sociology

• Functionalism


  Also called structural-functional theory. A theory that views society as a complex but orderly and stable system. Sees society as a structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of the society.
• Functionalism


  • Society is viewed as a social system
  • A social system is assumed to have a functional unity in which all parts of the system work together with some degree of internal consistency
  • Each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society's stability and functioning as a whole
  • A change in one part affects other parts
• Theoretical Perspectives: Functionalism


  • Functionalism sees society as a system of highly interrelated parts that work together harmoniously
  • The image that functionalists use to understand society is a living organism
  • Each part of society works together for the benefit of the whole much like a living organism
• Strengths of Functionalism


  • Explain of how social order is achieved
  • The value consensus makes social order possible as it integrates individuals into the social system thereby directing them to meet the systems needs
• Weaknesses of Functionalism


  • It fails to consider individual differences within society
  • Not all societies look or act alike
  • It assumes that everything in society is largely positive - Some people are not working towards the common good
  • Does not consider evolution, natural progression of ideas
• Conflict Theory


  Focuses on the competition between groups within society over limited resources. Views social and economic institutions as tools of the struggle between groups or classes, used to maintain inequality and the dominance of the ruling class.
• Assumptions of Conflict Theory


  • Competition over scarce resources (money, work, relationships etc)
  • Competition rather than consensus is characteristic of human beings
  • Structural inequality - Inequalities in structure and power
  • Individuals who benefit from certain structures want it to be maintained
  • Change occurs because of competing interest, rather than through adaptation
• Unlike functionalist theory, conflict theory is better at explaining social change, and weaker at explaining social stability.
• Advantages of Conflict Theory


  • It helps in unifying a society or a group when some external aggression occurs
  • Conflict prevents the ossification of the social system by exerting pressure for innovation and creativity
  • Conflict plays a corresponding role in group organisation. Groups reach the maximum of unity and solidarity in overt conflict
• Disadvantages of Conflict Theory


  • Overlooks the stability of the society
  • While societies are in a constant state of change majority of the change is very small and it sometimes goes almost unnoticed
• Symbolic Interactionism


  It is viewing society as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop views about the world, and communicate with one another. We are thinking beings who act according to how we interpret situations.
• Premises of Symbolic Interactionism


  • Humans act toward things on the basis of the meanings they ascribe to those things
  • The meaning of such things is derived from, or arises out of, the social interaction that one has with others and the society
  • Meanings are handled in, and modified through, an interpretative process used by the person in dealing with the things he/she encounters
• Positivism


  A philosophical theory that states that genuine knowledge is exclusively derived from experience of natural phenomena and their properties and relations. Positivism therefore holds that all genuine knowledge is a philosophical theory that states that genuine knowledge.
• Positivism is the state of being certain or very confident of something. An example of positivism is a Christian being absolutely certain there is a God. The quality or state of being positive; certainty; assurance.
• Assumptions of Positivism

  • The perspective that societies are based on scientific laws and principles, and therefore the best way to study society is to use the scientific method
  • Science is the only valid knowledge
  • Fact is the object of knowledge
  • Philosophy does not possess a method different from science
• Sociology


  The study of human behaviour, what influences it, how social relations are formed, and how society develops and changes
• Topics in Sociology

  • Sociological perspective
  • Sociological theories
  • Social sciences
  • Social behavior
  • Social imaginations
• Sociology


  • Examines human behaviour and what influences it
  • Examines how social relations are formed and how they influence behaviour
  • Examines how society develops and changes
  • Examines survival and how it is sustained
• Sociological imagination


  Awareness of the relationship between private experience and the wider society
• Sociological imagination


  • Broadens one's imagination using scientific knowledge
  • Allows us to look beyond personal behaviour/problem
  • Views issues through a broader lens
• Sociological imagination


  • Links personal situations to a shared broader society
  • Brings awareness of relationships between individuals and society
  • Brings awareness of social problems and how they affect individuals
  • Unveils social issues
• sociology- scientific study of human social interactions and social force that shape much of the human behavior 


  sociology studies patterns, trends and forms of collective social action and the social processes and structure in society which arise out of the way people act in the world