Human Society Flashcards
Common sense explanation
- commonly held belief (media)
- statement may be true for that individual person, a SUBJECTIVE point of view
- not sociological explanation as not objective and no hard evidence
- NATURALISTIC explanations : commonly held beliefs
- INDIVIDUALISTIC explanations : personal experience
Common sense - features
- opinion based
- accepts situation at face-value
- often individualistic
- lacks objectivity
- tends to be subjective
- non-sociological
- notion of being factual (but isn’t)
Sociological explanations
- attempt to explain social behaviour in terms of wider social forces, processes and structures, using evidence from objective research to support
Sociological - features
- theory based; tested through research
- attempts to be objective (not biased)
- challenges taken for granted assumptions
- attempts to be value free or acknowledges role of values in formulating theories
Consensus theories (Functionalism) strengths
- demonstrates the link between the major institutions : family, education, economy
- considers that social structures shape behaviour
Consensus theories weaknesses
- deterministic view of social behaviour
- ignores idea that how we interact with others shapes our behaviour
- overemphasises the harmonious nature or society, assumes that everyone shares the same values.
Conflict theory
- different parts of society are interconnected and interdependent
- not harmonious
- society can be best explained in terms of tensions, conflict between different elements of society
difference in terms of power between functionalism and marxism
functionalism - explains society in terms of a shared understanding of values, norms, stability and continuity
marxism- conflicts between different groups who have different levels of power. the interests of some groups are more effectively met than others. some get a ‘better deal’ than others
consensus vs conflict
BOTH SEE SOCIETY AS BEING MADE UP OF INSTITUTIONS
consensus:
- harmony between social institutions is necessary
- there is a ‘value consensus’ which holds social institutions and society together
conflict:
- relations between social institutions are not harmonious
- ‘values’ are often imposed by powerful groups in society
conflict theories (marxism) - strengths
- looks at society as a whole
- recognises power interests of different groups
- good at explaining conflict and change
conflict theories (marxism) - weaknesses
- finds it difficult to explain persistence of certain phenomena
- individual and small group interaction plays little part in these types of explanations
action theories (interactionist theory)
- focuses on how the individual shapes society and its social structures
- proposes human beings decide their own fate through choices they make
- an inside-out view emphasising the individual
structural theories (functionalist, marxist, feminist)
- focus on how the individual is shaped by society and its social structures
- proposes human beings have little choice and are coerced by the systems priorities/ those with power
- an outside-in view emphasising the system or structure
micro - sociological view
significance of individual actions and small group interactions on the way in which society operates and develops.
interactionist theory: features
- the idea of the self-concept
- the individuals as an influence on society
- the significance of symbols and labels in social interaction
- the concept of ‘role-taking’.
