Sociology Chapter: Durkheim and Suicide
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Questions and Answers

What did Durkheim aim to prove by studying suicide?

  • That psychological factors are more important than social factors
  • That individual actions are solely determined by personal motives
  • That sociology has a unique subject matter and can be a scientific discipline (correct)
  • That protestants are inherently more likely to commit suicide than Catholics

    • According to interpretivists, what is the primary focus of sociology?

  • Studying social facts
  • Observing physical science phenomena
  • Analyzing statistical patterns
  • Understanding meaningful social action (correct)

    • How do interpretivists view the relationship between natural science and sociology?

  • Sociology studies conscious beings while natural sciences do not (correct)
  • Natural sciences can explain sociology completely
  • There is no fundamental difference between the two
  • Sociology should adopt methods from natural sciences

    • What method did Weber suggest for understanding the meanings behind human actions?

    <p>Verstehen</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do interactionists prefer over having a definitive hypothesis before conducting research?

    <p>A bottom-up approach</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How do phenomenologists and ethnomethodologists view society?

    <p>As shared meanings and knowledge among members</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was G.H. Mead's argument regarding human response to external stimuli?

    <p>Humans interpret the meaning of stimuli and choose their response</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What methodology does Jack Douglas advocate for understanding the meanings behind suicide?

    <p>Qualitative data</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does Atkinson's view on the 'real rate' of suicide differ from Douglas's?

    <p>Atkinson claims we can never know for sure what the deceased's meanings were.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why do postmodernists argue against the scientific approach in sociology?

    <p>They view it as a dangerous meta-narrative that claims monopoly of the truth.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key criticism poststructuralist feminists have against a single, scientific feminist theory?

    <p>It excludes many female groups.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What fallacy does Karl Popper associate with inductive reasoning?

    <p>Verification</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is falsificationism according to Karl Popper?

    <p>The methodology of testing theories by attempting to refute them.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which example does Karl Popper use to illustrate the fallacy of induction?

    <p>Swans</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What, according to Popper, is the defining characteristic of scientific methods?

    <p>They are capable of being proven wrong</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which feature does NOT describe a good theory according to Popper?

    <p>It provides absolute truth</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why does Popper believe science grows rapidly?

    <p>Because it is a public activity open to criticism and scrutiny</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key reason Popper judges much of sociology as unscientific?

    <p>It often cannot be tested with the possibility of falsification</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Kuhn, what is a paradigm?

    <p>A set of norms and methods shared by a scientific community</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which activity best describes 'Normal Science' as per Kuhn?

    <p>Engaging in puzzle solving within the existing paradigm</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why does Kuhn argue that a science cannot exist without a shared paradigm?

    <p>Because it prevents the creation of rival schools of thought</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the biggest advantage of a paradigm according to Kuhn?

    <p>It allows scientists to agree on the basics of a subject.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does Kuhn describe scientific revolutions?

    <p>As processes similar to religious conversions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to the content, when can sociology become a science?

    <p>When it resolves basic disagreements.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do realists believe about the nature of systems sociologists study?

    <p>Sociologists study open systems, making exact predictions difficult.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Kuhn believe is the primary activity of scientists within a paradigm?

    <p>Engaging in puzzle-solving work.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key characteristic of closed systems as highlighted by Keat and Urry?

    <p>Researchers can control and measure relevant variables.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How do Kuhn's views of science contrast with Popper's?

    <p>Kuhn focuses on puzzle-solving within a paradigm, while Popper emphasizes falsification.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of system allows a researcher to control and measure relevant variables?

    <p>Closed systems</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which perspective argues that sociology studies open systems where precise predictions are difficult?

    <p>Realists</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Keat and Urry, which of the following is NOT true about science?

    <p>Science is only concerned with observable phenomena</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What term refers to making precise predictions in systems where researchers can control variables?

    <p>Closed systems</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best describes an open system as studied by sociologists?

    <p>A system where relevant variables can't be controlled</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Realists argue that social science attempts to explain the causes of events through what?

    <p>Underlying structures and processes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Realists, what is a major difference between natural science and sociology?

    <p>Natural science can study closed systems under lab conditions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What concept disputes the idea that science is only concerned with observable phenomena?

    <p>Realism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    For Durkheim, what are 'social facts'?

    <p>Social, external aspects greater than the individual</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the term 'Verstehen' mean in sociology?

    <p>Putting oneself in someone else's shoes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key belief of positivists regarding reality?

