Sociological Perspective & Theorists PDF

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE & THEORISTS / Dominant Approaches in Social Sciences (A Breakdown of Structural Functionalism, Marxism and Symbolic Interactionism) Ms. Ariadna Victoria Abatayo Social Science Teacher, SHS Ramon Magsaysay Mem...

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE & THEORISTS / Dominant Approaches in Social Sciences (A Breakdown of Structural Functionalism, Marxism and Symbolic Interactionism) Ms. Ariadna Victoria Abatayo Social Science Teacher, SHS Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Colleges, Integrated School  What is Sociology? Sociology is a science guided by the basic understanding that “the social matters: our lives are affected, not only by our individual characteristics, but by our place in the social world.” Sociology should be studied using a:  Sociological Imagination Sociological Imagination is the ability to look beyond the individual as the cause for success/failure and see how one’s society influences the outcome… As well as an examines the relationship between…..  Individual Choice vs. Social Forces Solidarity– the level of connectedness a person feels to others in the environment Social control—the social mechanisms that regulate a person’s actions And is studied using one of the three theoretical paradigms…..  Theoretical Perspectives Theoretical perspectives are the basic assumptions about how society functions, the role of sociology, and the application of a specific set theories in studying social life. Examples of these assumptions are: Society is a unified whole that seeks equilibrium Society is composed of groups competing for scarce resources Social life can be measured through observing daily interactions Click to edit the title text format  Comparing the Theoretical Perspectives Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Level of Analysis Macro Macro Micro How are wealth and How do people What keeps society power distributed in co-create the society? functioning smoothly? society? How does social What are the parts of How do people with interaction influence, wealth and power keep Core society & how do they create, and sustain them? Questions relate? human relationships? Are there groups that get What are the intended and Do people change ahead and why? unintended outcomes of an How are society’s behavior from on event? resources and setting to another? If so opportunities divided? why? STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM Theoretical Paradigm #1 Components & Theorists  STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM Functionalism views society as a system of interrelated parts It is a macro (large scale) orientation because it studies how social structures affect how a society works  STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM Auguste Comte Herbert Spencer Emile Durkheim Talcott Parsons Robert Merton  Auguste Comte Comte coined the term sociology. Felt that sociology should strive to discover social laws (statements of fact that are unchanging under given conditions and can be used as grounds rules for any study of society).  Auguste Comte Comte suggested in order to know social laws of a society one must study social statics and social dynamics ⚬ Social statics are the existing structural elements of society ⚬ Social dynamics are the change in those elements of society  STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM Although few sociologists use Comte’s original theories today, his basic ideas are the groundwork on which functionalism is based.  STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM According to functionalists, society is relatively stable, which means that things occur in society for a specific function and those functions help maintain stability. ⚬ Social institutions such as the family, economy, educational system, and political system are critical for society to function properly.  Functionalism suggests that a society’s values and norms provide the foundation for the rules and laws that it creates. These norms regulate the relationships between social institutions.  Functionalists, however, have differing views about how these structures cooperate with one another. Some compare society to a living, breathing organism; others analyze the expected and unexpected outcomes of a social event; while still others wonder what exactly it is that holds a society together.  Herbert Spencer Spencer’s study of sociology was influenced by Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection. ⚬ Spencer viewed society as a biological organism, and as such, it can evolve, thrive, or die. ⚬ For him, some societies are “more fit” than others because they adapt better to changes in the environment.  Herbert Spencer From Spencer you can see the type of thinking known as Social Darwinism. ⚬ A notion that suggests strong societies survive and weak ones become extinct.  Emile Durkheim Durkheim was one of the first true sociologists in that he used data to test theories. Durkheim’s work suggested that solidarity is a vital component that holds society together.  Emile Durkheim Solidarity integrates, or holds society together because people see themselves as unified. He points out that the type of society influences the type of solidarity.  Emile Durkheim Durkheim divided solidarity into two categories: ⚬ Mechanical solidarity refers to the state of community bonding in traditional societies in which people share beliefs and values and perform common activities. ⚬ Organic solidarity occurs when people live in a society with a diverse division of labor, this forces people to depend on one another for survival.  Emile Durkheim In his 1897 book Suicide, Durkheim proposed that two social forces, solidarity and social control, influence the chance of a person taking his or her own life. ⚬ Solidarity is the level of connectedness a person feels towards others in their environment ⚬ Social control refers to the social mechanisms that regulate a person’s actions  Four Types of Suicide Egoistic - when people lack solidarity Altruistic - result when the level of solidarity is exceptionally high, suicide bomber Fatalistic - result from too much social control Anomic - occur as a result of rapid change, usually economic Click to edit the title text format  Talcott Parsons Parsons was interested in creating grand theories that attempted to explain every aspect of the human experience and how social systems interconnect. Society was much like a bicycle wheel, made up of independent spokes connected to a hub that keeps the wheel spinning.  Talcott Parsons When properly balanced, each independent spoke connected to the hub and keeps the wheel spinning. But if just one spoke breaks on your wheel, the entire wheel will eventually fall out of balance.  Talcott Parsons Thus, in order to change a society, some great force must impact the system or it will remain unchanged. Change is unlikely, and often disruptive.  Robert Merton Merton sought to create a middle-range theory that could bridge the gap between current theories He did this by breaking society into parts and studying them individually to better understand the whole.  Robert Merton This idea is widely accepted in sociology today, as most sociologists have an area of expertise be it race, gender, crime, inequality, population, or a host of other issues. Merton’s work also shows how sociologists are rarely “pure” theorists in any area.  Robert Merton One of Merton’s greatest contributions to functionalism was the understanding that social realities have both intended and unintended functions. ⚬ Social factors that affect people in society.  