The Sociological Perspective
“Sociological perspective is understanding human behavior by placing it within its broader social context” (Henslin, 2014). This is how we view the world socially, how people live in the world. It is also how culture and their values change how people perceive the world around them. It explains how it is important to get a college education in America but how this is not important in a small village in Africa. Different parts of the world have diverse cultures that shape their values and behavior.
“C. Wright Mills (1959) put it this way: The sociological imagination [perspective] enables us to grasp the connection between history and biography” (Henslin, 2014). In other words that we live influences our way of looking
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Each perceptive gives us insight into society as a whole and their values and behaviors.
The functionalist perspective is based on that society is one big unit made up by a bunch of small units to make it whole (Henslin, 2014). Such as a puzzle, all you have is a bunch of little pieces until you put them all together to finish the puzzle. Each piece has its own place that it fits into to make the finished product. Without the little pieces (people), we wouldn’t have the finished product (society). “The functionalist perspective is based largely on the works of Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons, and Robert Merton” (Mooney, Knox, & Schacht, 2007).
Conflict perspective or conflict theory is that society is always in conflict and the lower class is subdued by the upper class. There is a constant struggle between these classes. The upper class to keep their status and the lower class to get better benefits for themselves. Karl Marx was the founder of the conflict theory. “He concluded the key to human history is class conflict” (Henslin,
...to be achieved, years, decades, lifetimes, conflict is intended to fulfill this need. Ultimately, conflict theory is about the struggles, ideologies, representations, and power that the haves possess and the have-nots want to exert. These concepts come into play causing conflict between the groups which ends in social change.
The conflict perspective/theory involves how “the elite class…. use social control mechanisms …. to perpetuate their own advantageous positions in society.” (p.109). Further they can gain an “unequal access to economical goods …. resulting [in gaining capital versus someone poorer who would
Functionalism is a theory in which various social institutions and processes in society serve a significant function in order for society to continue
While studying sociology, it is necessary to develop a sociological imagination. It is helpful to learn the views and perspectives of sociology in order to better understand how social forces, social institutions, and social structures impact someone’s life. By having a better understanding of how these things contribute to our lives, we also have a better understanding of why certain events occur.
The functionalist paradigm focuses on the integration of society, and how society how its own groups which has their own functions to help improve the peoples lives. Functionalist paradigm fits in the category of macro-sociology, because it focuses on the patterns that shape an entire society. Functionalists believe that society is maintained through the thought of trust and consensus on moral values for ideal behavior. Working together will result in a stable social environment that will create equality. Conflicts or dysfunctions will be view as a disease in the social system. Social conflict paradigm believes that society is divided into many groups that have their own goals, and that certain parts of the world have the luck of benefiting economic dominan...
When studying in the field of Sociology everyone is going to approach topics in a different manner. No two people are going to have the exact same view on a particular subject. There are however, three major categories in which people might choose to approach topics. The approaches are know as sociological perspectives and are the functionalist, conflict, and interactionist perspectives. These perspectives name different ways in which different people choose to analyze a subject, and how they look at a society as a whole. The following paragraphs compare and contrast the three, and identify major characteristics of each.
Functionalism views society as the stability and assimilation of a range of forces that function within it. While society is a separate entity with a life of its own, there are individual elements contributing to that stability. Functionalism as a sociological theory emphasizes assimilation rather than the dissociation of society. Therefore, the society is seen as a whole that is compromised of parts which give one another their identity and their function. The part, whether that is education, such as a school, or sports, such as a football team, operates in relation to the other parts, and cannot be entirely understood in isolation from the other parts. All the parts are interrelated, and when there is a disturbance in any one of the parts, is when you can see the interdependence. But what is important about this theory is that “there will always be some reorganization and tendency to restore equilibrium” (Wallace and Wolf 17). Functionalist do not believe it’s crucial that the people involved in the society to be aware of this interconnectedness anymore than the brain and heart consciously realize that they work together as an organism.
As I sketch my sociological portrait, I find myself first looking at the multiple statuses I hold in society and how each came about. I am not only a father to an young adult, but a son, a brother, a friend to many, a neighbor, a student once again and a blue-collar worker. Each of these statuses developed during various times in my life, and requires me to take on, at times, numerous roles. These statuses have defined who I have become and the impacts I have on society. My sociological portrait will be based on the social institution of family. My family has been the most influential in molding who I have become.
Functionalism is the oldest and most commonly used theoretical approach used to understand social issues. Functionalism is a macrosociological perspective that presents the idea that society consists of different components working together to help a society function as one. Sociolog...
“However, to develop our sociological vision we must do just that: We must be willing to look at our own society with cool detachment, careful observation, and scientific analysis. We must examine the groups we live in- our family, our neighbours, our classmates, our nation- as if we had just set foot in a new and strange land.” (Goode, 1977, P. 3)
How are the perceptions of human nature conveyed by individuals subject to the influence of
Theories in sociology sometime provide us with the different perspectives with which to view our social...
The structural-functionalist perspective looks at society as a complex system composed of various parts much like a living organism. Each aspect of society contributes to society's functioning as a whole. Social institutions play a key role in keeping a society stable. All societies need certain things to survive (Newman 2010).
The study of the social interactions of society led to some very prominent theories on the social structure of a given society. Karl Marx, who was considered to be the father of conflict theory, claimed that in any society there is a division of social classes, where one group gets and maintains control of the other groups, oftentimes exploiting those of lesser social standing. This consequently leads to a conflict of the social classes in a struggle to gain or maintain power. The names of these distinct social classes have changed over time but their defining characte...
Sociological Perspective: says that human behavior is a social act that can be traced to powerful forces in the social environment surrounding each actor. In other words an individual’s social environment is very influential.