    <p>Reality exists outside and independently of the human mind.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What method do positivists primarily use to discover patterns in society?

    <p>Induction</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which sociologist studied suicide to demonstrate that sociology is a science with its own subject matter?

    <p>Émile Durkheim</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main goal of positivists when conducting research?

    <p>To discover general laws about how society works.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of data do positivists prefer to use in their research?

    <p>Quantitative data</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What term is used to describe the positivist belief in confirming theories through repeated observations?

    <p>Verificationism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is a feature of objective quantitative research according to positivists?

    <p>Researchers should be detached and objective.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Interpretivism in Sociology

    • Interpretivists argue that the subject matter of sociology is meaningful social action, and they need to interpret meanings and motives to understand social behavior.
    • They believe that there are unobservable internal meanings that influence individual behavior.
    • Interpretivists reject the idea that sociology is a science, and they argue that natural science methods cannot be applied to sociology.
    • They emphasize the difference between natural science and sociology, as humans have consciousness and make sense of their world by attaching meanings to it.

    Verstehen and Qualitative Research

    • Verstehen is a method used to discover the meanings people give to their actions, which involves seeing the world through their eyes.
    • To understand the meanings, researchers must abandon detachment and objectivity and use qualitative methods, such as participant observation.
    • This approach produces richer, more personal data, resulting in higher validity.

    Types of Interpretivism

    Interactionists

    • Interactionists have casual explanations and reject the positivist view of having a definitive hypothesis before research.
    • They prefer a "bottom-up" approach, where ideas emerge gradually from observations made during research, producing testable hypotheses after the research.

    Phenomenologists and Ethnomethodologists

    • They reject the possibility of causal explanations and take an anti-structuralist view, where society is not a real thing "out there" determining our actions.
    • They believe that social reality is simply shared meaning/knowledge of members.
    • Sociology can only consist of interpretive procedures.

    Interpretivism and Suicide

    • Jack Douglas (1967) rejects the positivist idea of external social facts determining behavior, and instead, emphasizes the importance of understanding the meanings for those involved in suicide.
    • He proposes the use of qualitative data to reveal the actor's meanings.

    Postmodernists, Feminism, and Scientific Sociology

    • Postmodernists argue against scientific sociology, which they see as a meta-narrative that excludes other perspectives.
    • They believe that the quest for a single, scientific feminist theory is a form of domination that excludes many female groups.
    • They reject the idea that science is a desirable model for sociology.

    What is Science?

    • Interpretivists reject the positivist view of scientific sociology, but they agree with the description of natural sciences.
    • Karl Popper argues that what makes science unique is falsificationism, which involves testing theories to prove them wrong.
    • He believes that scientific knowledge is provisional and can be refuted at any moment.

    Positivism

    • Positivists believe that sociology can be a science, and they apply the logic and methods of natural sciences to the study of society.
    • They believe that reality exists outside and independently of the human mind.
    • They seek to discover laws that determine how society works, using induction and verificationism.

    Falsificationism

    • Falsificationism involves testing theories to prove them wrong.
    • Good theories have two features: they are falsifiable and bold.
    • For Popper, science is a public activity that thrives in open societies, where there is free expression and the right to challenge accepted ideas.

    Implications for Sociology

    • Popper believes that much of sociology is unscientific because it consists of theories that can't be put to the test.
    • However, he believes that sociology can be scientific if it produces hypotheses that can be falsified.

    Thomas Kuhn: Scientific Paradigm

    • The paradigm is a shared framework of assumptions, principles, methods, and techniques that defines what a science is.
    • In Kuhn's view, a science can't exist without a shared paradigm.
    • Normal science involves puzzle-solving within a paradigm.

    Scientific Revolutions

    • Scientific revolutions occur when scientists gain results that conflict with the existing paradigm, leading to a decrease in confidence in that paradigm.
    • This leads to debates about fundamental assumptions and eventually, the development of rival paradigms.

    Implications for Sociology

    • Sociology can only become a science if basic disagreements are resolved.
    • Realists argue that sociology can be scientific, as it attempts to explain the causes of events in terms of underlying structures and processes.
    • They believe that both natural and social science attempt to explain the causes of events in terms of underlying structures and processes.

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    Description

    Explore Emile Durkheim's study on suicide and its significance in establishing sociology as a scientific discipline. Learn how he used official statistics to prove social causes behind individual acts.

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