Republic of the Philippines

UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN PHILIPPINES

University Town, Northern Samar
Website: uep.educ.ph; Email: [email protected]

College of Arts and Communication

Department of Social Sciences
Sociology Program

Unit 1
Basic Concepts in Sociology

1 Sociological
MODULE 1: SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Perspective
UNIT 1. : Sociological Perspective
Prepared by: Liana Melissa E. de la Rosa, CAC, Social Sciences Department
 WELCOME to the exciting (and sometimes dangerous!) world of sociology.
Sociologists study society and social interactions, and in order to do so, they sometimes go
to extreme measures to do research that will provide insightful and valuable results. They go
beyond common sense understandings in trying to explain or understand social phenomena.
Sociologists do not see the world as we normally do, they question and analyze why things
happen and if there is a way to stop a problem before it happens.
MODULE 1: SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
UNIT 1. : Sociological Perspective
Prepared by: Liana Melissa E. de la Rosa, CAC, Social Sciences Department
We all belong to many groups; you’re a member of your sociology class, and you're a
member of your family; you may belong to a political party, sports team, or the crowd
watching a sporting event; you’re a citizen of your country, and you're a part of a generation.
You may have a somewhat different role in each group and feel differently in each.

Groups vary in their sizes and formalities, as well as in the levels of attachment between
group members, among other things. Within a large group, smaller groups may exist, and
each group may behave differently.

In this module, we will be discussing the concept of Sociology. Why is Sociology important
for our everyday life? How does it help in our daily life. You’ll come to find that sociology
is pertinent to every aspect of your life. You may see yourself as an individual, but by virtue
of your gender, race, class, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, or even consumption habits,
you are also a member of several social groups, all of which are interacting constantly.

What is Sociology?
Learning Objectives:
After reading this chapter, Being new in this field, you may at first view
students will be able to sociology as the study of human social behavior,
but as you go along, you will acquire a precise
1. define sociology
2. describe two uses of meaning and understanding of sociology.
the sociological
perspectives Sociology is the scientific study of social structures,
3. distinguish sociology social behavior and human groups. It focuses on the
from other social influence of relationships among people and how
sciences.
societies are established, and the changes through
time. Sociology studies human social behavior. It
assumes a group, rather than an individual, perspective. Sociologists look for the patterns in
social relationships. Individuals can benefit by using their sociological imaginations to look
at events in their personal lives.

Sociology has its own perspective. It looks at the behavior of groups of people rather than
individuals. It studies how the individuals interact with each other, develop relationships, and
how these relationship is developed into groups. Sociologists do not focus on the behavior of
individuals but on the patterns of behavior shared by members of groups or people within the
society. You and your friends now, were maybe strangers before, but with constant
communication and interaction, a relationship flourished and started creating a group.

Sociology is the study of groups and group interactions, societies and social interactions,
from small and personal groups to very large groups. A group of people who live in a defined
geographic area, who interact with one another, and who share a common culture is what
sociologists call a society. Sociologists study all aspects and levels of society. Sociologists

MODULE 1: SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

UNIT 1. : Sociological Perspective
Prepared by: Liana Melissa E. de la Rosa, CAC, Social Sciences Department
working from the micro-level study small groups and individual interactions, while those
using macro-level analysis look at trends among and between large groups and societies.

GLOBAL COMMUNITY

SOCIETY

National Organization
Institutions, and Ethnic Subcultures

Local
Organization
and Community

ME (and
My Inner
Circle)

This model expresses a core idea – the way in which your own life is embedded in, is shaped
by, and influences your family, community, society, and world. It is a critically important
reality that can make you a more effective person and a more knowledgeable citizen.

Sociology and Other Social Sciences

MODULE 1: SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

UNIT 1. : Sociological Perspective
Prepared by: Liana Melissa E. de la Rosa, CAC, Social Sciences Department
Sociology and other social sciences share common subject matters: they study human social
behavior. However, there are differences in the aspect of the human beings studied, in their
emphasis, tools and mode of analysis.
HISTORY. It focuses on the past
written activities of human beings. Those that
are not part of history is called prehistory.
History documents the chronological events
and facts from the past.
It is important to note, that without the
written form, there will never be history. A
prehistoric time can be studied by a different
social scientist who conducts a study and, draw
conclusions even without written records.

ECONOMICS. This social science focuses on the needs of human beings. What are your
needs? Your basic needs? Our basic needs are food, shelter, and clothing. At the same time, it
also consider human activities related to the production, consumption, and distribution of
goods, services and wealth within our societies. Production looks
into how these products are produced, for whom, and how many
should be produced. Consumption refers to how people buy their
needs and wants in the market. Distribution, how will these
products being distributed? Can all consumers or people avail of
these products.

See? Even our daily needs are being studied by the social
scientist. How much cellphone load did you buy and how often do
you buy a load. Or how many times do you buy chicken joy near
Catoda in a week?

PSCYHOLOGY. This social science focuses on the human social behavior. It is

interested in the wide range of mental and behavioral
processes in human learning, personality development,
emotion, motivation. Its focus is on individual
behavior. It investigates human mental and emotional
processes. Example: The effects of giving birth to the
mother’s on emotional development. Usually mothers
experience postpartum syndrome when they are not
emotionally supported by the people around her.

