Taking a New Look at a Familiar World Chapter 1 Taking a New Look at a Familiar World

Sociology Sociology is the systematic study of human societies. Everyday social life is the product of a complex interplay between societal forces and personal characteristics. Sociology examines the interpersonal, historical, cultural, organizational, and global environments that individuals inhabit.

Sociology vs. the Individual Individualistic explanations We tend to look at internal qualities to explain experiences. Sociological explanations We try to look at external factors that shape individual choices and opportunities.

Thinking Sociologically Looking at “individual problems” Example: the break-up of a relationship, loss of a job, or credit-card debt What are some of the possible individual causes of these events? Now, examine this within a societal context. What are some other possible explanations?

Contrasting Fields Biologists and psychologists focus on processes within the individual Biology: focuses on innate characteristics (genetics, bio-chemical explanations) Psychology: focuses on personal characteristics (the mind) Sociologists study what goes on among people as individuals, groups, and societies Sociology: focuses on a systematic study of human interaction (people as a part of the larger society)

Thinking Sociologically How might research on alcohol use differ among these three disciplines? Biology Psychology Sociology

The Sociological Imagination C. Wright Mills (1916–1962) The ability to see the impact of massive cultural and historical processes on our private lives The ability to recognize that the solutions to many of our most serious social problems lie not in changing the personal situations and characteristics of individual people but in changing the social institutions and roles available to them

Suicide Émile Durkheim (1858–1917) Classic sociological work titled Suicide, published in 1897 Compared statistics and historical data across different groups If suicide is an act based in individual explanations, rates would be fairly constant across time and place. However, this is not the case.

Different Types of Suicide Fatalistic—when people see no possible way to improve their oppressive circumstances Anomic—when a person’s life has been suddenly disrupted by a major social event Egoistic—when a person belongs to a group that has weak ties Altruistic—when a person’s ties to the community are too strong

Fatalistic Suicide When people feel horribly oppressed in their social situation When people perceive no possible way to improve their lives Examples: inmates in prison, slaves

Egoistic Suicide When people’s ties to their social networks are weak or deemphasized When people feel alienated from social networks When there may be too much emphasis on individualism Current U.S. society has weaker ties and suicide rates have risen as Durkheim predicted

Altruistic Suicide When ties to one’s community are too strong, individuality may be overshadowed In circumstances where community or family needs are considered far superior to needs of individual Examples may be found in “greedy” group sects

Anomic Suicide When conditions around which people organize their lives dramatically change (economic depressions, wars, famines etc.) May result in sense of hopelessness and despair

Suicide Rates Among Young African Americans Potential individual-based influences Growing sense of hopelessness Reluctance to open up about mental health issues Broader social factors More and more black families moving into middle class Increased pressure to succeed in white-dominated professions

Thinking Sociologically Suicide rates among young African Americans have dropped over the last few years Can you think of a sociological reason to account for this trend?

Summary Everyday social life is the product of a complex interplay between societal forces and personal characteristics. To explain why people are the way they are (or do the things they do), we must understand the interpersonal, historical, cultural, organizational, and global environments they inhabit. To understand either individuals or society, we must understand both (C. W. Mills, 1959).