years ago, I was sitting in
the kitchen reading the newspaper while my mom
cooked dinner. My father walked in and began to
converse with my mother. I happen to look up at
them, for no reason at all. But, it suddenly had
a lot of meaning because when I saw the both of
them standing there together, for the first time,
I realized, in now my more mature mind, that my
mom was white and my dad was black. I never saw
them as two people from two different races until
then. Could this realization have been a product
of America's focus on race? I think yes and,
unfortunately, it has changed me.
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Another comment on the power of the idea of
race...
Naturally, being raised in a diverse family like
mine (inter-racially and inter-ethnically mixed)
in an accepting social environment as well led me
to become oblivious to racial and cultural
differences. I have always held relationships
outside my race and culture (Asian, Caucasian,
Hispanic etc). I never knew anything
differently..... It really was not until I moved
out here to the east coast that I had the eye
opening experience of the very differing
reactions to my fiancé and our union. We can be
looked at or treated very differently in areas
that are seemingly so close in proximity but so
far in their socialization of acceptance. Both
comments address regional and national variation
in the salience of race
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Being Single Im single because of a conscious
decision that I made for myself. (from last
years class)
Data from MicroCase CP trend file
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Theory and Hypothesis Formation I think adoption
serves as some sort of socialization
mechanism....I think that is why I value certain
cultural values... A theoretical statement
like this might provide the basis for a
hypothesis like this People who know that they
were adopted are more likely to oppose abortion
than those who were not.
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... kids who grow up in less than desirable
social conditions turn out to be some bad
criminal or a fluke for society. Not all people
turn out that way... Most sociological
generalizations are probabilistic in nature
more likely to... at increased risk
of... tend to... are disproportionately
represented...
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I spoke with co-workers at the time... What
sociological concepts could be used to generalize
this type of influence?
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A Few General Observations
Most sociological and anthropological theories
strive to be nomotheticto apply to a broad
variety of cases. All theories are based on
assumptions that may or may not be explicitly
stated (meta-theoretical and heuristic) The
building blocks of theories are concepts and
propositions. The distinctive feature of most
theories in sociology and anthropology is their
focus on social and/or cultural factors.