Sociological Perspectives Sociology 1301: Introduction to Sociology Week Two

Sociological Theory Social Structure: any relatively stable pattern of social behavior Social Functions: consequences of any social pattern for the operation of society as a whole Theory: a statement of how and why specific facts are related Theoretical Approach: a basic image of society that guides thinking and research

Functionalism/Structural-Functional Macrosociology Main tenant: the parts of society work together to promote solidarity and stability Social Functions: “the consequences of any social pattern for the operation of society as a whole” Latent Manifest Dysfunction

Conflict Theory/Social-Conflict Macrosociology Main tenant: inequality in society results from political struggles – social patterns benefit some while harming others

Symbolic Interactionism Microsociology Main tenant: shared meanings, orientations, and assumptions form the basic motivation behind people’s actions

Postmodernism Microsociology/Macrosociology Main tenant: everything is socially constructed

Works Cited Conley, D. (2011). You may ask yourself: An introduction to thinking like a sociologist (2nd Ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company. Macionis, J. J. (2010). SOC100: Sociology: 2011 custom edition (13th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Custom Publishing.