Introduction to SociologySociology 120

Napa Valley College Social Sciences Division Glen Bell Office 1030 E Office Phone 253-3182 gbell@napavalley.edu

The Sociological Perspective

The sociological perspective - opens a window onto unfamiliar worlds, and offers a fresh look at familiar worlds.

It enables one to gain a new vision of social life.

It examines how group membership influences behavior.

Sociological Perspective

“Reflective skepticism”- asking important questions before accepting the propositions asserted; what data (facts?) do you base your statements on? What interests are being served if this assertion is accepted? What do you mean by….? (concept clarification, operational definitions)

Debunking – looking behind what is typically seen and accepted in everyday life. What are the range of behaviors, goals, and interactions in the classroom besides teaching and learning a subject matter?

Examples: whose interests does the curriculum serve? why is there a 5’10’’ height requirement to be a cop?

The Sociological Perspective

This perspective allows us to examine society - a group of people who share a culture and a territory.

THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE:PETER BERGER

SEE THE GENERAL IN THE PARTICULAR GENERAL SOCIAL PATTERNS IN THE

BEHAVIOR OF PARTICULAR INDIVIDUALS• INDIVIDUALS ARE UNIQUE…BUT

• SOCIETY’S SOCIAL FORCES SHAPE US INTO “KINDS” OF PEOPLE

CONSIDER THESE • PEOPLE MORE LIKELY TO KILL THEMSELVES

• PEOPLE MORE LIKELY TO GO TO AND SUCCEED IN COLLEGE AND ENJOY A FAVORABLE QUALITY OF LIFE

The Sociological Perspective

OBSERVATIONS ARE CERTAINLY IMPACTED BY THE PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES THROUGH WHICH PEOPLE COME TO VIEW THE WORLD

Sociology and the Other Sciences

Science- systematic methods used to study the social and natural worlds.

Sociology- the scientific study of society and human behavior.

A useful way of comparing these sciences is to divide them into the natural and the social sciences.

Sociology and the Other Sciences

Natural Sciences-

the intellectual and academic disciplines designed to comprehend, explain, and predict the events in our natural environment.

Social Sciences- examine human relationships in an attempt to objectively understand the social world.

The Goals of Science

1- To explain why something happens.

2- To make generalizations that go beyond the individual case.

3- To predict what will happen in the future.

Scientists rely on systematic studies to move beyond common sense- those ideas that prevail.

The Origins of Sociology

Sociology is a very new discipline.

It grew out of upheaval during the Industrial Revolution.

The American and French Revolutions encouraged new thought.

Scientists began applying the scientific method to real world problems.

THE DISCIPLINE’S ORIGINSTHE DISCIPLINE’S ORIGINSSOCIOLOGY SPRANG FROM THREE

SEPARATE, YET INTERDEPENDENT REVOLUTIONS

THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION • A BELIEF IN SCIENCE BEGAN TO REPLACE

TRADITIONAL FORMS OF AUTHORITY

THE ECONOMIC REVOLUTION• INDUSTRIALISM AND CAPITALISM WERE

CHANGING ECONOMIC PATTERNS

THE POLITICAL REVOLUTION• MORE DEMOCRATIC VALUES AND STANDARDS

WERE BEING ADOPTED

Auguste Comte“The Father of Sociology”

Positivism proposed the idea of applying the scientific method to social life.

Comte called this new science “sociology” - the study of society.

His aim for sociology was to reform society.

Comte believed we must observe society in order to uncover it’s fundamental laws.

Herbert Spencer“Social Darwinism”

Spencer disagreed with Comte that reform should be the goal.

Spencer believed no one should intervene in the evolution of society.

Over time, societies improve.

The fittest members will produce an advanced society.

Karl Marx

Marx stated that the engine of human history is class conflict.

He claimed there is a strong conflict between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.

The struggle between the classes would end only when the proletariat revolted.

The result would be a classless society.

Marxism is not communism.

