Theories

• Social constructionism is a theory stating that humans create a reality
• Social constructionism is a macro level theory
• Social constructionists can be absolute (all reality is creative, nothing is objective) and moderate (some part of reality just exists & another is created)
• Symbolic interactionism is a theory stating that through social interactions, individuals develop shared meanings and labels for various symbols
• Symbolic interactionism is a micro level theory
• Functionalism is a theory stating that all the parts of a healthy society work in unison for long-term societal stability
• Functionalism is a macro level theory
• Manifest functions: are intended consequences of institutions, similar to the word "main"
• Latent functions are unintended consequences of institutions, similar to the word "later"
• Conflict is a theory stating that groups act according to their own self-interests in competition with each other over scarce resources
• Conflict theory is a type of macro level theory
• Functionalism & conflict theory are often compared like communism & capitalism
• Feminism is a theory that explores gender inequality and delves into the role of women in society especially in relation to power
• Feminism is a macro level theory
• Rational choice is a theory stating that people's action are dictated by a rational consideration of alternatives, people will always chose best decision
• Rational choice is a macro/micro level theory
• Social exchange is a theory stating that people consider the maintenance of relationships rationally, like they would not fight with each other when forgiveness brings happiness
• Social exchange theory is a macro/micro level theory