The Sociological Perspective

Chapter 1

Seeing the Broader Social Context

• Sociological Perspective-understanding human behavior by putting it into a larger social context– How groups influence people– How people are influenced by their society– Society- a group of people who share a culture &

territory

• Social Location- the corners of life people occupy b/c of where they are located in society. Ex. Job, income, gender, education, age, race/ethnicity

• People don’t do what they do b/c of inherited internal mechanisms, such as instincts. External influences (our experiences) become part of our thinking & motivations- so the society in which we grow up, & our location in it, are at the center of what we do & how we think.– (Some inherited internal mechanisms

do influence some behaviors, but the external is more of a factor)

• What sociological perspective allows us to do– Look a behavior and NOT assign it

based on age, race, gender, but rather other external influences

• Is our world becoming smaller?– World-wide trade, commerce, &

communication has allowed instant contact we people throughout the world

– However we still occupy our little ‘corner of the world’ w/ distinct ways of viewing the world around us

Sociology & other Sciences

• Science- systematic methods used to study social & natural worlds & the knowledge obtained by those methods

• Sociology- the study of society & human behavior

• Natural Sciences- intellectual & academic disciplines that are designed to explain & predict the events in our natural environment

• Social Sciences- examine human relationships. Divided into anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, sociology.

• Anthropology- the study of culture using artifacts, structure, ideas & values, & forms of communication. Traditionally focus on tribal peoples.

• Economics- the study of the production & distribution of materials goods & services of a society

• Political Science- focuses on politics & government

• Psychology- focuses on the mental processes of an individual

The Goals of Science

• Explain why something happens• Make generalizations (make statements

that apply to a broader group or situation). Use patterns- recurring characteristics or events

• Predict- to specify what will happen in the future in the light of current knowledge

How to obtain the goals

• Systematic research• Move beyond “common sense” or the

prevailing ideas in a society or the things that ‘everyone knows’ are true- because common sense can be wrong. Ex. In 1350 ‘everyone knew’ the world was flat.

• Sometimes- get into the ‘hidden closets’ of peoples, organizations, etc.

Origins of Sociology

• As a science- in the Age of Revolution using the scientific method

• Positivism- applying the scientific method to the social world- first proposed by Auguste Comte as a way to study the upheaval created by the French Revolution. He called this study Sociology (the study of society)

Herbert Spencer & Social Darwinism

• Applied the ideas of Darwinism to society.

• Survival of the Fittest

• Societies evolve over time

• Said charity & helping the poor were wrong & counterproductive

• Eventually discredited

Emile Durkheim & Social Integration

• Goal- to show how social forces affect people’s behavior & to get sociology recognized as its own academic discipline (not part of history or econ)– Conducted a study of suicide rates in Europe.

Divided it up by groups to discover that social factors underlie suicide. Said social integration also affect suicide rates. People with weaker social ties are more likely to commit suicide. (Although there are some exceptions)

• Social Integration- the degree to which people are tied to their social groups.

• Human behavior cannot always be understood simply in individualistic terms; we must always examine the social forces the affect peoples’ lives

Max Weber & the Protestant Ethic

• Believed religion was the central force in social change.

• Focused on the difference b/w Catholics & Protestants (specifically Calvinists)

• Said Protestants were more likely to be convinced that living frugally, but earning more & investing that surplus was the birth of capitalism. He called this idea the Protestant Ethic

Values in Sociological Research

• Weber said sociologists should be ‘value free’ (the view that a sociologist’s personal values or biases should not influence social research). He wanted to strive for objectivity, or total neutrality.

• Values can unintentionally distort how we interpret findings, so sociologists stress replication, repeating research to compare the results(most sciences do this)

Debate over Values in Sociological Research

• Purposes of Social Research– To advance understanding of human behavior vs.

To investigate harmful social arrangements

• The Uses of Social research– Can be used by anyone for any purpose vs.

Should be used to reform society

• Attempt to describe & explain events vs. make judgments based on observations

Verstehen & Social Facts

• Verstehen- Weber idea- to have insight into someone’s situation by paying attention to subjective meanings (the meanings that people give their own behavior). In other words, put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

Durkheim & Social Facts

• Social Facts- the patterns of behavior that characterize a social group

• Durkheim stressed social facts over Verstehen • Says we must use social facts to interpret other

social facts• Patterns that hold true year after year indicate

that as thousands & even millions of people make their individual decisions, they are responding to conditions in their society

• Sociologists need to discover these social facts (patterns) & explain them through other social facts (patterns)

Sociology in North America

• Jane Addams- cofounder of Hull House in Chicago- as refuge to the needy in the slums- She worked for 8-hr work day & laws against child labor- helping her co-win the Nobel Peace Prize

• W.E.B. Dubois 1st African-American to earn doctorate from Harvard- founded the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) battled racism. Said the African American Community was weakened by the attempt to win acceptance of whites

• Other American sociologists combined sociology & social reform

• Debate b/w analyzing society vs. working towards it reform.– Pure (basic) sociology- analyze an

aspect of society & publish results– Applied sociology- the use of sociology

to solve problems

Theoretical Perspectives

• Theory- a general statement about how some parts of the world fit together & how they work; an explanation of how 2 or more facts are related to one another

• Three major theories of Sociology- Symbolic interaction, Functional Analysis, & Conflict Theory

Symbolic Interaction

• A theoretical perspective in which society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world, & communicate with one another

• Study how people use symbols(the things to which we attach meaning) to develop their views of the world & communicate w/ one another

• Symbols include words, alphabet, any things like @, can also include relationships (like aunt, uncle, etc.) You relate differently to people b/c of their symbolic meaning.

