SOCIOLOGICAL

PERSPECTIVE
Definition Of Sociology:

■ Sociology gives us an understanding of the world we live in. Its a complex collection
of values, beliefs, behaviors, and material objects shared by a group passed on from
one generation to the next.
■ Sociologists study all about human, from the interactions between two people to the
complex relationships between nations or multinational corporations.
Sociological Imagination:
■ Sociology can be sub-divided into two
phases:
■ Micro level: Is one of the main levels of
analysis (or focuses) of sociology,
concerning the nature of everyday
human social interactions and agency
on a small scale: face to face.
■ Macro level: Is an approach
to sociology which emphasizes the
analysis of social systems and
populations on a large scale.
Sociological Imagination: Sociological
Perspective
■ Sociology offers a perspective, a view of the world. It's an imagination that opens a
window onto unfamiliar world and offers a fresh look at familiar one.
■ As you view the other world or your own, it enables you to gain a new perception of
social life.
■ Sociologist looks at how jobs, income, education, gender, age, and race-ethnicity
affect people’s ideas and behaviors.
Sociology As A Science:

■ Concepts: An abstract or generic idea generalized from particular instances.

These are mental representations, abstract objects or abilities that make up the
fundamental building blocks of thoughts and beliefs.
■ Propositions: A proposition is a tentative and conjectural relationship between
constructs that is stated in a declarative form. An example of a proposition is: “An
increase in student intelligence causes an increase in their academic achievement.”
■ Theories: A supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something,
especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained.
Sociology As A Science:

■ What is meant by term science?

■ A science is a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths
systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws. Science collects
facts and links them together in their casual sequence to draw valid inferences.
■ Following characteristics can be found in it: objectivity, observation, accurate
prediction, experimentation, accurate measurement, generalization and cause-
effect relationships.
Sociology As A Science:
■ According to August Comte and Durkheim, “Sociology is a science because it adopts and
applies the scientific method. Following are the reasons which make this statement
valuable.
1. Sociology studies social events by adopting scientific method. Though it cannot do
experiment with men in a laboratory still man’s social behavior is subject to scientific
investigation like natural phenomenon
2. Sociology does not possess a laboratory still it makes accurate observation. Accurate
observation is also possible outside the laboratory even Newton did not invent his laws
in laboratory.
3. Like natural sciences Sociology also traces the cause and find the answers. . Family
disorganization is the cause of divorce and population growth is the cause of poverty.
Thus, sociology describes cause-effect relationship in social disorganization and
population explosion. Hence sociology is a science.
Sociology As A Science:
■ MAX WEBER (Denying Statement):
■ He said Sociology can’t be an objective Science. However,
those who deny the status of science to Sociology they put
forth following arguments:
1. Sociology cannot be called a science because it cannot
maintain complete objectivity with social phenomena.
2. Sociology deals with human relationships which cannot
be put to laboratory test.
3. Natural Sciences make prediction on the basis of certain
data. But Sociology deals with social relationships and
human behavior which are so uncertain and peculiar.
4. Sociology can’t make generalizations like natural sciences
which is universally applicable.
Sociology And Other Sciences:

■ The term sociology meant by the study of society and human behaviors. A useful way
of comparing these sciences and of gaining a better understanding of sociology's
place-is to divide them into the Natural and the Social sciences.
■ Natural Sciences:
■ The natural Sciences are the intellectual and academic disciplines that are designed
to explain and predict the events in our natural environment. Some of them are
Biology, Chemistry, Physics etc.
Sociology And Other Sciences:
■ Social Sciences:
■ People have not limited themselves to investigating nature. They trying to understand
life, they also developed fields of science that focus on the social world.
■ The social sciences are divides into specialized fields based on the subject matter.
These divisions are anthropology, economics, political science, psychology and
sociology.
■ Let contrast sociology with other social sciences.
1. Like anthropologists, study of culture.
2. Like economist, they also study about how a society's good and services are distributed.
3. Like political scientist, they study how people govern one another and how those in
power affect people’s lives.
Sociology And Other Social Sciences:

■ CONT:
■ With such similarities, how about to say that sociology-The mother of all social
Sciences?
■ Here is a plus point that sociology is not restricted to a particular range.
■ Unlike anthropologists, sociologist focus primary on the industrialized societies.
■ Unlike economics and political scientist, they do not concentrate only single social
institution.
■ Unlike psychologist, sociologist stress factors external to the individual to determine
what influences people and how do they adjust to life.
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