Macrosociology: Benefits Of Micro And Sociological Theories

Micro and macro level studies each have their own benefits and drawbacks. Macrosociology is an approach which emphasizes the analysis of social systems and populations on a large scale. Macrosociology includes families, individuals, and other basic aspects of society, but always does so in relation to a larger system of which they’re part. Human populations are considered a society to the degree that is politically independent and its members participate in a broad range of activities. Macrosociology deals with broad trends that can be applied to the smaller features of one society. In contrast, macrosociology deals with issues such as national distress/war, poverty, and environmental deprivation while microsociology analyses issues such as

the nature of a family, the role of women or immigration of people. Microsociology is one of the primary focuses (or points) of sociology, covering the nature of everyday social interaction on a smaller scale: face-to-face. Microsociology is based on explanatory analysis rather than statistical observation. There are a plethora of methods, including symbolism or ethnomethodology (methods for understanding/producing social order in which we live). Macrosociology, in contrast, concerns the social structures and many broader systems.

Early in the development of sociology, Emile Durkheim was interested in explaining the ‘phenomenon’ of suicide and gathered data about large groups of people in Europe who had ended their lives.

When Durkheim analyzed the data, he found that suicide rates differed amongst groups of people with different religious affiliations. For an example, the data showed that Protestants were more likely to commit suicide than Catholics. To explain this, Durkheim developed the concept of social solidarity. Social solidarity is described as the social ties that bind a group of people together such as location, religion or political status. Though plenty have disagreed with his theory and conclusions, Durkheim’s work introduced the importance of theory in sociological study.

Grand theories, otherwise described as macro-level, are attempts to explain large scale relationships and answer fundamental questions such as why societies form and change. Theories such as these tend to be abstract and can be difficult, if not impossible, to test experimentally. As stated before, micro-level theories are at the other end of the scale and cover very specific relationships between small groups and individuals. Micro-level theories are dependent on their context and are much more concrete or stabilized, meaning that these types of theories are more scientifically

testable.

Growing out of the writings of English philosopher and biologist Herbert Spencer, functionalism (also known as the structural functional theory) sees society as a structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and societal needs of individuals whom make up that society. It is the oldest of the main theories and its origins began before sociology emerged as a formal discipline. In perspective, Spencer likened sociology to a human body. Spencer argued that just as the various organs of the body work together to keep the entire system regulated and functioning, the various parts of society work together to keep the entire system functioning properly.