Sociology

Sociology

Introduction

Sociology refers to a systematic and sophisticated study of human behavior and social life that result from social interaction, in modern societies. Sociology principally focuses on the interaction of social institutions, such as the family, education, media, law, religion and others, with individuals and numerous social arrangements that exist within the construct of social reality. These social institutions then go on to define society's structure or its silhouette. The purpose of Sociology is to investigate how social institutions operate independently and collectively to reinforce social order and either impede or further social change. Sociology also entails the social stratification of individuals according to social determinants such as age, wealth, gender and/or ethnicity. Social stratification explains why inequalities exist in societies, with various sociological perspectives providing an insight into the workings of the individual and society's structure. This essay evaluates the study of Sociology in a holistic manner by first discussing major sociological perspectives methodically.

The essay then explores the actual implementation of studies (methodology) and culture, socialization and the formation of identity. Other facets of Sociology are also brought to focus such as social interaction and social groups, crime and deviance and its relationship with social control and the system of social stratification in the United States. A central premise of understanding the construct of the discipline is recognizing that all areas of study in sociology an carefully interwoven to produce a sound explanation of how society functions which related fields such as psychology and anthropology draw from for further research. Sociology, therefore, studies the social construct of society and its members and institutions in order to explain social phenomenon.

Discussion

Major Perspectives in Sociology

Three leading theoretical perspectives exist in Sociology today, which comprise the structural functional theory, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism. Within sociology, the prime sociologists of their times, Durkheim, Marx and Weber and contributed significantly to the study of society.

Structural - Functional Theory

Structural - functional theory, alternatively referred to as functionalism discusses social organization. The functionalist perspective draws on the analogy of a biological organism to explain the workings of society in the paradigm of natural science. In the functionalist analysis, numerous living organisms operate on various internal structures. Similarly, society operates as numerous components harmonize to perform a positive function for society. Stability emerges as a central feature of the functionalist perspective, arguing that the evaluation criterion for every social pattern is its contribution towards maintaining the status quo of society. Another significant facet comprises the thought that social change occurs through evolution. This belief argues that the social structure of society adjust according to modernity, discarding obsolete structures of the past (Brinkerhoff et. al, 2007).

Conflict Theory

Conflict theory views society in an entirely different light that functionalist “consensus” and “stability”. Conflict theorists argue that a thorough examination of society's structure is only possible through a critical inspection of societal conflict. The Conflict theory assesses society based on who wins, who loses. Therefore, the basic premise of Conflict theory is that stress and conflict in society ...