Group 5 SS
Group 5 SS
Group 5 SS
UNIVERSITY OF OKARA
SOCIOLOGY
Sociology is the study of human behavior. Sociology refers to social behavior,
society, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture that surrounds
everyday life.
PERSPECTIVES IN SOCIOLOGY
Following are the main perspectives of sociology:
1) Structural Functionalism,
2) Symbolic Interactionism,
3) Conflict Perspective.
Structural Functionalism,
Functionalism, also called structural-functional theory, sees society
as a structure with interrelated parts designed to satisfy the biological and social needs
of the individuals therein society. Functionalism grew out of the writings of English
philosopher and biologist, Hebert Spencer (1820–1903), who saw similarities between
society and therefore the human body; he argued that even as the varied organs of the
body work together to stay the body functioning, the varied parts of society work
together to stay society functioning (Spencer 1898). Outline of a person with a
briefcase inside a gear, surrounded by other gears.The parts of society that Spencer
mentioned were the social institutions, or patterns of beliefs and behaviors focused on
meeting social needs, like government, education, family, healthcare, religion, and
therefore the economy.
The functionalist perspective emphasize the inter connected of society by focusing on
how each part influence and is influenced by the other parts.
For example.
The increase in single parent and dual earner families has contribute to
the number of children who are failing in school because parents have become less
available to supervise their children’s homework. As a result of changes in
technology, colleges are offering more technical programs, and many adults are
returning to school to learn new skills that are required in workplace.
Symbolic Interactionist
Symbolic interactionism may be a micro-level theory that focuses on the relationships
among individuals within a society. Communication—the exchange of meaning
through language and symbols—is believed to be the way during which people add up
of their social worlds. Theorists Herman and Reynolds (1994) note that this attitude
sees people as being active in shaping the social world instead of simply being acted
upon.
ORIGIN
George Herbert Mead (1863–1931) is taken into account a founding father of
symbolic interactionism though he never published his work thereon. Mead’s student,
Herbert Blumer, coined the term “symbolic interactionism” and outlined these basic
premises: humans interact with things supported meanings ascribed to those things;
the ascribed meaning of things comes from our interactions with others and society;
the meanings of things are interpreted by an individual when handling things in
specific circumstance. If you're keen on books, for instance , a symbolic interactionist
might propose that you simply learned that books are good or important within the
interactions you had with family, friends, school, or church; maybe your family had a
special reading time hebdomadally , getting your borrower's card was treated as a
special event, or bedtime stories were related to warmth and luxury .
EXAMPLE
For example, while a conflict theorist studying a political protest might
specialise in class difference, a symbolic interactionist would be more curious about
how individuals within the protesting group interact, also because the signs and
symbols protesters use to speak their messag
Conflict Perspective.
According to conflict theory, society is defined by a struggle for dominance among
social groups that compete for scarce resources. within the context of gender, conflict
theory argues that gender is best understood as men attempting to take care of power
and privilege to the detriment of girls . Therefore, men are often seen because the
dominant group and ladies because the subordinate group. While certain gender roles
may are appropriate during a hunter-gatherer society, conflict theorists argue that the
sole reason these roles persist is because the dominant group naturally works to take
care of their power and standing . consistent with conflict theory, social problems are
created when dominant groups exploit or oppress subordinate groups. Therefore, their
approach is normative therein it prescribes changes to the facility structure,
advocating a balance of power between genders.
In most cultures, men have historically held most of the world’s resources. Until
relatively recently, women in Western cultures couldn't vote or hold property, making
them entirely hooked in to men. Men, like all other group with an influence or wealth
advantage, fought to take care of their control over resources (in this case, political
and economic power). Conflict between the 2 groups caused things just like the
Women’s Suffrage Movement and was liable for social change.
Examples
Clan
Tribe
Community
Village, town, city
Formal organization
State