The Theoretical Perspectives Of Sociology - 911 Words

Symbolic interactionism is the first of the three theoretical perspectives in Sociology. This avenue of examining sociological factors looks at more personal interactions than the other two perspectives. Sociologist observe patterns and behaviors of these smaller interactions to define, or redefine, the use and evolution of symbols in society. Some sociologist see this approach as being too focused on one person’s view and take on society rather than trying to understand society as a functioning whole (Turner, Symbolic Interaction Theory†). One example of symbolic interactionism put forth by Erving Goffman (1974) uses Roger, an engineer, as an example. Even though he and his parents believe that Roger is an amazing engineer, their perspective would not take into account that Roger’s boss found his skills to be insufficient and fired him. Without combining these two perspectives, that of Roger and his parents and of his boss, there is not a complete understanding of Roger and his skills, or lack there of. The following two perspectives in Sociology examine society at a larger scale. The second theoretical perspective in Sociology is functional analysis. Functional analysis is used to identify and define relationships between different aspects of society. These relationships are determined to be either functional, which is beneficial to society, or dysfunctional, which is not beneficial. The two previous labels are then broken down further and actions can be deemedShow MoreRelatedSociology And The Theoretical Perspectives Of Sociology1710 Words   |  7 PagesSociology is seen every day in our lives as humans, it is the scientific study of human behavior and society. The idea of sociology has not been around forever. The term sociology comes from a man named Auguste Comte who takes credit for this study. 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Using structural functionalism, the conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism one will be able to decide which view best represents the way they see thisRead MoreExample Of The Three Theoretical Perspectives Of Sociology1044 Words   |  5 Pages Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology Nanesha Greathouse HCC Abstract This paper describes the three major theoretical perspectives in Sociology: symbolic interactionism, functionalism and conflict theory. Sociologists developed these theoretical perspectives to help explain the way individuals conduct themselves and to help us to gain a better understanding of the world around us. Throughout this paper, the reader will learn about each perspective and its origin as well as additionalRead MoreTheoretical Perspectives Essay: . Sociology Is The Scientific990 Words   |  4 PagesTheoretical Perspectives Essay: Sociology is the scientific study of how humans and groups behave socially and how they, as a whole, change over time. 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Sociologists study everything from the micro level of analysis of small social patterns to the â€Å"big picture† which is the macro level of analysis of large social patterns. Sociologists employ three major theoretical perspectives in sociology today. They are the structural-functionalist perspective, the conflict perspective, and the symbolic interactionism. The structural-functionalist perspective is done at a macro level and its focus is onRead MoreOutline and Assess the Five Main Theoretical Perspectives of Sociology2024 Words   |  9 PagesOutline and assess the five main theoretical perspectives of sociology Marxism Marxism is the political philosophy and practice resulting from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Any political practice or theory that is based on an interpretation of the works of Marx and Engels may be called Marxism. Under capitalism, the proletariat, the working class own only their capacity to work meaning they have the ability only to sell their own labour. According to Marx a class is definedRead MoreMax Weber And His Contributions1566 Words   |  7 Pageswas considered as one of the three founders of sociology, because he had acquired many ideas that profoundly influenced social theory and social research. For sociology as a whole, Weber’s study of sociology is theoretical-historical, because he had the idea of rationalization based on his observations from the Protestant Work Ethic and other societies to analyze modern societies. This led to the development of one of the main theoretical perspectives, known as interactionism; Weber had supported