SOCIETY IN CONFLICTSOCIETY IN CONFLICT

• SOCIAL CONFLICT–STRUGGLE BETWEEN GROUPS OVER SCARCE RESOURCES•SOCIETY AND PRODUCTION–CAPITALISTS AND THE PROLETARIAT–SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS •INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPERSTRUCTURE

•FALSE CLASS CONSCIOUSNESS– ACCEPTING A NEGATIVE STATUS AS AN INHERENT TRAIT; “ATTRIBUTION ERROR”

Karl Marx

•Emphasized the importance of socioeconomic classes:

–Capitalists- ones who owned the “means of production”

–Bourgeoisie – small business owners

–Proletariat – working class

–Lumpenproletariat – (scum class) useless excess of humanity discarded by capitalist societies; “the poor who serve no purpose”.

Emile Durkheim

Durkheim’s goal was to recognize sociology as an academic discipline.

He studied suicide rates.

The key factor in suicide is social integration.

Those with weaker ties are most likely to commit suicide.

Seeing the General in the Particular

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

African Americans Whites

10.9

20.2

6.212.4

1.94.9

Males Both Sexes Females

RATE OF DEATH BY SUICIDE

By Race and Sex

U.S. Bureau of the Census

WHAT SOCIAL FORCES AREAT WORK HERE?

PER 100,000 PERSONS

DURKHEIM’S STUDY OF SUICIDE MORE LIKELY TO COMMIT

• MALE PROTESTANTS WHO WERE WEALTHY AND UNMARRIED HAD HIGHER SUICIDE RATES

– PROTESTANTISM AND INDIVDUALISM

LESS LIKELY TO COMMIT• MALE JEWS AND CATHOLICS WHO WERE POOR AND

MARRIED– BEING CATHOLIC AND GROUP-ORIENTATION

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 COMMITING SUICIDE

Copyright (c) 2003 by Allyn & Bacon 21

Social Regulation

Soc

ial I

nteg

ratio

nAltruistic

Egoistic

Anomic Fatalistic

High

Low High

Low

Y-a

xis

X-axis

A Normative Theory of Suicide: Durkheim

Emile Durkheim

Two types of social solidarity: mechanical solidarity, present in traditional societies where there is a simple division of labor and a communal spirit; and organic solidarity, in which more modern societies have a complex division of labor, and an organizational interdependence; if one fails, all fail in a modern business enterprise.

Anomie – the social condition in which norms and expectations are in conflict, or absent, leaving one adrift; the solution is to seek equilibrium and re-establish oneself into the stability of a culture and it’s supportive belief systems.

Emile Durkheim Durkheim focused upon large

social processes and institutions (structure), and the way that these institutions and processes operate to maintain social order (functionalism).

Sui generis – Durkheim argued that society was a “thing-in itself” and had an existence independent of the individuals who populate it, just as a forest is something different and unique from the mere collection of individual trees.

DURKHEIM’S VIEWS ON SOCIETYSOCIETY

MORE THAN INDIVIDUALS• SOCIETY HAS A LIFE OF ITS OWN - BEYOND OUR

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

SOCIAL FACTS ANY PATTERNS ROOTED IN SOCIETY

RATHER THAN THE EXPERIENCE OF INDIVIDUALS

• SOCIETY HAS AN “OBJECTIVE EXISTENCE” BEYOND OUR OWN SUBJECTIVE PERCEPTIONS OF THE WORLD

– EXAMPLES: NORMS, VALUES, RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, AND RITUALS

• POWER TO GUIDE OUR THOUGHTS/ACTIONS

EXAMINING SOCIETYEXAMINING SOCIETYTHREE ASPECTS OF

DURKHEIMIAN THOUGHT: SOCIETY HAS A STRUCTURE

AND ITS VARIOUS PARTS EXISTS IN AN ORDERLY RELATIONSHIP

SOCIETY HAS POWER THAT IS DEMONSTRATED IN HOW IT SHAPES OUR THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS

SOCIETY HAS AN OBJECTIVE EXISTENCE AS IT OPERATES APART FORM ANY INDIVIDUAL’S SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE

EVER FEEL LIKE YOU’REA PUPPET ON A STRING?

