The Sociological Perspective

The systematic study of human society

What Is Sociology?

“...The systematic study of human society ”– Systematic

• Scientific discipline that focuses attention on patterns of behavior

– Human society• Group behavior is primary focus; how groups influence

individuals and vice versa

– At the “heart of sociology”• The sociological perspective which offers a unique view of society

Why Take Sociology?

• Education and liberal arts– Well-rounded as a person– Social expectations

• More appreciation for diversity– The global village– Domestic social marginality

• Enhanced life chances– Micro and macro understanding– Increase social potentials

Benefits of the Sociological Perspective

1. Helps us assess the truth of common sense2. Helps us assess both opportunities and constraints in

our lives3. Empowers us to be active participants in our society4. Helps us live in a diverse world

Importance of Global Perspective• Where we live makes a great difference in shaping our lives• Societies throughout the world are increasingly

interconnected through technology and economics.• Many problems that we face in the United States are more

serious elsewhere.• Thinking globally is a good way to learn more about

ourselves.

Global Map 1.1 Women’s Childbearing in Global PerspectiveIs childbearing simply a matter of personal choice? A look around the world shows that it is not. In general,

women living in poor countries have many more children than women in rich nations. Can you point to some of the reasons for this global disparity? In simple terms, such differences mean that if you had been born into

another society (whether you are female or male), your life might be quite different from what it is now.Source: Data from Hamilton, Martin, & Ventura (2006). Map projection from Peters Atlas of the World (1990).

The Sociological PerspectivePeter Berger

• Seeing the general in the particular– Sociologists identify general social patterns in the

behavior of particular individuals.• Seeing the strange in the familiar– Giving up the idea that human behavior is simply a

matter of what people decide to do– Understanding that society shapes our lives

Durkheim’s Study of Suicide• Emile Durkheim’s research showed that society affects even our most

personal choices.– More likely to commit: male Protestants who were wealthy and

unmarried– Less likely to commit: male Jews and Catholics who were poor and

married• One of the basic findings: Why?– The differences between these groups had to do with “social

integration.”– Those with strong social ties had less of a chance of committing

suicide.

National Map 1.1 Suicide rates across the United StatesThis map shows which states have high, average, and low suicide rates. Look for patterns. By and large, high suicide rates occur where people live far apart from one another. More densely populated states have low suicide rates. Do these data support or contradict Durkheim’s theory

of suicide? Why? Source: Hoyert et al. (2006).

Figure 1.1 Rate of Death by Suicide, by Race and Sex, for the United States.Suicide rates are higher for white people than for black people and higher for men than for women. Rates indicate the number of deaths by suicide for every 100,000 people in each category for 2003.Source: Youert et al. (2006).

C. Wright Mills’Sociological Imagination

• The power of the sociological perspective lies not just in changing individual lives but in transforming society.

• Society, not people’s personal failings, is the cause of social problems.

• The sociological imagination transforms personal problems into public issues.

The Origins of Sociology

• One of the youngest of academic disciplines, sociology has its origins in powerful social forces.

• Social Change– Industrialization, urbanization, political revolution, and a new

awareness of society• Science– 3-Stages: Theological, Metaphysical & Scientific– Positivism–A way of understanding based on science

• Gender & Race– These important contributions have been pushed to the margins

of society.

Sociological Theory• Theory: a statement of how and why facts are related– Explains social behavior to the real world

• Theoretical paradigm: A set of fundamental assumptions that guides thinking– Structural-functional– Social-conflict– Symbolic-interaction

Structural-Functional Paradigm• The basics– A macro-level orientation, concerned with broad patterns that

shape society as a whole– Views society as a complex system whose parts work together to

promote solidarity and stability • Key elements:– Social structure refers to any relatively stable patterns of social

behavior found in social institutions.– Social function refers to the consequences for the operation of

society as a whole.

Who’s Who in the Structural-Functional Paradigm

• Auguste Comte– Importance of social integration during times of rapid change

• Emile Durkheim– Helped establish sociology as a discipline

• Herbert Spencer– Compared society to the human body

• Robert K. Merton– Manifest functions are recognized and intended consequences.– Latent functions are unrecognized and unintended consequences.– Social dysfunctions are undesirable consequences.

Social-Conflict Paradigm• The basics:– A macro-oriented paradigm– Views society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict

and social change• Key elements:– Society is structured in ways to benefit a few at the expense of

the majority.– Factors such as race, sex, class, and age are linked to social

inequality.– Dominant group vs. disadvantaged group relations

Who’s Who in theSocial-Conflict Paradigm

• Karl Marx– The importance of social class in inequality and social

conflict• W.E.B. Du Bois– Race as the major problem facing the United States in

the 20th century

Feminism and the Gender-Conflict Approach

• A point of view that focuses on inequality and conflict between women and men

• Closely linked to feminism, the advocacy of social equality for women and men

• Women important to the development of sociology: Harriet Martineau and Jane Addams

The Race-Conflict Approach

• A point of view that focuses on inequality and conflict between people of different racial and ethnic categories

• People of color important to the development of sociology: Ida Wells Barnett and W.E.B. Du Bois

Symbolic-Interaction Paradigm• The basics– A micro-level orientation, a close-up focus on social

interactions in specific situations – Views society as the product of everyday interactions of

individuals• Key elements – Society is nothing more than the shared reality that

people construct as they interact with one another.– Society is a complex, ever-changing mosaic of subjective

meanings.

Who’s Who in the Symbolic-Interaction Paradigm

• Max Weber– Understanding a setting from the people in it

• George Herbert Mead– How we build personalities from social experience

• Erving Goffman– Dramaturgical analysis

• George Homans & Peter Blau– Social-exchange analysis

Critical Evaluation• Structural-Functional– Too broad, ignores inequalities of social class, race &

gender, focuses on stability at the expense of conflict• Social-Conflict– Too broad, ignores how shared values and mutual

interdependence unify society, pursues political goals• Symbolic-Interaction– Ignores larger social structures, effects of culture, factors

such as class, gender & race

Applying Theory Major Theoretical Approaches

Applying the Approaches: The Sociology of Sports

• The Functions of Sports– A structural-functional approach directs our attention to

the ways in which sports help society operate– Sports have functional and dysfunctional consequences

Sports and Conflict

• Social-conflict analysis points out that games people play reflect their social standing.

• Sports have been oriented mostly toward males. • Big league sports excluded people of color for decades.• Sports in the United States are bound up with inequalities

based on gender, race, and economic power.

Figure 1.2 “Stacking” in Professional FootballDoes race play a part in professional sports? Looking at the various positions in professional football, we see that white players are more likely to play the central and offensive positions. What do you make of this pattern?Source: Lapchick (2006).

Sports as Interaction

• Following the symbolic-interaction approach, sports are less a system than an ongoing process.

• All three theoretical approaches—structural-functional, social-conflict, and symbolic-interaction—provide different insights into sports. None is more correct than the others.

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