TWO TYPES OF FUNCTIONS: Merton identified two types of functions: ⚬ Manifest functions are predicted, intended, expected and knowable effect of a social structure. Ex: People go to churches in order to pray and hear mass ⚬ Latent functions are unintended outcome of social structure. Ex: If the manifest function of going to church is for people to pray, the latent function is to gather people together in one place to reinforce the sense of community.  TWO TYPES OF DYSFUNCTIONS Merton identified two types of dysfunctions: ⚬ Manifest dysfunctions are predicted, expected and knowable disruptions of a social structure. Ex: A large gathering of people in concert disrupts traffic flow in a vicinity of the event, even though it was not intended to do so. ⚬ Latent dysfunctions are factors that lead to an unforeseen or unexpected disruption of a social structure. Ex: Customers who usually takes pictures of their food in social media spent longer time in their table, thus, next costumers will likewise have an increased waiting period.  Merton suggested that when looking at any social event, sociologists should ask the question, “For whom is this functional?” ⚬ By doing this, we’ll do a complete analysis because we’ll consider both manifest and latent functions Structural-functionalism  Structural-functionalism Functionalism compares the purposes of an institution to that of an individual. Such comparison allows the error of reification- when an object or a thing is regarded as something alive that has his own needs and purposes– to take place. Functionalism falls for the fallacy of circular reasoning. Functions are seen as existing because they are functional in the society. Because of its idea that everything has a function in society, functionalism finds it difficult to explain social changes. If everything function in the society, then there is no need to change. In case there is a change, it is attributed to the gradual process of evolution; however, evolution does not account for rapid social changes such as revolutions or war  Structural-functionalism The idea of functional unity does not take into account that conflicts can and will arise in the society. There are systems within the social structure that are opposed to one another which results in a break in unity. Social stratification can be considered as a defense and argument for social injustices. The abuse of corporations and institutions to the lower classes are seen as a motivating factor to rise above the oppression. Thus, if someone rises to the upper class, then he or she will inevitably become the oppressor. Assignment: 1 whole sheet of yellow paper Look closely at the picture. Analyze the picture then explain what is depicted in it. Create a synthesis essay. Use the questions below as your guide. What is Marxism Theory? Name the two classes in the society that you can see in the image. Describe them. Briefly discuss the theory and its proponents Have you observed this kind of conflict in the society nowadays? Symbolic Interactionism Theoretical Paradigm #3 Components & Theorists  Symbolic Interactionism George Herbert Mead Herbert Blumer Erving Goffman Howard Becker  Symbolic Interactionism Symbolic Interactionism focuses on how communication influences the way people’s interactions with each other create the social world in which we live. Symbolic Interactionists believe that the root of society comes from its symbols. They suggest that the symbols we use are arbitrary, meaning that they vary from culture to culture.  Our definition of what has value depends on our understanding of it. Context and setting affects our understanding of a social event. Social order results when the members of society share common definitions of what is appropriate.  Disputes arise when we do not share the same definitions. Symbolic interactionism is the most micro of sociological approaches, as it often studies the activities of individuals and then draws connections to larger society from these. Studies of relationships, race, deviance, and even social movements can all use a symbolic interactionist approach.  Interactionists argue that individuals have the power to co-create the world, to make it what they want it to be. People develop standards and norms through a process of interacting with others. Symbolic Interactionism is a distinctly American way of looking at the world.  George Herbert Mead Symbolic Interactionism is the brainchild of George Herbert Mead. In Mind, Self and Society, Mead suggests that the root of society is the symbols that teach us to understand the world. We then use these symbols to develop a sense of self, or identity.  It is this identity that we then take into the world and interact with other identities to create society. Thus, building blocks of society start with our minds, where we interpret symbols.  Mead suggests that we do this through micro interactions we have every day. Mead argues that all these various symbols enter our minds, where their meaning is interpreted and we are told how to react. Mead suggests that this process is never-ending, therefore, we have a fluid sense of who we are.  Our selves can change, and they do change based on how we interpret the symbols thrown our way. In this way, your self develops. Self is your identity, it’s what makes you who you are and separates you from others.  George Herbert Mead According to Mead, you couldn’t have a self without symbols or without someone to pass those symbols to you. In other words, you learn who you are through others.  Mead proposed that symbols build society. Symbols have meanings and meaning directs our lives. The symbols a society uses help us understand the people in that society. Symbols help us define a situation and determine what we should do about it.  Herbert Blumer Established three basic premises that define the symbolic interactionist perspective: 1.Human beings behave toward things on the basis of the meanings they ascribe to those things. 2.The meaning of such things is derived from, or arises out of the social interaction that one has with others and society. 3.These meanings are handled in and modified through an interpretive process used by the person in dealing with the things he or she encounters.  Erving Goffman Goffman developed a theory called dramaturgy, a theory of interaction in which all life is like acting. Goffman uses this theory to compare daily social interactions to the gestures of actors on a stage.  People are constantly “acting” in order to convince people of the character they wish to portray to the outside world. Not to say that people are faking it, but rather that people are concerned about what the rest of the world will think of them and they adjust their social interactions accordingly.  Howard Becker Becker suggests that human action is related to the labels attached to it. In his book, Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance, Becker suggests that a label is attached to a certain behavior when a group with powerful social status labels it deviant.  He suggests that deviance is rooted in the reactions and responses of others to an individual's acts. Becker would suggest that the label we ascribe to people has a major influence on their behavior. Symbolic Interactionism  THE THREE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE No single paradigm fits every situation. To get a complete picture, many sociologists use all three paradigms. In this way, the three paradigms are interrelated and work together to help us figure out why society is the way it is. Thank you for listening!