Three Sociological Perspectives

Book Definition: Two dominant theories of social problems grew out of the structural functionalist perspective: social pathology and social disorganization (pg 9 Understanding Social Problems). Social pathology is a social problem like a sickness in a society Examples: Unemployment, which causes a breakdown in the economy. Poverty, due to disruption of the family farm and lack of family values.

Each person in society works with whatever role they are given and together they work to create a working system. If these roles are progressive and seem to work, they are seen as a “norm”. These become social norms and then these ideas are placed upon others and people assume it is their duty to act a certain way. If the person does not act in the way society deems normal, they are outcasted. Through the functionalist theory, if everyone is acting according to their role and performing their part of the labor, then conflict is

The Functionalist theory believes that society functions so that each individual plays a specific role. Their perspective of social inequality is the belief that "inequality is not only inevitable but also necessary for the smooth functioning of society."

Growing up, almost every parent will tell you, “you can be anything you set your mind to!” or “the possibilities are endless”. But from an early childhood my parents were creating an opportunity structure for my life. Through my 20 years, how I was taught, the places I went to, the people I interacted with and the implications of society and societal norms followed me. As with many other families, my parents focused on setting me up for the best possible future. But little did they know, they were contributing to a society where some people are allotted more privileges and opportunities than others. I will attempt to deconstruct this complex social construction by looking at gender, social class, family influences, race, and socialization; which will be discussed in greater detail further along. When analyzing sociological concepts like gender, social class, and race sociologists use a “sociological lens”. Using a sociological lens will allow me to take the experiences I had and look at them on a broader cultural level. Ultimately sociologists use sociological lenses to better understand how personal experiences not only impact 1 person but how they can be applied in a broader context, allowing individuals to relate to others in society who may have had similar experiences.

In the world of sociology there are many different ways that humans interact with the world. Although we are all human beings, we do not always see the world the same way that others do. Even though not many are aware of the different ways they can see the world, there are three sociological perspectives. Using structural functionalism, the conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism one will be able to decide which view best represents the way they see this world. When asked about my perspective on the world, I view it using the conflict theory due to the examples that society gives us based on events that happen frequently. Even though all three of these theories are socially correct, the conflict theory defines my view of the world more than structural functionalism and symbolic interaction.

One important note to consider when discussing the conflict theory is the term conflict. This conflict does not necessarily mean that the conflict at hand is physical in nature. The main method of having conflict in today's day and age is through financial and economic means. Such methods can include the establishment of laws to restrict immigration, or to make it difficult for new immigrants to receive citizenship or working visas. In my opinion, when trying to understand racial discrimination and determining if race matters in society, I prefer to side with the conflict perspective theory.

A society with an internal consensus of social norms and cultural values is essentially the BASIS of a social system. Contrarily, this system is labeled socially disorganized when there is a breakdown in social control or SOMETHING among its elements. The theory suggest the absence or reduction of cohesion and solidarity in a community, will result in a increase of crime rates and deviant behavior. To support these

There are three different theoretical perspectives. Functionalist perspective, which emphasizes the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability. Functionalists see the contribution that it makes to society. The conflict perspective, assumes that social behavior is best understood in terms of tension between groups over power or the allocation of resources, and political representation. The interactionalist perspective, which generalize about everyday forms of social interaction in order to explain society as a whole (Schaefer).

Many individuals experience one or more social problems personally ("1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems | Social Problems: Continuity and Change", 2017). For an example, many people are poor and unemployed ("1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems | Social Problems: Continuity and Change", 2017). Individuals that are unemployed have a reputation of people in the world a perspective that individuals unemployed have problems alone and that other unemployed individuals with the same related problems are entirely to blame for their difficulties ("1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems | Social Problems: Continuity and Change", 2017). Individuals unemployed have sociological perspective the forces of socialization

Throughout history various social perspectives have been observed in an attempt to explain and classify different types of sociological behavior. Various theories have been made regarding the sociological perspective, which examines the social contexts that people live in and how these contexts effect the individual and society (Henslin 2). Each sociological perspective examines something different and poses a different theory. Discussed here are three sociological perspectives: the functionalist perspective, the conflict perspective and the feminist perspective. All three perspectives are forms of social institutions or the ways that a society meets its basic needs (Henslin 104).

Functionalism is a macro-structural theory; meaning that it studies society and a whole, and looks at how it shapes the individual. Functionalists state that each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society's satiability and functioning as a whole. They believe that the nuclear family (a family consisting of two married adults on an monogamous relationship with one or more dependent children) is completely beneficial to society, and that it, and other institutions within society (eg school, hospitals, ect.) each perform different crucial functions to meet society's needs, much like how the organs of the body all work together to keep the body functioning. This is called the organic anology. There are two main theories within the functionalist perspective, Murdock and Parsons, which both give different functions in which the family performs and explain why it is a vital part of society.

The three main perspectives of sociology include the following: Functionalism, Conflict Theory, and Symbolic Interactionism. Functionalism emphasizes the contributions, or functions, that come from each part of society, such as family, economy, and religion. Functionalists see society as an integrated whole, wheres if one part of society changes, then that leads to other parts changing. For example, if there is a major change in the economy, then there is a possibility that family-life may change as well.

An employer is an individual or organization who employs one or more person (employee) for wages or salary, while an employee works for an individual or organization (employer) for wage or salary. The wage that is earn is used to cover expenses by the employee, in the form of bills, to cover health, housing, food, utilities, all seen as a necessity.

Two dominant theories of social problems grew out of the structural-functionalist perspective: social pathology and social disorganization.

The functionalist perspective believes that each aspect of society is interdependent and makes the society function as a whole. Deviance may seem as though it is dysfunctional for society, but functionalists believe that deviance is necessary because it puts an emphasis on behaviors that are normal and creates a social standard for behavior. Symbolic internationalism is a sociological theory that uses symbols of everyday life. According to this theory, people attach meanings to symbols and act according to their interpretation of the symbols. Sociologists hold that the symbolic interaction theory shows that deviance and criminal behavior are attributed to the meanings surrounding deviance and how people view those meanings. The functionalist and symbolic theories focus on the positives of society. The third theory that sociologists use is the conflict theory. The conflict theory focuses on the negative aspects of society. Conflict theorists encourage social change. The conflict theory looks at how different groups of people compete against one another because of differing values.