1. The Sociological Perspective
Chapter 1

2. After studying this chapter, you should be able to do the following:
Understand the sociological point of view and how it differs from that of journalists and talk-show hosts.
Compare and contrast sociology with the other major social sciences.
Describe the early development of sociology from its origins in nineteenth-century Europe.
Know the contributions of sociology’s pioneers: Comte, Martineau, Spencer, Marx, Durkheim, and Weber.
Describe the early development of sociology in the United States.
Understand the functionalism, conflict theory, and the interactionist perspectives.
Realize the relationship between theory and practice.

3. Sociology as a Point of View
What is Sociology?
It is the scientific study of human society and social interactions.
Main focus
Group
Seeks to
Understand forces that operate throughout society
Forces that mold individuals
Shape their behavior
Thus determine social events

4. To be a sociologist, you would have to:
Change how you see the world
Broaden your perspective on the world
Make sense out of what’s going on around you.

5. Example
Without a full sociological understanding of domestic violence many believe that the victims should simply just walk away.
Is it easy for domestic violence victims to leave? Why or why not?
See figure 1.1

6. The Sociological Imagination
C. Wright Milles (1959) used the term sociological imagination to refer to:
The relationship between individual experiences
Forces in the lager society that shape our actions

7. How to apply sociology to the real world
Can you think of an issue that may have or had some affect or you or society as a whole? (explain)
Examples
Divorce
Tax increase
Increased tuition
Suicide or death of a loved one

8. Sociological Imagination
Is the process of looking at all types of human behavior patterns and finding previously unseen connections among them.
Why do most children who witness abuse in the home become abusers?
Why is it likely that a woman who leaves her abuser will return?

9. The focus of sociological imagination:
Every aspect of society
Every relationship among individuals
Crowds at sports events
Shifts in styles of dress and popular music
Changing patterns in courtship and marriage
The emergence and fading of different lifestyles
Political movements
Religious sects
The distribution of income and access to resources and opportunities
Decisions made by the Supreme Court, congressional committees, and local zoning boards.

10. Sociology and Science Sociology
Commonly described as one of the social sciences
Refers to a body of systematically arranged knowledge that shows operation of general laws
Employs the same general methods of investigation that are used in the natural science.

11. Scientific Method
A process by which a body of scientific knowledge is built through observation, experimentation, generalization, and verification.

12. Empiricism The view that generalizations are valid only if they rely on evidence that can be observed or verified through sense.
Theologians
Philosophers
Sociologists
Faith produces true happiness
Debate what happiness encompasses
Note, analyze and predict consequences of such measurable items as job satisfaction, relationship between education and income, and role of social class and divorce.

13. Social Science
Consist of all those disciplines that apply scientific methods to the study of human behavior.

14. Social Science Disciplines
Cultural Anthropology
Psychology
Economic
History
Political Science
Social Work

15. Sociology versus Other Disciplines
Sociologist study groups and institutions within large, modern, industrial, societies using research methods that enable them rather quickly to gather specific information about large numbers of people
Cultural Anthropologist immerse themselves in another society for a long time, trying to learn as much as possible about that society and the relationships among it.
Sociologist looks at patterns of behavior
Psychologist looks at motivations, perceptions, cognition, creativity, mental disorders, and personality.
Sociologist study social factors that influence a person’s economic decision
Economist studies price availability factors
Sociologist looks at historical events within their social contexts to discover why things happened and more important, to assess what their social significance was and is. Sociology focus on the present
History looks at past events to attempt to learn what happened, when it happened, and why it happened
Sociologist focuses on how political system affects other institutions on society
Political Science devotes more attention to the forces that shape political systems theories for understanding these forces.
Sociology is to help understand why problems exist
Social work is to help people solve problems

16. Development of Sociology
Emerged as a separate field of study in Europe
During the 19th century
Period social order was shaken by the Industrial Revolution and the American and French Revolution.

17. Key Sociologists Auguste Comet (1798-1857)
Harriet Martineau ( )
Herbert Spencer ( )
Karl Marx ( )
Emile Durkheim ( )
Max Weber ( )
W.E.B. Du Bois ( )

18. Auguste Comte (1798-1857) Coined sociology
Set out to develop a science of man that would reveal the underlying principles of society much as the sciences of physics and chemisty explained nature and produced industrial progress.
Sociology would be a cohesive discipline

19. Harriet Martineau ( )
Published Theory and Practice of Society is America in 1837.
Traveled throughout the United States observing day to day life.
Was outspoken about treatment of women in the United States
Translated Auguste Comte’s six volume Positive Philosophy to English.

20. Herbert Spencer ( )
Believed that society was similar to a living organism
Proponent of a doctrine know as social Darwinism
Applied to society Charles Darwin’s notion “survival of the fittest,” in which those species of animals adapted to the environment survived and prospered while the poorly adapted died out.

21. Three scholars responsible for shaping sociology into relatively coherent discipline
Karl Marx
( )
Emile Durkheim
( )
Max Weber
( )

22. Karl Marx (1818-1883) Looked for ways to improve human condition
History of societies could be seen in class conflict
Bourgeoisie-owners and controllers of the means of production (capitalists)
Proletariat-makes up the mass of workers
Developed the conflict theory

23. Emile Durkheim ( )
Believed individuals were exclusively the products of their social environment and that society shapes people in every possible way
Focused on forces that hold society together-functions of varies parts.
Functionalist
Studied suicide
People committed suicide because they were members of different social groups that were influenced by a variety of social factors

24. Identified three types of Suicide
Egoistic
Suicide comes from low group solidarity, and under involvement with others.
Altruistic
Suicide derives from a very high level of group solidarity, and over involvement with others.
Anomic
Suicide results from a sense of feeling disconnected from society’s values.

25. Max Weber (1864-1920) Studied social actions.
Believed that conflict between social classes determined many thins in society.
Focused on individual meaning people attached to the world around them.
Viewed capitalism as the source of control, exploitation, and alienation of human beings

26. W.E.B. Du Bois ( )
First African-American to receive a PhD from Harvard is 1896.
Editor of the Crisis
Believed that doctrines and theories had a powerful effect on social conditions.
Argued for the acceptance of African Americans into all areas of society and advocated militant resistance to white racism
Whites held blacks back
Published The Souls of Black Folk in 1903

27. Other sociologist Robert Merton
Influential proponent of the functionalist theory.
Two forms of social functions
Manifest
The intended and recognized consequences of those process
Going to college to obtain knowledge
Latent
Unintended or not readily recognized consequencesof such processes
New opportunities
Finding lasting friendships

29. Functionalism
Views society as a system of highly interrelated structures or parts that function or operate together harmoniously

30. Conflict
People are basic struggling battling over something

31. Symbolic interaction
Concerned with the meaning that people place on their own and one another’s behavior.

32. Contemporary Sociology
What is a theory?
A theory is a systematic explanation for the observations related to a particular aspect of life.

33. Middle-range Theories
Concerned with explaining specific issues or aspects of society instead of trying to explain how all of society operates.
Contemporary sociological theory
Continues to build on the original idea proposed in the interactionist, perspective, functionalism, and conflict theory.
Sociological Theory
Gives meaning to sociological practice.