SOC402 Handouts

Introduction: Sociological perspective

Topic 001: What is Sociological Perspective?

Lesson 01

Perspective means a view or an outlook or an approach or an imagination (of the reality).

An approach to understanding of society.

Sociological theory is a verbal/written image of society. Logical assumptions about the working of society. An orientation for looking at various features of social world, which can eventually be translated into scientific theory. Different ways of understanding the society, its operations, its interpretations, and its explanations. Goal is to develop general principles of the working of societies.

When sociologist “do sociology,” they approach their subject with certain assumptions. They emphasize particular research methods, and they have particular types of questions they want answered. Have ways of looking at things which sociological theories advance. Like: Differences in the way theories are formulated: deductively or inductively Logic used.

Hence sociological theory may look like a group of perspectives for the understanding human behavior.

Aim: To develop principles that govern the functioning of the societies.

Sociologists have looked at society from different perspectives. Levels of analysis: look at society on the basis of subject matter: is it at macro level or micro level.

Macrosociology: concerned with large-scale characteristics of social structure and roles.

Microsociology: concerned with person-to-person encounters.

Functionalism and conflict theory concerned with the overall characteristics of social structure, and general nature of social institutions. Macro level. Yet, equally interested in the perceptions and decisions of individual people. The perspectives of symbolic interactionism and phenomenology examine human interaction in the minutest detail. Micro level. Actions, experiences, and perceptions at individual level are a priori. Yet they do not ignore social prescriptions. Rational choice theories may venture on both macro/micro approaches Mostly (e.g. Blau) focus on individual’s decisions and choices, yet linked to structural qualities as society’s legitimacy. View of human beings: Is behavior predictable? Is it Primarily determined by the environment? (Functionalist and conflict) Or is human behavior governed by creativity. Symbolic interactionism, phenomenology. Me and I. i.e. behavior unpredictable. Emphasis on human social action. Creativity.

Topic 002: What is Sociological Perspective? (Cont.)

Motivation for human social action: Are human beings motivated by personal interests or by social values?

For functionalists: People’s motives and behavior is a function of social values they internalize. Emphasis on socially instilled values. Conflict theorists see “interests” as primary or main force behind every behavior. By-pass or temper with the social values. Symbolic interactionism sees social values as incorporated into the “me”; interests hardly appear. Phenomenology emphasizes values rather than interests. People “trust” others to behave in certain situation-specific ways. Trust as the basis of behavior. Rational choice theorists look at the importance of social values and tastes, which define people’s preferences. Look for social status.

4. Scientific approach: perspectives differ in their methods of argument and research. Advocacy of deductive or inductive reasoning.

Advocacy of natural science approach  deductive approach: spell out the concepts/variables hypothesis, theories.

Inductive approach: know the reality, develop hypotheses, build theory.

Functionalism, conflict theory, and rational choice theory  deductive.

Symbolic interactionism and phenomenology  inductive.

Deductive approach uses quantitative data, while inductive approach focuses on qualitative data.

Comparison of Different Sociological Perspectives

Perspectives differ in their objectives of describing or explaining, or even predicting the social realities. Each has contributed to human understanding of societies. Is this understanding and explanation an end in itself i.e. meeting the curiosity. Can this understanding be used as a means to some other ends e.g. end can be to control and manage the undesirable realities of life? Scientific deductive explanation is a powerful technological tool with tight statistical correlations and Yes, description is a means to understanding  a means to making the explanations of the reality  a means to predicting and managing the reality  for the well-being of society. Given the complexity of human behavior, social sciences do have limitations in making universal