sociological perspectives

• Positivism


  Top-down approach
• Interpretivism


  Bottom-up approach
• Positivist perspectives


  • Functionalists
  • Marxists
• Interpretivist perspectives


  • Interactionists
  • Phenomenologists
  • Social Action Theorists
• Positivists


  • Believe sociology should be seen in the same way as natural sciences
  • Believe there is a measurable, objective social reality that exists 'out there'
  • Believe social forces shape our behaviour
  • Believe sociology is a science and data should be objectively observed and classified
  • Believe all conclusions can be treated as social facts
  • Like to discover causal links - if A happens then B will happen
• Interpretivists


  • Do not believe society can be studied in a scientific way
  • Believe there is no objective social reality, rather sociologists should strive to discover meanings and motives behind people's actions
  • Do not treat everyone the same and do not believe in cause and effect
  • Believe individuals act differently in certain situations
• Macro sociologists

  • Positivists
  • Study society as a whole and not the individuals within it
  • Believe individuals are directed by society
• Micro sociologists


  • Interpretivists
  • Look at small-scale face-to-face action in society, rather than society as a whole
  • Look at individuals and believe they control their own destiny
• Quantitative data

  Data that can be easily represented in numerical/statistical form
• Qualitative data


  Data presented in words - a description or an in-depth account
• Positivists


  • Strive for objectivity in their work
  • Avoid bias and make no judgements
  • Believe objectivity makes their work more value-free and ultimately scientific, allowing cause and effect to be discovered
• Interpretivists


  • Strive for subjectivity in their work
  • Aim to discover meanings and motives for actions
  • Do not wish to be objective as this would prevent them from discovering meanings and motives
  • Try to be empathetic and aim to achieve verstehen
• Positivists prefer quantitative methods such as statistics and questionnaires
• Interpretivists prefer qualitative methods such as in-depth interviews and participant observation
• Quantitative data tends to be more reliable and representative
• Qualitative data tends to be more valid
• Interpretive approaches are based on the idea that people's subjective experiences shape their behavior and attitudes.
• The interpretive approach emphasizes understanding how individuals make sense of their world through language and culture.
• Positivism is the belief that social facts can be studied scientifically, using empirical evidence to test hypotheses.
• Examples of research using an interpretive approach include ethnography (studying cultures), phenomenology (understanding personal experience), and grounded theory (developing theories through analysis).
• Positivist research aims to identify cause and effect relationships between variables.