Theory + Methods

• Macro theories 


  explain all aspects of social life + explains behaviours, top down

  Examples: feminists, Marx
• Micro theories 


  individual in social context, bottom down

  Examples: post-modernism, social action theory
• Functionalism

  Consensus theory - shared values in society
• Marxism

  Conflict theory, exploits labourers
• Feminists

  Conflict view, patriarchy is exploitive
• Post-modernism

  no absolute truths
• First wave feminism

  gain for women, what is meant to be a women - gender role- all focused on laws
• Second wave feminism

  tackling underlying attitudes and cultures
• Ann Oakley

  challenged the idea that women are meant to fulfil expressive roles meaning they do not need an education and instead argues that other societies are different and gender roles are cultural not natural She used examples such as:

  Israeli women are on the front line

  Congo - men do the childcare
• Talcott Parsons


  Stabilisation of adult personalities

  socialisation

  He has a strucutalist viewpoint
• Social evolution 


  Moving equilibrium - society can + will adapt to fit new elements that emerge eg moving from extended to nuclear family
• Pattern variables 


  all societies develop - they become more efficient + effective
• structural differentiation


  societies become more structurally complex - simple societies rely on families + religion carry out most social functions
• Functional prerequisites 


  to function all societies need to be able to:

  goal attainment, government + political system

  adaption, the economy

  integration, community + cultural organisations

  latency, family + kinship
• Organic analogy - Parsons 


  society is a system, each part performs a function one malfunction impacts the whole body
• Positivists 


  prefer scientific, quantifiable data that is quick + easy
• Interpretivists 


  qualitative data that provides in-depth meaning
• three parts to the organic analogy 


  system - self regulating

  system needs - social system has basic needs eg being socialised

  functions - meeting the systems needs + ensuring its survival eg economy helps maintain the social system
• two mechanisms for ensuring individuals conform to shared norms + values 


  socialisation, individuals internalise the systems norms + values so it becomes apart of their personality structure

  social control, negative punishments for deviance + positive reward for conformity
• Mertons criticism 


  merton criticises parsons and instead argues that we cannot simply assume that society is always smooth running + well integrated

  indispensability, the nuclear family doesn't always provide the best socialisation methods

  functional unity, parsons believe that 1 problem leads to a knock on effect however, modern societies have many parts and instead merton argues this is functional autonomy (independence) from others
• historical materialism 


  the view that human beings with material needs must work to meet them, by doing this is it uses the forces of production

  overtime this has created two classes, one owns the means of productions + the other of labourers
• class society 


  Marx identifies three successive class societies

  ancient, exploitation of slaves legally tied to their owners

  feudal, exploitation of serfs legally tied to the land

  capitalist, based on the exploitation of free wage labourers
• three distinctive features of capitalism 


  the proletariat are legally separated from the means of production, they sell their labour power

  the means of production is in the hands of transnational corporations

  competition forces capitalist to pay the lowest wage possible, causing immiseration of proletariat

  Capitalism continues to expand the forces of production in pursuit of profits
• Hegemony 


  political or cultural dominance over others
• the hegemony is never complete for two reasons..


  the ruling class are minority, to rule they need to create a power bloc by making alliances with other people in the MC

  the proletariat have dual consciousness, their ideas influenced by the bouregois ideologies meaning they cannot see through the dominant ideologies.
• exploitation 


  Marx argued that the bourgeoisie control society surplus product which keeps the flow of the capitalist society driving - thus the capitalist society is based on the exploitation of free wage labourers
• class consciousness 


  Marx argues of the exploitative nature of capitalism, the proletrait develop their own economic + political interests in opposition, which will influctuate a dictatorship of the proletariat
• the enlightenment project 


  liberal feminists recognise the successive progress towards gender equality. Changes in socialisation + culture, gradually leading to more rational attitude toward gender
• liberal feminists 


  distinguish between sex + gender

  sex, biology

  gender, culturally constructed
• value free 


  a researcher exclude their personal feelings
• 5 components of science

  emprircal

  testable

  theoretical

  cumulative

  objective
• falsification


  Popper believes that principles should be able to be falsified by evidence - He argues sociology is therefore not a science as the statements are untestable. Eg Marxists believe that there will be a revolution but it has not occurred yet due to false consciousness this cannot be tested!!
• Paradigm 


  Kuhn argues that it is basic framework of assumptions, principles + methods from which the members of the community work. Therefore atm sociology does not have a single paradigm
• Social action theory 


  Weber believed that in order to fully understand society you need to use a combination of both structural + action approaches
• 2 levels of sociological explainations

  Cause: explaining the structural factors that shape peoples behaviours

  meaning: undeerstanding the subjective meaning that individuals attach to their actions
• Mead


  taking on the role of others means putting oneself in the place of the other person + seeing ourselves as they seen us
• Blumer


  our actions are based on the meanings we give to situations, events + people

  these meanings are based on the interactions we have experienced + are not fixed

  the meanings we give to situations are the result of interpretive procedures we use such as taking on the role of others