Three Sociological Perspectives

Words: 2328
Pages: 10
Open Document
Early sociologists, instrumental in the development of sociology’s three foundational theories, --George Herbert Meade, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, and Karl Marx-- established the framework of symbolic interactionism, functionalism, and conflict theory. Each played key roles in establishing the levels and focuses on analysis used in applying the three theoretical perspectives to the study of human actions, decisions, behavior, and other external elements, which can be explained not only by analyzing the individual scenario, but also by analyzing the context in which that individual is placed. Sometimes, these three main theoretical perspectives can complement, or contradict each other, but no one theory can bring a complete understanding of …show more content…
It doesn’t take into account the macro levels of sociological perspective, but the family working toward the continuance of social inequality can be related to symbolic interactionism and functionalism. How an individual perceives themself is an element of sybolic interactionism, the concern for self-appearance is rooted in how others see the individual in a competitive institution such as the workplace, religious instituion, status in society, family or a group. Awareness of self in relation to how other view that “self,” is what helps individuals focus on goals and where they want to see themselves. Because an individual sets goals for themself in the future, for example; to be wealthy, powerful, admired, desired or accomplished, they bring the focus from a micro level (symbolic); how they see themselves in their own eyes, to the macro level (functionalist); how they think others see them and how they want to live up to or exceed their notion of what others expect of them. This in turn creates a conflict within the self for acceptance and a sence of belonging. So, on all three levels of perception, an individual social situation can be analyzed and criticized by each of the three theories. It is not as concrete and literal as some …show more content…
This debate seems like it should be simple for sociologists to agree on and as to how sociology should be used. But, as stated above, every sociologist –every person, for that matter—can have a different argument and perspective. Every sociologist has a different perspective and moral code. A simple logical answer to this debate is, why understand something without having a useful purpose for its findings? Every human being has questions, concerns, conceptions and perceptions. When they think about these issues, they seek answers, answers to aid them in understanding, and building a moral code of their own. But, they also have motivation to use that knowledge for some purpose. Most people believe others are good in nature and it is that “goodness” that compels us to fix what is wrong, help others, teach others, be socially aware and compasionate to social issues and struggles others may have that may or may not be our own; we still have a need to understand them. When human compassion is applied to social issues, humans have a natural desire to improve. Human beings derive great satisfaction from their own personal growth and want to perfect themselves and others. This is obvious in families. A parent will always want the “best” for their child. There is a natural
Show More

Related Documents: Three Sociological Perspectives

Explain The Three Sociological Perspectives

The three main sociological perspectives are theories that help the world understand how our social structure works. The three theories that will be discussed are the most commonly accepted that help us understand and predict the social patterns in which everyone lives. These three sociological perspectives are the Symbolic Interactionalist Perspective, Conflict Perspective, and the Functionalist Perspective. Each of the perspectives give different examples in explaining the world’s social structure…

Words 570 - Pages 3

Three Major Sociological Perspectives

There are three major sociological perspectives. The first is interactionism. Interactionism is social order and social change resulting from repeated interactions among individuals and groups. This means it is the perspective that shows change due to interaction among people in a society. The second perspective is known as functionalism. This is the way complex patterns of a social structure and arrangement contribute to social order. It meant that societies needed to work together to create a common…

Words 176 - Pages 1

The Three Sociological Perspectives Essay

1 Sydney Rhyne Professor Taylor Sociology 1001 December 9, 2014 Three Sociological Perspectives Pierre Bourdieu once said, “the function of sociology, as of every science, is to reveal that of which is hidden.” Our society will forever be advancing and molding into something new and different. Just like history alters so does the perspectives of sociology. As time moves on so do sociologist and their views of society. Many historical sociologist may look at our culture today and be somewhat disgruntled with…

Words 750 - Pages 3

Sociology Paper The Other Wes Moore

name but end up going down totally different paths in life, hence the quote. In this paper it will discuss the novel, The Other Wes Moore, describe their social location, and describe the sociological perspectives used in sociology and analyze excerpts from the book using each of the three sociological perspectives. Social location is the combination of social factors which locate someone in society (Henslin,2013, pg. 4). Social location includes: Sex/Gender,…

Words 1362 - Pages 6

Similarities and Differences in Sociological Theories of Crime Essay

Similarities and Differences in Sociological Theories of Crime Walden University Similarities and Differences in Sociological Theories of Crime Sociological theories of crime contain a great deal of useful information in the understanding of criminal behavior. Sociological theories are very useful in the study of criminal behavior because unlike psychological and biological theories they are mostly macro level theories which attempt to explain rates of crime for a group or an area rather…

Words 899 - Pages 4

Unit 5 Assignment: Sociology

Assignment – Discuss how marriage and family are viewed from the three sociological perspectives (functionalists, conflict theorists, and symbolic interactionists). • Functionalists- believes that family units contribute to the well-being of society by fulfilling basic societal needs like 1. economic productions, 2. socialization of children 3. care of sick and aged 4. recreation. 5. Sexual control 6. Reproduction. Functionalist perspective about the role of incest taboo plays a vital role to • Conflict…

Words 159 - Pages 1

Sociological Imagination

The sociological imagination emphasizes the connection between personal troubles (biography) and structural (public and historical) issues. An example of sociological imagination would be, there is a girl who wants to look thin, but cannot achieve this look. The girl goes into a chronic depression and suffers from an inferiority complex. In order to be thin, she becomes anorexic and experiences severe health problems. Most people would say that it's her own personal problem. If we apply sociological…

Words 2074 - Pages 9

Sociology Essay

What is Sociology? Discuss the key sociological concepts and perspectives and apply one perspective to an area of your professional practice. The primary purpose of this essay is to discuss sociology. Some definitions will be discussed as well as sociological concepts and perspectives. A sociological perspective will also be applied to the area of Health and Social Care provisions. According to Marsh and Keating (2006) “Sociological is regarded as an essential part of training courses for teachers…

Words 1264 - Pages 6

Intro Quest Ch1 Essay

social sciences? Sociology looks at a broad range of institutions that other sciences don’t to better understand social relationships 5. What is the meaning of sociological perspective? How can we develop a sociological perspective? 6. Define the following: beginner's mind, a sense of culture shock, sociological imagination. Sociological imagination is a quality of the mind that allows us to understand the relationship between our particular situation in life and what is happening at a social level…

Words 644 - Pages 3

Sociology and Class Essays

the discipline of sociology. Introductory sociology is a “concepts” and “perspectives” course. While sociological perspectives offer a new and more rational way of viewing human society, fundamental concepts represent tools for analyzing social life in more systematic ways. The overall goals of the course are to help students develop critical thinking and cultural awareness when they apply these concepts and perspectives to the social phenomena of everyday life. These goals are in accordance with…

Words 1903 - Pages 8