Andersen characterizes Luhmann’s social systems theory using the concept of observation as a starting point. Observation is “a specific operation of creating distinction: to observe is to indicate something within the boundaries of a distinction” (Andersen 2003:64). To use the words of Spencer-Brown: “We take as given the idea of distinction and the idea of indication, and that we cannot make an indication without drawing a distinction” (Spencer-Brown 1969:1). In particular, to demarcate is to indicate something in the world and to distinguish from something else. Therefore a distinction possesses an inner side (marked space) as well as an outer side (unmarked space); the inner side being the indicated side. Whenever these is an observation, …show more content…
The operation of observation establishes a distinction between self-reference and external reference, between what is observed and the observing system. The distinction actualised decides how the world appears to the system. The concept of paradox is central for social systems theory. Since the observer must distinguish without being able to choose its distinction, on the level of first-order observation, observations are paradoxical. “Conversersely, the observer of the second order sees that the observing observer can only see that which his distinction let him see. He is thus able to see how the first-order paradox is removed, becomes invisible, or, in Luhmannian terms, is de-paradoxified” (Andersen 2003:68). Anderson suggests some central guiding distinctions to observation of the second order in Luhmann’s systems theory. The first is form analysis. This analytical strategy “analyses the boundaries of communication and the paradoxes that communication unfolds when it connects with one particular distinction” (Andersen 2003:78). Two questions are central: (1) What must necessarily follow the shaping of this very distinction? and (2) What are the restrictions on communication due to this distinction? Ii is the precisely question of the unity of the distinction (Anderson
One of the sociological theories is conflict theory. The conflict theory deals with people's level on wealth, or class. The conflict theory says that social change is beneficial, contrary to focuses on social order. In the story of the woman and her children, the conflict theory plays a big role on the situation. Police of higher class are threatening the homeless woman. The conflict theory is a constant struggle of people of higher class over powering people of lower class, or the weaker. The police are trying to over power the woman by telling her to leave. Even though the woman and her children were doing nothing wrong, the police used their power to tell her to leave. Also the people of the area showed their conflict theory by telling the police officers to come. They must have felt embarrassed to have a woman of such lower class to be around them. They used their power of class to have the woman removed from their community. The woman wants to be there because she has no home and it is a good community to be in, but the people look at it as an embarrassment to them because it makes their area look bad for someone of such lower class to be around them. The conflict theory is unique to all other theories because it separates people into categories determined by their wealth and standards. Their status is the element that categorizes them, weather it is class, race, or gender. The conflict theory do not always use class, race, and gender all at once. In this situation race and gender is not a main issue, although gender could be a reason, but it would fall under the feminist theory. This story is mainly dealing with class. Through all this conflict the woman feels over powered and domina...
Before diving directly into the Stoic causal system, we should get our feet wet with the definition of some terms which I will employ frequently throughout the paper. Most importantly, I believe, is the concept of lekta. Despite the existence of complex lekta in the form of propositions, a lekton is simply a piece of language that articulates a state of affairs, carries a truth value, and “subsists in accordance with a rational impression” (LS 196). While there are many intriguing aspects of lekta, for the purposes of this paper it is most important to understand lekt...
A phenomenologist, David Abram, in his book The Spell of the Sensuous, discusses that human is “inter-subjective.” (Abram, 36) Phenomenology is a method of getting to truth through observing how phenomena present themselves to the senses and to the mind, as Abram defines, “phenomenology would seek not to explain the world, but to describe as closely as possible the way the world makes itself evident to awareness, the way things first arise in our direct, sensorial experience.” (Abram, 35) Phenomenology poses the terms inter-subjectivity to describe what is real. Subjectivity refers to the essence of the “I”—first-person perspective. Inter-subjectivity is the perspective developed between, called a kind of “We-ness”. In phenomenology, reality is a collective construction—it is not subjective to the individual or is objectively determined by things, but rather it is inter-subjective.
In 1959, C. Wright Mills released a book entitled ‘The sociological’. Imagination’. It was in this book that he laid out a set of guidelines of how to carry out social analysis of the data. But for a layman, what does the term ‘sociological imagination’ mean? actually mean.