POLITICAL SCIENCE. It investigates the organization, administration, history, and

theory of government. It examines political processes and power struggle. Of interest to
sociologists are the social backgrounds of political
activists, the distribution of power, the sources of

MODULE 1: SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

UNIT 1. : Sociological Perspective
Prepared by: Liana Melissa E. de la Rosa, CAC, Social Sciences Department
political beliefs of the electorate, and the role of women and ethnic minorities in political
events.

Example: The relationship between a family’s social class and voting behavior.
During election time here in our country, most of the voters will sell their votes in exchange
for money. But these voters are not from the upper class. They are usually from the working
down to the lower class.

ANTHROPOLOGY. This social science focuses on studying the human beings, its
origin and development. It is considered as the sister science of
sociology, because both of them study people’s culture
and development. One of the aspects that
anthropology investigates is culture, the
customary beliefs and material traits of
groups.

The difference between sociology and anthropology is that the latter focuses more on
preliterate societies while the former focuses on the modern, industrial societies.
Anthropology focuses on primitive societies, while Sociology focuses on modern societies.

Sociology does not focus only on individual behavior. It also focuses on the patterns of
behavior of individuals shared by members of a society. Sociologists would explain
everything that is happening around us without relying on personal factors. They look more
into to social rather than personal explanations when they try to examine behaviors and
social issues in a society.

Observe that when you are inside the classroom, your other classmates behave differently.
Some listen to everything their teacher says. Some scribble and pass notes to classmates.
Others spend time daydreaming. If you will ask some of your friends who are studying in
another school if they behave in the same way, you will find patterned relationships. Personal
characteristics of students may vary from school to school, but everyone will relate to the
same patterned ways. It is the patterned interaction of people in a community that sociologist
are very interested in, it is called social structure.
MODULE 1: SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
UNIT 1. : Sociological Perspective
Prepared by: Liana Melissa E. de la Rosa, CAC, Social Sciences Department
Studying Patterns: How Sociologists View Society

All sociologists are interested in the experiences of individuals and how those experiences are
shaped by interactions with social groups and society as a whole. To a sociologist, the
personal decisions an individual makes do not exist in a vacuum. Cultural patterns and social
forces put pressure on people to select one choice over another. Sociologists try to identify
these general patterns by examining the behavior of large groups of people living in the same
society and experiencing the same societal pressures.

Changes in the family structure offer an example of patterns that sociologists are interested in
studying. A “typical” family now is vastly different than in past decades when most families
consisted of married parents living in a home with their unmarried children. The percent of
unmarried couples, same-sex couples, single-parent and single-adult households is increasing,
as well as is the number of expanded households, in which extended family members such as
grandparents, cousins, or adult children live together in the family home (U.S. Census Bureau
2013).

Studying Part and Whole: How Sociologists View Social Structures

A key basis of the sociological perspective is the concept that the individual and society are
inseparable. It is impossible to study one without the other. German sociologist Norbert Elias
called the process of simultaneously analyzing the behavior of individuals and the society
that shapes that behavior figuration.

An application that makes this concept understandable is the practice of religion. While
people experience their religions in a distinctly individual manner, religion exists in a larger
social context. For instance, an individual’s religious practice may be influenced by what
government dictates, holidays, teachers, places of worship, rituals, and so on. These
influences underscore the important relationship between individual practices of religion and
social pressures that influence that religious experience (Elias 1978).

How do group behaviour and individual behavior differ?

Sociologists assume that social relationships are not determined by the particular
characteristics of the individuals involved. Emile Durkheim, a pioneering nineteenth-century
sociologist, helped developed the sociological perspective. He argued, that we do not attempt
to explain bronze in terms of its separated parts. Instead, we consider bronze a totally new
metal created by the combination of several other metals. We cannot even predict the
characteristics of bronze from the traits of its parts.

People’s behavior within a group setting cannot be predicted from their personal
characteristics. Something new is created when individuals come together. Tragedy, as well

MODULE 1: SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

UNIT 1. : Sociological Perspective
Prepared by: Liana Melissa E. de la Rosa, CAC, Social Sciences Department
 as joy, can change group behavior. Everything that people do and experiences,
shapes his/her behaviour.

REFERENCES

Croteau, David, Hoynes William. Experience Sociology. 3rd ed. 2018. McGraw Hill,
New York.

Ferguson, Susan J. Mapping the Social Landscape. Readings in Sociology. 4th

ed. 2005. McGraw Hill, New York.

Galeski, Boguslaw. Basic Concepts of Rural Sociology.

Giddens, Anthony, Sutton Philip. Essential Concepts in Sociology. 2nd Ed. 2017.
Polity Press, Cambridge, UK

Gist P. N, Halbert, L.A. Urban Society. Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, 4th
Edition

Lynch, Kenneth, Rural-Urban Interaction in the Developing World. Routledge

Perspectives on Development. New York, USA: 2005

Rogers, Everett M. Social Change in Rural Society: A text book in Rural

Sociology.

OTHER REFERENCES

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-intro-to-sociology/chapter/why-it-matters-
add-image-condense/

MODULE 1: SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

UNIT 1. : Sociological Perspective
Prepared by: Liana Melissa E. de la Rosa, CAC, Social Sciences Department