C1L1-Understanding Society

Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1of 12

The Human Society:

Understanding Society
Chapter 1
Lesson 1
Overview
• The human society has been viewed as a
unique and complex society.
• One of the basic components of society is
people.
• For a long period of time man was able to
develop his society.
• It became more complex and problems arise.
What is society?
• A system of community life in which
individuals form a continuous and regulatory
association for their mutual benefit and
protection (Frank and Wagnalls).
• A society is composed of interacting
individuals and interacting groups sharing a
common culture (Perucci and Knudsen).
• It is a geographical aggregate of individuals
who live a common life and of groups
interrelated with one another.
• Holding the society together is a social
organization, which gives order and meaning
to the social relationships between individuals
or groups.
• Society is a systematic network of social
relations and it is the venue where the
dynamics of cooperation and conflict occurs.
Sociological Theories and Perspectives of
Society
• Most sociologists differ in their approaches in
studying man’s way of life and that of society.
• They emphasize different aspects of
interpreting social life.
• They choose one theoretical approach over
another in the hope that it will lead to
sounder knowledge or greater insight for
constructive social action.
Structural-Functional Perspective

• Also known as “Conceptual Theory.”


• It addresses the question of social
organization and how it is maintained.
• It stresses the idea that relations among the
individuals, groups, and societies, follow well-
defined patterns of social organization.
• It emphasizes the following: stability,
harmony and evolution.
Structural-Functional Model

Social structures
provide pre-set
patterns which evolved
to meet human needs

Stability, order and Maintenance of


harmony society
The Conflict Theory
• It addresses the point of stress and conflict in
society and the way they contribute to social
change.
• Conflict theorists are concerned with
identifying the conditions that lead to
discontent and conflict.
• They believe that social change can only be
attained through conflict.
The Conflict Model
Social structures produce
patterns of inequality in the
distribution of scare
resources

CONFLICT

Reorganization
and change
The Symbolic-Interaction Perspective

• It addresses the subjective meanings of


human acts and the process through which
people come to develop and communicate
shared meanings.
• It directs attention to analysis of the
interaction of persons in face-to-face
communication.
The Symbolic-Interaction Model

Individual Interaction Individual

Analysis of the
interaction by other
persons
Concept Summary

Structural-Functional Conflict Perspective Symbolic-Interaction


Perspective Perspective
Nature of Interrelated social Competing interest Interacting individuals,
Society structure that fit group with each social networks and
together to form an group seeking to groups.
integrated whole. secure its own.
Basis of Consensus and shared Constraint, power Shared meaning
Interaction values. and conflict. regarding symbols.
Focus of Social order and Social change and Development of self
Inquiry maintenance. conflict. and adaptation of
individual to society.
Level of Social structure Social structure Interpersonal
Analysis interaction.

You might also like