The Sociological Perspective Introduction to Sociology WCU Fall Semester, 2015

…but first, what is Sociology? Sociology is the study of society (then what is society?) Society is a group of people who share a culture and a territory. Sociology studies the social forces that influence our lives in so many unseen, yet significant ways. Sociologists look behind the scenes!

The Sociological Perspective: “The Usefulness of Sociology in our Everyday Lives” The Sociological Perspective Allows us to see general patterns in the behavior of people. “Seeing the Strange in the Familiar”

The Sociological Perspective (cont’d) *The Sociological perspective examines how social contexts influence people’s lives. (What are “social contexts”?) Social Context refers to the immediate physical and social setting in which people live or in which something happens. It includes the culture that the individual lives in, and the people and institutions with whom they interact.

Social Location Sociologists examine social location in order to find out why people do what they do; think what they think, etc. Social location: the group memberships that people have because of their location in history and society. Sociologists look at how jobs, income, education, gender, age, race-ethnicity (“SES”) affect people’s ideas and behavior.

C. Wright Mills (1959) The "Sociological Imagination” “The sociological imagination (perspective) enables us to grasp the connection between history and biography”. What did Mills mean by this?

C. Wright Mills (con’t) Mills meant that each society is located in a broad stream of events; at a particular moment in history. Each society has specific characteristics-such as its ideas about the proper roles of men and women. By “biography”, Mills was referring to each individual’s specific experiences.

Sociology: A Social Science Sociology is but one of multiple “social sciences” that can be characterized as intellectual/academic disciplines designed to understand the social world objectively by means of controlled and repeated observations. Objectivity vs. Subjectivity (what’s the difference?)

Other Social Sciences Anthropology: examines culture; anthropologists place more of an emphasis on artifacts, authority, and kinship relations. Economics: examines the production and distribution of the material goods and services of a society. Political Science: examines politics and forms of government. Psychology: examines mental processes that occur within individuals.

Where does sociology come from? Origins of sociology can be traced back to middle of 1800’s. Industrial Revolution created fertile ground for inquiry; massive changes in social conditions such as in the workplace, home, political systems, etc. Upheavals of traditions. Tradition, which provided the answers to questions regarding social life could not longer be counted on.

The Industrial Revolution! The Industrial Revolution can best be characterized as a major turning point in history (roughly between 1760 to 1840) where a massive shift toward mechanical manufacturing, urbanization, and the emergence of the modern, capitalist economy took place.

The Industrial Revolution! Spurred massive changes in social conditions such as in the workplace, home, political systems, etc. Upheavals of traditions! The domestic sphere and work sphere became increasingly distinct; “gendered work”/ domestic division of labor.

The Industrial Revolution! Life expectancy of children increased dramatically. The percentage of the children born in London who died before the age of five decreased from 74.5% in 1730–1749, to 31.8% in 1810–1829* *Mabel C. Buer, Health, Wealth and Population in the Early Days of the Industrial Revolution

Auguste Comte (1798-1857) Credited as the founder of sociology. What holds society together? What creates social order? What causes societies to change? Comte was interested in applying the scientific method to the social world. (what is the scientific method?) Positivism: the application of the scientific approach to the social world. Sociology can be utilized to guide social reform.

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) Often referred to as the second founder of sociology. Spencer disagreed with Comte that sociology should guide social reform. Instead, Spencer thought that societies evolve from lower (“barbarian”) to higher (“civilized”) forms. Over time, “the fittest” members of society survive while the less capable die out. Thus, as time passes, societies improve.

Herbert Spencer (con’t) Spencer coined the phrase “survival of the fittest” (NOT DARWIN!-although it is often attributed to him). Spencer disagreed with the concept of charity. By helping the poor and lower classes, we are interfering with natural processes. Because Spencer’s ideas are so similar to Darwin’s, Spencer’s concepts are often referred to as “social Darwinism”.

Herbert Spencer (con’t) Spencer’s ideas offended many, but the wealthy industrialists of the time welcomed his ideas. Why would have the wealthy industrialists of the period agree/support Spencer’s notion of social Darwinism?

Other important figures in sociology! Emile Durkheim (1858-1917): contributed many important concepts to sociology. Major research in suicide rates. Social integration is the key role in social life. Max Weber (1864-1920): Cross cultural and historical analysis to trace causes of social change. “Sociology must be value free!” Advocated for objectivity in sociology.

The 3 main theoretical perspectives of sociology: Conflict Theory Structural Functionalism Symbolic Interaction let’s look at each one of these…

Theory 1: Structural Functionalism Society as a whole unit consisting of individual parts (i.e. gears of a clock) The idea of society as a living organism. Emile Durkheim (see sociological studies of suicide rates) When all parts of society are functioning-we are at a normal state. When all/some parts are not functioning, society is in a pathological state. (what is Durkheim talking about?)

Robert Merton (1910-2003) Society not so much a living organism, but more of a whole that is composed of parts. The various functions of society help keep the whole in equilibrium, or “homeostasis” What about deviance? Is it functional? (it can be considered just another mini-function of the larger whole) How is deviance “functional”?

Theory 2: Conflict Theory Karl Marx (1818-1883): founder of conflict theory (“Marxism”). Witnessed industrial revolution transform Europe. Suffering and exploitation that came with the many changes of the I.R. lead Marx to analyze society/history which revealed the CONTINUOUS STRUGGLE OVER RESOURCES AND POWER.

Conflict Theory (cont’d) Marx concluded that: The key to human history is class conflict. In industrialized societies, this conflict is between the “bourgeoisie” and the “proletariat” (or the capitalists vs. the workers).

Conflict Theory (cont’d) Many sociologists today apply conflict theory in a much more broader sense than Marx did. Conflict theory can be applied to the household, workplace, and also applied in a larger global context (i.e. strategic thinking among nations etc.)

Theory 3: Symbolic Interactionism Can be traced back to Scottish philosophers of the 18th century who noted that individuals evaluate their own conduct by comparing themselves to others. Charles Cooley (1864-1929) and George Mead (1863-1931) brought this idea to sociology. Symbols lie at the basis of self-concept; people communicate and develop worldviews through use of symbols and language.

Symbolic Interactionism (cont’d) Reality is “socially constructed” through language and meaning. Through institutionalization, meaning is embedded in society. Notions of morality, “truth”, knowledge, aesthetic beauty, ideology, history, etc. are based upon consensus, and only exist because we collectively agree that they do.

The “Social Construction of Reality” According to symbolic interactionism, society’s institutions are elaborate social constructions: Examples: “Gender” “The Law” “Marriage” “Family”

The “Social Construction of Reality” (cont’d) Other social constructions: “The Economy” “Aesthetic Beauty/Art” “Religion” “Race” “Sentimentality”

Language and Perception: A Unique Relationship Example: The Himba People of Namibia and color perception

“The Himba Color Experiment”

“The Himba Color Experiment” (cont’d)

“Structure vs. Agency”