Sociology

The Sociological Perspective

Sociology
Sociology is the systematic study of the human society.
Sociology is the science (-ology) of society (socio-).
Sociology is a social science that is concerned with the
systematic study of human society.
Auguste Comte, The Grand Father of Sociology,
believed that all existing sciences could be ranked in a
hierarchy, and idealized sociology as the crowning
glory of human intellectual achievement.

Perspective
Broadly speaking every individual has his/her
own way of looking at the world. Hence
perspectives involves:
The way of -Looking at Things.
It is the point of view from which- reality is
observed and interpreted.
Hence Perspective defines:
Boundary, Periphery and the study of subject
matter.

Perspective
Rope
Sword

Pillar

Sociological Perspective
The perspective of Sociology involves seeing
through the outside appearances of peoples actions
and organizations
Peter Berger,1963
It is the way of looking at the society and the social
behavior.
It identifies the shared traits and behavior of humans
in plurality, and the underlying patterns in these traits.

Sociological Perspective
Sociology can help us make sense of our experiences
by taking our accounts and sharing or comparing them
with others.
The sociological perspective is constituted of stories
told by individuals and groups and shapes how we
establish our worldviews.
We can examine social structures (patterns of
organization that constrain human behavior) by
observation of the sociological perspective.

Peter Berger,1963

To see the General in Particular.

General Social Patterns in the Behavior of
particular individuals.
INDIVIDUALS ARE UNIQUEBUT
SOCIETYS SOCIAL FORCES SHAPE
US INTO KINDS OF PEOPLE that we
are....

Peter Berger,1963
Seeing the Strange in the Familiar
PETER BERGER:

THINGS ARENT ALWAYS WHAT

THEY SEEM

Give up Familiar Assumptions.

Know that Society influences people by guiding
thoughts and behaviors.

Sociological Perspective
It is neither :
Utopian (what is desirable) nor
Fatalistic (inevitability of existing state of
affairs) but
It is Scientific (what is it?, how it is?, why
it is?).

Peter Bergers four dimensions of

sociological consciousness
Debunking: The sociological perspective is
frequently concerned with seeing through
the facades of social structures and
debunking official interpretations
Unrespectability: involves a fascination
with the unrespectable view of society

Peter Bergers four dimensions of

sociological consciousness
Relativizing: refers to the capacity, typical of
the modern mind, but especially developed in
sociology, to see how identities and
perspectives vary depending on the situation
or context.
Cosmopolitanism: The turbulent urban center
of modern times have tended to develop a
cosmopolitan consciousness, a knowledge of
a variety of lifestyles and perspectives, and a
certain sense of detachment from them.

Advantages of Sociological
Perspective
They Focus upon:

Sociology and Social Marginality.

Allows us to notice diversity in state.
Sociology draws attention to social crisis.

Importance of these items:

They allows us to see the connection between MICRO

and MACRO social elements.

Sociological Perspective
It involves investigation of the problem on
Micro and Macro levels.
Micro level: deals with how the individuals
behave in the social situations viz. at work, at
play, in school in large and small groups etc.

Macro level: deals with patterns of behavior

and the forms of organizations which characterize
the entire society Viz. poverty, corruption etc.

The Sociological Imagination

C. Wright Mills coined the
term sociological
imagination to refer to
...the vivid awareness of the
relationship between private
experience and the wider
society.

Different Sociological
Perspectives
Structuralism
Looks at the way in which society is structured.

Functionalism
Looks at the function of society.
Interpretative Approach
Looks at the ways in which people interpret the
societies they are exposed to.

Structuralism and Structural

Functionalism
Structural theories : suggest that social
institutions are structured/ determined by
society, leaving the individual with little
autonomy.
Structural functionalist : is a name given to
a group of sociologists who are both
structuralist and functionalist.

Structural functionalism
In structural functionalist approach, a social institutions
described by the role it plays in maintaining the stability
of the wider society.
They believed that individuals and groups are constrained
by structures.
The task of sociology was to analyze society as a system
of interrelated variables, and how each social institution
functioned to maintain the whole society.
Social order requires certain degree of Co-operation and
Social solidarity.

Interaction Theories
Theories of action pay serious attention to
action and interaction.
They stress the importance of looking at
individual in society.
Theories of action holds that individuals
construct structures.

Conflict Theory
Conflict theory is grounded in the work of Karl
Marx
Society is understood to be made up of
conflicting interest groups who vie for power
and privilege
This dynamic results in continuous social
change, which is the normal state of affairs
Conflict theory focuses heavily on inequality
and differential distribution of power and wealth