• Without symbols we wouldn’t have language, time, sizes, goals, buildings, religion, etc.

• Symbolic interactionists analyze how our behaviors depend on the ways we define ourselves & others (face-to-face interaction, examining how people work out their relationships, & how they make sense out of life & their place in it

Applying S.I. to divorce rate

• FYI- marriage used to be seen as a lifelong commitment & divorce was considered immoral

• 1. Emotional Satisfaction- people began to expect their spouse to satisfy all needs

• 2. The Love Symbol- expectation of ‘true love’ led to dissatisfaction since no one can satisfy all needs all the time- unrealistic expectations

• 3. Meaning of Children- children used to be mini-adults from age 7-14. Now children are impressionable, vulnerable, & innocent beings until 18, at least

• 4. Meaning of Parenthood- today’s childrearing lasts longer & is more demanding placing heavier burdens & more strain on marriage

• 5. Marital Roles- In the past the ‘roles’ husbands & wives had were clearly defined. Now the responsibilities are harder to divide up. Who is responsible for work, the home, children?

• 6. Perception of alternatives- Since roles began to change & women began to work outside the home & earn a paycheck they saw an alternative to unhappy marriages

• 7. The meaning of divorce- as 1-6 began to change, divorce increased. The meaning attached to it changed as well- from immorality & irresponsibility to freedom & new beginnings

• 8. Changes in the law- laws changed to reflect the ideas of divorce, which actually encouraged (or didn’t discourage) divorce. Now incompatibility is reason for divorce. “No-fault’ divorce is also allowed. Some states allow DYI divorces (No lawyer necessary)

Summary

• Symbolic Interaction can be used to explain the increasing divorce rates by explaining the changes in symbols which have made marriage more fragile. Symbolic interactionists make no value judgment on the research.

Functional Analysis

• Main idea- society is a whole unit made up of interrelated parts that work together

• AKA- functionalism & structural functionalism

• When all parts of society fulfill their functions society is normal, when they do not it is abnormal or pathological

• Need to look at both structure (how parts of a society fit together to make a whole) & functions (what each part does, how it contributes to society)

Robert Merton

• Functions- the beneficial consequences of people’s actions

• Dysfunctions- consequences that harm a society

• Manifest function- the intended action to help some part of society

• Latent function- unintended consequence that helps a system adjust

• Latent dysfunctions- usually unintended consequences that hurt a system

Applying Functional Analysis• To the divorce rate• 1. Economic production- prior to

industrialization- whole family contributed, industrialization separated the family

• 2. Socialization of children- went from family to school

• 3. Care of the sick & elderly- shifted from family to institutions (doctors, etc.)

• 4. Recreation- disposable income allowed people to attend paid events taking away from home-based, family-centered activities

• 5. Sexual Control- ‘sexual revolution’ opened alternatives to marital sex

• 6. Reproduction- change from family ‘controlled’ to having single mothers & abortion w/out father’s consent

• Summary- the family has lost many of its traditional functions, many others are under assault. Husbands & wives no longer need to depend on each other. The fewer functions family members have in common, the weaker the family unit

Conflict Theory• Stresses that society is composed of

groups that are competing w/ one another for scarce resources

• Founded by Karl Marx– Said human history was driven by class

conflict b/w the bourgeoisie (those that control the means of production) and the proletariat (the exploited workers who do not own the means of production). The struggle b/w the two can only end when the proletariat revolt against the bourgeoisie

Karl Marx & Class Conflict

• Said human history was driven by class conflict b/w the bourgeoisie (those that control the means of production) and the proletariat (the exploited workers who do not own the means of production). The struggle b/w the two can only end when the proletariat revolt against the bourgeoisie

• Marxism not the same as communism. Marx created the principle of revolution of the workers to gain control of the means of production. He did not develop the political system of communism. (He was actually disgusted at the thought)

• Developed during the Industrial Revolution– Ave. worker died at 30, ave. wealthy person

died at 50– He decided that class conflict was at the

center of human history- those who control the means of production vs. those who are exploited by them

• At the time workers had no rights (no strikes, minimum wage, paid vacation & holidays, medical benefits, sick leave, 8 hr. work day, 5 day work week, unemployment, social security)

• Conflict Theory Today– Used in a broader sense- every layer of society

(small groups, communities, entire society)– Feminists- men vs. women

• Applying Conflict Theory to Divorce– In the past men dominated women– As times changed women were less dominated

by men, women are now less likely to stay in a marriage that is intolerable or unsatisfactory

Levels of Analysis• Macro Level- large-scale patterns of

society- focus of functionalists & conflict theorists

• Micro Level- what people do when they are in one another’s presence (social interaction)- focus of symbolic interactionists– Nonverbal interaction- gestures, silence,

use of space, etc.

• Because each theory focuses on different features of social life, each provides a distinct interpretation. Consequently, it is necessary to use all three theoretical lenses to analyze human behavior. By combining the contributions of each, we gain more comprehensive picture of social life

Assignment

• Describe how the three theories (symbolic interaction, functionalist, & conflict) can be seen in_____________