Sociology

1. Sociological Perspectives
Lecturer: Ayesha Yaqoob

2. Sociological Perspective
o PERSPECTIVE - A way to look at things.
o SOCIOLOGICAL -The study of human social behavior.
o As a whole; a sociological perspective is a broad assumption about society and social
behavior that provides a point of view for the study of specific problems.
o Example: A busy shopping street

3. Importance of Perspective
Why begin your study of Sociology with a discussion
of perspective?

4. Uses of Sociological Perspectives
o Enables you to develop the Sociological Imagination.
Example: Divorce; Imagine Sociologically

5. Level of Analysis in Sociology
o What is level of analysis?
o Major level of analysis;
 Macrosociology
 Microsociology

6. Major Approaches
1- The Structural Functional Approach
2- The Conflict Perspective
3- The Interactionist Perspective

7. Structural Functional Approach
Level of Analysis- Macrosociology
According to John. J. Maccionis;
“ a complex system whose parts work together to
promote solidarity and stability”
Examples;
 Working of different social institutions
Comparison between societies and living organisms

9. Who Were The Originators?
Herbert Spencer
Durkheim
Robert Merton

10. Assumptions of Structural Functionalism
The parts of a society as an integrated whole.
Societies tend to return to state of stability.
society exist to promote the society’s survival
and welfare.
Finally, according to functionalism, there is among
most members of a society a consensus on value

11. Contribution of Function
According to Robert Merton, society contribute through,
Manifest functions
Latent Functions
Does all elements make positive contribution?
Merton’s idea of Dysfunction

12. Criticism
There are legitimate criticisms of the functionalist
perspective: It tends to legitimatize the status quo, and it
neglects social change.
This approach study society in larger structures.

13. Social Conflict Perspective
Level of Analysis- Macrosociology
According to John. J. Maccionis;
“Society is an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change”.
Example:
 Marx idea of conflict

14. Who Were The originators?
• Karl Marx
• C. Wright Mills
• Ralf Dahrendorf

15. What are the Assumptions of Conflict
Perspective
This approach highlights inequality and change.
Conflict approach sees how social pattern benefit some people while hurting
other instead of the idea that social structure promotes the operation of
society.
Conflict approach look at the ongoing conflict between dominant and
disadvantaged categories of people.
This approach not just to understand society but to bring about social
change that would reduce inequality.

16. Criticism
Because this approach focuses on inequality, it largely ignores
how shared values and interdependence unify members of society.
Many critics claims that this approach pursue political goals not
scientific objectivity.
This approach paint society in broad strokes.

17. How are the Assumptions of Conflict Theory Often the
Reverse of the Functionalist Perspective?
Functionalism emphasizes a basic agreement on values within a society,
concentrating on the ways people cooperate to reach common goals. Conflict
theory, in contrast, focuses on the disagreements between various groups in a
society or between societies.

18. Which is the Better Perspective Functionalism
or Conflict?
Each perspective emphasizes certain aspects of social life.
Each perspective has captured an essential aspect of society’s
nature.
Both functionalism and conflict theory deal with large social units
and broad social processes.

19. Symbolic Interactionism
Level of Analysis- Microsociology
According to John. J. Maccionis;
“It’s the broad focus on social structures that shapes society as a whole”
Example
Students at cafe

20. Symbolic Interaction
This perspective focuses on the actual interaction
between people.
 Basic to the symbolic interactionist perspective is
the concept of a symbol.

21. What are the Assumptions of Symbolic
Interactionists
 Herbert Blumer, outlined three assumptions central to this perspective
First, according to symbolic interactionism, we learn the meaning of a
symbol from the way we see others reacting to it.
Second, once we learn the meanings of these symbols, we base our behavior
on them.
Finally we use the meanings of symbols to imagine how others will respond
to our behavior.

22. Who Were The Originators?
• Max Weber
• Charles Horton Cooley
• George Herbert Mead
• Erving Goffman
• Herbert Blumer

23. Criticism
• Being a micro sociological theoretical perspective, symbolic
interactionism sometimes fails to take the larger social picture into
account.
• Social interaction in everyday life is sometimes affected by
societal forces beyond the control of individuals.

24. Applying the Approaches…
The Sociology of Sports

25. The Functions of Sports
Recreation
Getting a physical shape
Building social relationships
Competition
Pursuit of success
Sometimes dysfunction- recruitment on athletic skills rather than academic
skills.

26. Sports and Conflict
The games people play reflect their social standing.
Throughout history, sports have been oriented mostly towards males.
In America, for decades, big league sports excluded people of color.
Finally sports are a big business that provide big profits for a small number
of people.

27. Sports as Interaction
Each player understand the game a little
differently.
The behavior of any single player may
change over time.