Max Weber

Weber did not believe the economy was the force of social change.

Religion was the key.

The Protestant ethic - the belief that working hard would please God.

Weber found that Protestant beliefs led to the growth of Capitalism.

Religion was the central factor in the rise of Capitalism.

Max Weber Identified rationalism as a key influence in

the transition from pre-industrial to modern society; over-rationalization)

Stressed a value-free sociology by recognizing that we all have a “world view” that must be suspended in order to see as much as possible in human interaction.

Stressed the importance of power in both maintenance of, and in changing, social institutions and society as we perceive it.

Attributed power to other institutions as well as economic, and also pointed out the interdependence of belief systems and economic systems; The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, 1904.

Ideal Type – identifying the role of abstract ideas as heuristic tools for discussion; problem of reification.

THE HISTORICAL CHANGE FROM TRADITIONTO RATIONALITY AS THE DOMINANT MODE OF HUMAN THOUGHT

RATIONALISM, CALVINISM, AND INDUSTRIAL CAPITALISM PREDESTINATION AND GOD’S FAVOR FROM A RELIGIOUS TO A WORK ETHIC

RATIONAL SOCIAL ORGANIZATION DISTINCTIVE SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS THAT

SEE TO MEETING THE DEMANDS OF A GROWING, COMPLEX SOCIETY

The Role of Values in Social Research

Weber claimed sociology should remain value free - when values should not affect research.

Sociologists stress replication- repeating a study by other researchers to compare results.

WeberVerstehen and Social Facts

Verstehen- “to grasp by insight.”

The best interpreter of human action is someone who “has been there.”

Social Facts- patterns of behavior that characterize a social group.

Each pattern reflects some condition of society.

The Debate Over Basic Versus Applied Sociology

Some sociologists believe their role is to analyze society and publish results.

Others feel sociologists have an obligation to make society a better place.

Somewhere between we have applied sociology - the use of sociology to solve problems.

SOCIAL PARADIGMSSOCIAL PARADIGMSSOCIAL PARADIGMSSOCIAL PARADIGMSTHEORY: An Explanation of the relationship

between specific facts.

PEOPLE HOLD DIFFERING OPINIONS ABOUT THEIR SOCIAL WORLD

WE ALL COME FROM DIFFERENT SOCIALEXPERIENCES AND THEYBIAS OUR ASSUMPTIONS

UP WITH

PEOPLE

DOWN WITHPEOPLE

Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology

Theory - a general statement about how some parts of the world fit together.

An explanation of how two or more facts are related to one another.

Sociologists use three main theories:

1) symbolic

interaction

2) functional analysis

3) conflict theory

Symbolic Interactionism

Studies how people use symbols to establish meaning, develop views of the world, and communicate.

Our behaviors depend on the way we define ourselves and others.

Symbolic Interactionists study face to face interactions and relationships.

THE BASICS: THE VIEW THAT SOCIETY IS THE

PRODUCT OF EVERYDAY INTERACTIONS

PRINCIPLES: SOCIETY IS A COMPLEX MOSAIC OF

UNDERSTANDING THAT EMERGES FROM THE VERY PROCESS OF INTERACTING

• GOFFMAN’S DRAMATURGICAL ANALSYIS

• THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF REALITY

SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM

SYMBOLIC INTERACTION IS A MICRO-ORIENTED PARADIGM,WHICH MEANS IT IS EFFECTIVELY USED WHEN ATTEMPTING TO UNDERSTAND SMALLER-SCALE SOCIAL PHENOMENA

Charles Horton Cooley

“The Looking Glass Self”The process through which we

imaginatively assume the reactions of other people.