The family structure is made up of individuals living together in intimate groups with the purpose of caring and supporting each other. Rules and boundaries, spoken and unspoken, are developed by the family members. Family rules and boundaries change and shift over time in order to evolve and grow as a family unit. Some changes are subtle, but some events force major change within the family system. This paper applies the concepts of systems theory to the family system in the movie Sweet Home Alabama. Reese Witherspoon (Melanie Smooter) and Josh Lucas (Jake Perry) star in this heart-warming film telling a story of a young woman who flees from Alabama to reinvent herself in New York City as a high fashion designer. She leaves behind her redneck husband and white-trash upbringing. Melanie finds herself engaged to the cities most eligible bachelor and has to return to Alabama to request a divorce from her first love and confront her past ("Alabama," 2002).
According to Richard Charles (2001) “the effectiveness of family systems theory rests not much on empirical research but on clinical reports of positive treatment outcomes, the personal benefits experienced by the families that underwent this kind of treatment, and the elegance of Bowen’s theory” (p. 279). Bowen’s family systems theory views the family as an emotional unit and is a theory of human behavior. Systems thinking are used to describe the complex interactions in the unit. However, the client’s ability to differentiate himself/herself from the family of origin is the basis for Bowen’s family systems theory. In addition, the primary focus for growth within the emotional system is differentiation of self. Differentiation of self will be explored as well as how it relates to a church congregation.
SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY Take Home Exam One Questions 5 and 6 By Shylynn E. Calbert MW 5:45-7pm DR. FORD 5. Discuss abortion using applications of Durkheim?s conception of social facts. How would Durkheim research the issue and explain it in sociological terms?
...higher order theory provides an encouraging investigation of the many connections consciousness has with other mental phenomena.
List and briefly explain all the theories on social change from Harper (chapter 3) and Massey 's (chapter 3) book. Then comment on which theory or theories you think make more sense in explaining social change, and use examples to back up your statements.
What elements of social structure do you see in this video? How could they lead to crime or criminal behavior?
Almost all of us live daily with the effects of social construction, whereby one is observed through their cultural or social practices. Society discriminates against us depending on skin colour and social class. Carole Vance in her article “Social Construction Theory”, has a unique approach to social construction of gender. She painstakingly points out that these cultural influences affect individuals on a personal basis, but society as a whole.
The movie “A Bug’s Life” shares the story of a colony of ants that are trapped in a vicious cycle of gathering food for the powerful grasshoppers year after year. The ants become wary of collecting food and soon realize a revolution is needed to free themselves from the grip of the grasshoppers. Throughout “A Bug’s Life”, a critical analysis of character interaction contributes to a greater understanding of the functionalist theory, conflict theory, and Marxism and how these sociological principles create a competitive society and inevitably lead to societal change.
An example presented in the Prolegomena to address the difference between judgments of perception and judgments of experience also helps to understand how a judgment of perception becomes a judgment of experience through the notion of causality. The example stated is when the sun shines on a rock, the rock grows warm. This would be a judgment of perception if the statement remained as shown. We cannot say that just because the sun is shinning it caused the rock to warm. When we change the statement to the sun warms the rock, then this statement presents additional information to the original perception, that of cause. With the addition of causality, the statement becomes objecti...
Think about everyday life. Imagine everything that is experienced in a single day, whether it is through sight, smell, touch, and/or taste. Now, what if someone said that what is experienced is not how it is in reality? This statement is confusing, but the perspective of every being is different, so if that is true, who is actually viewing the world “correctly”? This is to say, who is viewing her environment as it actually looks? This may seem unbelievable, but it is the truth. In this essay, it will be explained through perspective, theories of perspective, and the opposition, why humans’ perspectives of reality are not accurate representations of said reality.
Erik Erikson was a researcher of the Psychodynamic perspective who lived through the years 1902 to 1994. He developed a theory that dealt with the stages of human development and was referred to as a Neo-Freudian. A Neo-Freudian are those “who have revised Sigmund Freud’s theory” (Massey, 1986). His theory argued that “both society and culture challenge and shape us” (Feldman, 2011). Erik Erikson’s theory of psychological development does not specify specific ages, so the age categories can only be guessed upon. It is my personal thought that this was a smart move due to different age milestones for different cultures. The essay titled Erik Erikson: Ages, stages, and stories argues that the stages “are organized into a system of polarities that tempt us to think about psychological dynamics in a form that is more binary than Erikson intended.” Each stage has a ‘resolution’ or goal. Each stage presents a “crisis or conflict that the individual must resolve” (Feldman, 2011, p.16)