1. The Sociological Perspective
Chapter 1

2. Learning Objectives
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 functionalist, conflict theory, and symbolic 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 and shape their behavior
And, thus determine social events

4. The Sociological Imagination
C. Wright Mills (1959) used the term sociological imagination to refer to:
Examining the relationship between individual experiences
Bringing into focus the forces in the larger society that shape our actions

5. The Sociological Imagination at Work
Social Problems
Divorce
Appropriate taxation
Increased tuition
Suicide or death of a loved one

6. The Sociological Imagination at Work
Social Relationships
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

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

8. Objective Analysis Understanding Crime Statistics
An example of moving from personal or anecdotal experience to objective understanding

9. 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

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

11. Empiricism The view that generalizations are valid only if they rely on evidence that can be observed or verified through sense.
Theologians
Philosophers
Sociologists
Believe 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, role of social class, and divorce.

12. Social Sciences
The disciplines that apply scientific methods to the study of human behavior.
Sociology
Anthropology
Psychology
Economics
History
Political Science
Social Work

13. Sociology vs. Other Disciplines
Sociologist study groups and institutions within large, modern, and industrial societies using research methods that enable them to quickly gather specific information about large numbers of people.
Cultural anthropologists immerse themselves in another society for a long time, trying to learn as much as possible about that society and the relationships among it.
Sociologists look at patterns of behavior.
Psychologists look at motivation, perception, cognition, creativity, mental disorders, and personality.
Sociologists study social factors that influence a person’s economic decision.
Economists study price availability factors.
Sociologists look at historical events within their social contexts to discover why things happened and, more importantly, to assess what their social significance was and is. Sociology focuses on the present.
Historians look at past events to attempt to learn what happened, when it happened, and why it happened.
Sociologists focus on how political systems affect other institutions in society.
Political science devotes more attention to the forces that shape political systems and the theories for understanding these forces.
Sociologists try to understand why problems exist.
Social workers help people solve problems.

14. Development of Sociology
Emerged as a separate field of study in Europe during the 19th century
Stimulated by the Industrial Revolution and the 18th-century American and French Revolutions.

15. Key Sociologists Auguste Comte (1798-1857)
Harriet Martineau ( )
Herbert Spencer ( )
Karl Marx ( )
Émile Durkheim ( )
Max Weber ( )
W.E.B. Du Bois ( )

16. Notable Contributors Auguste Comte (1798-1857) Harriet Martineau
( )
Herbert Spencer
( )

17. Auguste Comte (1798-1857) Envisioned a science of man
Sought to develop a cohesive discipline that would:
reveal the underlying principles of society
utilize scientific principles of physical science
Coined the term sociology

18. Harriet Martineau ( )
Published Theory and Practice of Society is America in 1837.
Emphasized observation of day-to-day life
Traveled throughout the United States observing life everywhere from prisons to family gatherings
Encouraged social activism
Outspoken about treatment of women in the United States
Translated Auguste Comte’s six volume Positive Philosophy to English

19. Herbert Spencer ( )
Believed that society was similar to a living organism
Proponent of social Darwinism
Charles Darwin’s notion of “survival of the fittest”—animals adapted to the environment survived and prospered while the poorly adapted died out.
Provided support for social inequality

20. Classical Sociological Theorists
Karl Marx
( )
Émile Durkheim
( )
Max Weber
( )

21. Karl Marx ( )
Focused on human condition during Industrial Revolution
Historical perspective of class conflict
Bourgeoisie – the owners and controllers of the means of production (capitalists)
Proletariat – the mass of workers
Provided foundations for modern conflict theory

22. Émile Durkheim ( )
Viewed individuals as the product of the social environment
Society shapes people in every possible way
Focused on forces that hold society together
Concept of social variables
Provided foundations for functionalist theory

23. Studied/Identified Three Types of Suicide
Egoistic
Suicide comes from low group solidarity, and underinvolvement with others.
Altruistic
Suicide derives from a very high level of group solidarity and overinvolvement with others.
Anomic
Suicide results from a sense of feeling disconnected from society’s values (norms).

24. Max Weber (1864-1920) Focused on understanding social actions
Primary interest: Individual meanings people attach to the world around them
Subjective interpretative
Concentration on understanding human behavior
Emphasized understanding rather than activism
Pursued description and explanation of social truth or fact as means for influencing the social system

25. American Sociologists
W.E.B. Du Bois
( )
Talcott Parsons
( )
Robert Merton
( )
George Herbert Mead
( )

26. W.E.B. Du Bois First African-American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard
Established sociology program at Atlanta University
Advocated militant resistance to white racism
Moved to Ghana

27. Talcott Parsons
Most responsible for developing theories of structural functionalism in the U.S.
Elaborated on the ideas of Durkheim

28. Robert Merton Influential proponent of functionalist theory
Manifest functions and latent functions
Under leadership of Merton and Parsons, U.S. sociology adopted a “value-free” perspective

29. George Herbert Mead
Developed the symbolic interactionist perspective

30. Foundation of Sociology
Classical
Sociological
Theories
Functionalist
Conflict
Symbolic Interactionist

31. Functionalism
Views society as a system of highly interrelated structures or parts that function or operate together harmoniously
Society viewed as organism in balance
Attempts to account for all social variables
Conflict between variables disrupts balance

32. Conflict Theory Envisions constant struggle to obtain maximum benefit
Conflict viewed as the normal order
Wealth, power, and prestige are focus of conflict
Emphasis on who benefits from social division and control
Struggle based on unequal power and control of means of production (resources)

33. Symbolic Interaction Subjective Interpretation
Focuses on how individuals interpret the social world
Seeks understanding of meanings of individual and social behavior—the social act
The interpretation and meaning of:
Signs
Symbols
Language
Gestures
Objects

34. Contemporary Sociology
A synthesis of theory and research
Seeks broad understanding of and attention to social problems via:
Empirical study
Compilation and interpretation of data gathered
Activist application