Sociological Perspectives Flashcards
What is Functionalism?
- It is a school of thought that says that society is a system of interdependent parts that work together in harmony to bring stability, unity, and social order.
- The oldest sociological perspective.
Who are the founders of functionalism? (Functionalist Perspectives)
- Auguste Comte (French Philosopher)
- Emile Durkheim (French Sociologist)
- Talcott Parsons (American sociologist)
- Robert K. Merton (American sociologist)
- Herbert Spencer (English sociologist)
What did Comte say about Sociology?
- Saw sociology as a scientific subject, supporting positivism with his Law of the Three Stages.
- Focusing on the necessity of study and historical analysis.
- Saw the science of society as essentially similar to natural science.
What are the Main Social Institutions in functionalism?
- Family
- Education
- Economics
- Religion
- Politics
- Media
What does Durkheim compare society with?
- Separate socio from psychology and philosophy.
- The organs of the human body + A clock. (Functions)
- Society is united as 1 by external social facts (Ways of feeling, thinking, and acting.) - Control individuals by shaping their actions and decisions. {Keep social order})
How do functionalists view problems in society?
- Arise(a natural part of) by evolution
Criticism against Functionalism. (M, I + General)
- Marxist - Present a rosy picture of society.
- Interactionalist - Being too deterministic.
- Argue for teleological explanations, but functionalistic explanations ignore potential tension and disorganisation created by social institutions such as religion.
What is Marxism? (Conflict Perspectives)
- It focuses on the problems of society. It says that society is divided into 2 groups. One of the Bourgeoisie, who is a small group of people, is described as the owner, they own the means of production and take the majority of the wealth made by the workers as profit, and exploit them. As for the second group, they are called the Proletariat, they only get a salary from the Bourgeoisie from the wealth that they make in the factories.
- Was written after the French Resolution.
- Marx envisioned a socialist society where the proletariat would overthrow the bourgeoisie, leading to collective ownership of production, and eventually, a classless society.
Who are the main founders of Marxism?
- Karl Marx
- Friedrich Engels
(German Philosophers.)
What are the critics of Marxism?
- Does not work overtime (Soviet Union)
- Neglect societal stability, social institutions’ ability to minimise disadvantages, and shared values’ ability to unite individuals in the face of continual change.
What is Interactionism? (Symbolic-Interactionalist Perspectives)
- A Theory of Mind and Society
- Explains how society exists through the shared meanings and symbols that individuals give and use in social interactions.
- Interactionists argue that people categorize their social lives using language, signs, and drawings, influencing behavior and reward systems and that humans are pragmatic actors responding to others’ actions.
Who are the main founders of Interactionism?
- Max Weber (German Sociologist)
- George Herbert Mead
- Herbert Blumer
(American sociologists)
What did William Isaac Thomas and Dorothy Swaine Thomas say about sociology?
-Our perception of the world shapes our identity, influencing our self-concept. Positive perceptions lead to competence, while negative perceptions can cause self-doubt and insecurity.
What does Max Weber say about sociology?
- Focused on the significance of understanding social actions, which are shaped by factors like culture, norms, and personal motivations, influencing behaviors, decisions, and interactions within society.
What did Mead say about Sociology?
- He created the concept of ‘Symbolic Interactionism’
- Argues that humans construct their own and each other’s identities through their everyday encounters with each other. In other words, the self is created through social interaction.