George Herbert Mead

Role taking allows us to learn the values, norms, and behaviors

associated with those roles. This is critical for the process of

socialization.

BURGER AND LUCKMANN’S IDEASBURGER AND LUCKMANN’S IDEAS

THINK OF LANGUAGE AS A CONSTANT PROCESS THAT INVOLVES

EXTERNALIZATION• CREATION OF INSTITUTIONS AND RULES THAT GOVERN

INTERACTION OBJECTIFICATION

• PEOPLE BEGIN TO SEE SUCH ARRANGEMENTS WITHOUT A HUMAN CONNECTION - REIFICATION

INTERNALIZATION• WE INTERNALIZE A SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED REALITY

AS WE LEARN TO ADAPT TO SOCIETY ON OUR WAY TO BECOMING A “NORMAL HUMAN”

EXAMPLE: THE PROCESS BY WHICH WE BLAME GOVERNMENT AND INSTITUTIONS FOR OUR PROBLEMS; WHAT ARE SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS?

Sociological Nomenclature Ethnocentrism – the belief that our culture is is

superior to others. It also includes the concept of “world view”, meaning that we view the world through a very distinct cultural lens. A perspective often affects perception.

“It is more comfortable for our eye to react to a particular object by producing again an image it has often produced before than by retaining what is new and different in an impression” Friedrich Nietzche

A multiculturalism approach, or cultural relativism, allows one to observe the cultures of others without the interferences of bias which is pervasive in most humans. We must not confuse modernization and progress with good, and traditional with bad.

Not all progress is good! Nor were the “good old days” bucolic.

Functional Analysis

The central idea is that society is a whole unit, made up of interrelated parts that work together.

Like an organism, if society is to function smoothly, its parts must work together in harmony.

When all parts fulfill their functions, society is in a “normal” state of equilibrium.

FUNCTIONALISM THE BASICS

A MACRO-ORIENTED (LARGE-SCALE) PARADIGM VIEWS SOCIETY AS A COMPLEX SYSTEM WITH MANY

INTERDEPENDENT PARTS THE PARTS WORK TOGETHER TO PROMOTE SOCIAL

STABILITY AND ORDER MAJOR CHANGES TO THE SYSTEM’S PARTS IS NOT REQUIRED

OR DESIRED; SYSTEM SEEKS TO MAINTAIN EQUILIBRIUM

KEY ELEMENTS: SOCIAL STRUCTURE

• REFERS TO RELATIVELY STABLE PATTERNS OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOR FOUIND IN SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

SOCIAL FUNCTION • REFERS TO THE CONSEQUENCES OF SOCIAL PATTERNS FOR

SOCIETY

• THE WORK OF ROBERT K. MERTON ON SOCIAL FUNCTION

Conflict Theory

States that society is composed of groups engaged in fierce competition for scarce resources.

People in positions of authority try to enforce conformity (status quo), which, in turn, creates resentment and resistance.

The result is a constant struggle. The operations of power is central.

THE CONFLICT PARADIGM

Levels of Analysis: Macro and Micro

Functionalists and Conflict theorists focus on the macro level - large scale patterns of society.

Symbolic Interactionists focus on the micro level - social interaction in small scale patterns.

Types of SocietiesHunting & GatheringHorticultural & PastoralAgrarianIndustrialPostindustrialTransitional

The Idea of Social Transformation

Communal Societies – small-scale social units that foster closeness and intimacy.Personalized relationships extend throughout the community. Tradition and norms are important.

Associational Societies – social relationships are highly impersonalized. Characterized by acquaintances and co-workers, rather than friends and family. Our reasons to interact are based more upon self-interests than community bonds.

Catalysts for Change

Human agencyRevolution and WarCultural ProcessesPopulation ChangesNatural CatastrophesTechnology

Trends Shaping the Future of Sociology

One major trend occurred post World War II, when it became obvious that sociology greatly impacted education.

A second trend, globalization- the breaking down of national boundaries, will force us to recognize global issues.