The sociological perspective helps us to see general social patterns in the behavior of particular individuals and offers insights about the social world that extend far beyond explanations that rely on individuals quirks and personalities. Essential to the sociological perspective is the wider society, which means going beyond the individual and understanding how structural forces shape individuals and their actions. The sociological perspective is the view that human beings are influenced more by the environment they live in than our genetic makeup. By viewing social problems from a sociological perspective, we can be concerned with changing our society and laws, and the way in
Functionalism is a macro, structuralist theory. This means they see human behaviour being shaped as an influence of social forces. It is also seen as a consensus theory, as functionalists’ argue that, individuals are socialised into a shared value to ensure conformity and social order. However, this functionalists approach is criticised by action theorists, as they argue that individuals create society through their interactions. Unlike other functionalists, Parsons argues that individuals are integrated through socialisation and social order.
Conformity, obedience and the social influences involved This essay examines the likely outcomes of human behaviour. By analysing Asch’s study into conformity and Hofling’s experiment about obedience, the extent to which individuals can avoid such social influences is investigated. There’s been great research into why people conform; following Asch’s study Deutsch and Gerald found that there are two types of social influence which makes people conform. Normative social influence; where individuals conform to be accepted and belong to the group. Benefits come from belonging in a group, individuals may conform on the surface but disagree with the group internally.
Macro theories include Functionalism and Marxism, who see individuals as puppets, under the control of social structures. One micro approach to sociology is Weber’s social action theory. According to Weber, in order to understand human behaviour, we must take into account both the level of structural cause, and the level of subjective meaning that individuals attach to their actions. Weber argues that there are an infinite number of subjective meanings that actors give to their actions; however he attempts to classify actions into four types. Instrumentally rational action refers to action that is driven by a given goal, in order to achieve through the most efficient means.
Cooley and Goffman are credited with the theories of understanding self-development through interaction with others, and the ability to evoke desired reactions in others through crafted self-presentations. In their theories, Goffman and Cooley further describe society as a place where “individuals create selves to present to others” where the ultimate intent is to save face. And although emotions were an integral part of these and other theorists works, the intimidate details of how
Case Analysis EDU/315 – Legal & Ethical Issues in Education 06/04/2012 Teaching is no longer an aspect of impacting knowledge on students. Today, however, teachers are not only expected to tutor but also to be the guardian as for the students. Teaching upholds both legal and ethical expectations for teachers. Imagine a fifth grade teacher who during exams suspects one of the students of cheating- this she concludes after she observes the student looking across the aisle at another students paper. The teacher goes over to the student, tears the exam paper in two, and dumps it in the dustbin.
Theories and Perspectives in Sociology, Understanding sociological Theory In the study of how society works, sociologists use theories, to help explain human behaviour. Within sociology, there are several theories and perspectives used to do this. These are divided into three main theories structural functional, Conflict and social action theory. The social action theory is micro a study of society, this theory looks at individual’s behaviour and how individuals interact with each other. As stated in Giddens, sociologists who support this theory see individuals as not created by society but as the creators of society.
Lucy Ramos 09/10/12 Social Psychology We often try to match our ideal self with our social self in order to feel more accepted in the social world. Social perception is known as the process by which people come to understand one another. In order to learn how others perceive us, we must first look at how we perceive ourselves and how we perceive others. The social comparison theory discussed by Leon Festinger (1954) states that people evaluate their own abilities and opinions by comparing themselves to others. People often compare themselves to others to feel more socially accepted or to set themselves apart from others.
The relationship between these two is they both help us find reasoning and uncover why many things in society are the way they are while also uncovering the bigger picture. Thus having the end goal of being able to have control and/or understanding over one’s life through certain actions. Researchers use sociological imagination to explain social things typically ignored by people steeped in individualism. They do this by having their subjects think about topics in society that have led to some sort of outcome, and get them to understand what causes led to that result. Outcomes are shaped by (but are not limited to) social norms, motives, and the social context (country, time period, and people they associate themselves with).
Theorists such as Talcott Parsons and Karl Marx have both came up with theories for why they believed norms are needed in society. According to Parsons, norms dictate the interactions of everyone with social encounters in a society. On the other hand, Marx believed that norms were used to promote the creation of roles in society which allows for people of different levels of social classes to be able to function properly. He also claimed that this power creates social order. As humans we learn when and where it is appropriate to say certain things, what actions to use and how to dress around certain groups.