Theoretical Perspectives of Sociology

How we Influence Others SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION - An awareness of the relationship between an individual and the wider society

People’s thoughts, feelings, and actions are strongly influenced by the social interaction of the groups to which they belong -Sociologists concentrate on the ways that people relate to each other and influence one another’s behaviors

View one’s own society as an outsider would

Handout: “The Role of Influence in Our Lives”

Macrosociology Study large scale phenomena or entire civilizations Example: prison systems, violence, marriage

Microsociology Study small groups Example: types of families (single parent vs. traditional), status on a sports team, teacher’s expectations & their effect on student performance

3 Theoretical Perspectives FUNCTIONALIST: each group serves a function to maintain society’s stability If it doesn’t contribute to stability, then it doesn’t get passed down to next generation

Functionalists don’t make judgments of whether a behavior is acceptable or unacceptable Hope to explain how an aspect of society that is so frequently attacked (like prostitution) can manage to survive

Each social group/institution serves 2 functions 1.Manifest functions: overt, open, stated, conscious 2.Latent functions: covert, hidden, unintended, unconscious

Handout: “Manifest and Latent Functions”

Dysfunction: element or process of society that disrupts a social system or leads to a decrease in stability ** It is not always negative

CONFLICT: the view that our social world is characterized by continual struggle between competing groups Believes social behavior is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing groups

Conflict is not necessarily violent Conflict theorists can’t accept functionalist theory because that says the status quo is fine

INTERACTIONIST: generalizes about everyday forms of social interaction in order to understand society as a whole; focus on microsociology (like people on juries or in their jobs)

See symbols as an important part of human communication, usually non-verbal (facial expressions, posture, gestures) Cultures use different gestures as symbols

Different ways societies portray suicide without using words -U.S. – finger at your head (shooting) -Japan – fist against stomach (stabbing) -New Guinea – hand around throat (hanging)

Let’s look at our high school from the three perspectives, as sociologists would