Chapter 1- Sociological Method And Theory Flashcards
Define Sociology
The systematic study of human society
Sociological Perspective
Peter Berger
Seeing the general in the particular
Seeing the strange in the familiar
Understanding how actions relate within the social context
Auguste Comte
Developed sociology into a scientific study rather than just common sense knowledge
Wanted to establish a more ideal society
Auguste Comte’s 3 Stages of Understanding Behaviour
Theological- behaviour is a result of God’s will
Metaphysical
Scientific- social and natural sciences combined, based on facts and not speculation
Auguste Comte’s Bases of Common Sense Knowledge
Tradition- it is the way it’s always been
Faith- it is because of Gods will
Authority- humans respond to direction
3 Factors in the Rise of Sociology
Industrial Economy- change from small, tight knit, farms to large, anonymous factories
Growth of Cities- caused problems like unemployment, homelessness, pollution, high crime
Political Change- thought processes changed- loss of moral focus to focus on self
Sociological Imagination
C Wright Mills
People see and connect their personal problems to the larger social problems
Helps us understand how society and social structures influence us
Micro-Effect
The effect of social structures on the individual
Macro-effect
Effect of social structures on the global level
Meso-Effect
Often tied in with Macro, the effect social structures have on groups, societies, or nations
Define theory
Statement of how and why specific facts are related and interrelated
Abstract framework for making sense of the world
Needs empirical evidence and research
Define Social Theory
Explains the how’s and whys of human behaviour in the real world
Theoretical Approach
A basic, broad image of society that guides thinking and research
Macro Theories
Focus on the big picture; how large social structures impact society as a whole
Micro Theories
How social structures facilitate/ impact individual interaction
A good social theory…
… Will let you connect individual experience with social structures
… Will employ the sociological imagination
… Will include many facets of a social problem
… Will look at many impacts and causes on different levels
Structural Functionalist Approach
Emilie Durkheim
How behaviour is governed by stable patterns
How social structures and social facts contribute to social stability
Because individuals are influenced by social facts, behaviour can be predicted and there is a shared moral code in society
Social Facts
Identifiable patterns and ways of behaving in society
- exist prior to and separate from an individual
- characteristic of a group or society rather than an individual
- have a coercive effect that has an influence on individuals
Herbert Spencer
Compared society to the human body
Robert Merton
Social structures have different functions, some that are intended and others not
Manifest Functions
The intended fictions of a social structure
Latent Functions
Hidden or unintended functions of a social structure
Dysfunction
When a social structure doesn’t function properly
Social Conflict Approach
Karl Marx
Society is an arena of inequality that leads to social conflict
How is social inequality maintained within the social structures
Studies sociology to change society
