Sociological theories

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Sociological theories

• Functionalist perspective
• Conflict perspective
• Interaction perspective
• Post modern perspective

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Founders of the functionalist perspective

• August Comte (1798-1857)
• Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)
• Émile Durkheim (1858-1917)

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August Comte (1798-1857) "father of sociology"

• The science about society
• social physics
• Comte invented the term sociology
• Evolutionist
• Positivist

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Comtes positivism

• Comte's views of the three stages of the history
  of sciences. In order as follows, the stages
  are
• Theological - nature has a will of it's own. This
  stage is broken down into three stages of its
  own, including animism, polytheism, and
  monotheism.
• Metaphysical state - though substituting ideas
  for a personal will.
• Positive - a search for absolute knowledge.

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Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)

• Englishman
• Evolutionist survival of the fittest
• Optimist
• Laissez-faire liberalism

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Émile Durkheim (1858-1917)

• Frenchman
• Evolutionist
• Division of labour
• Study of suicide
• Anomy
• Statistics applied in sociology

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Functionalism

• Society is a combination of different
  parts/institutions such as
• Family, religion, economy and educational system
• These institutions secure the evolution and
  growth of society

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The characteristics of society

• Well planned uniformity
• Stability and equilibrium between different
  parts
• Consensus of the main values
• Every institution has a function which helps
  society to remain stable
• What is, is good natural selection of good
  institutions/functions

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Functionalistic research questions?

• Mapping, describing and analysing
• The positive functions
• The institutions
• (The dysfunctions)

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Assignment

• Mention all main parts/institutions which you
  believe are the brick stones of society. How do
  these parts work together in creating societies
  equilibrium?
• What are the main weaknesses of the functionalist
  perspective in describing society?
• Is it politically biased? If, then how?

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Conflict perspective

• Founders?
• Karl Marx (1818-1883)
• German revolutionist philosopher, sociologist and
  economist
• Friedrich Engels (1820-1895)
• German socialist philosopher

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Marxism

• Historical materialism
• It is not the consciousness of men that
  determines their existence, but on the contrary,
  it is their social existence which determines
  their consciousness...
• Dialectic
• Class struggle
• National economy
• Socialism
• Communism

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Conflict perspective in modern sociology

• Not only focusing on class struggle as Marx did,
  but on the overall power structure in society,
  such as conflicts between different groups of
  interests
• Producers and consumers, employers and employed,
  Muslims and Christians, teachers and students,
  parents and kids, personality and culture

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Conflict causes social change

• In every society there are conflicts conflict is
  the driving force of social change
• Conflict does not necessary mean violence, rather
  tension, competition or disagreement about
  objectives and values, conflict of interests

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Research questions?

• Mapping of power-relations
• Someone is making benefit of the situation at the
  expense of someone else
• How can we dissolve the conflict? Can there be a
  win-win solution?

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Conflict vs. functionalist perspective

• The conflict paradigm highlights parts of society
  where functionalists usually do not focus on
• The weakness of the conflict paradigm is that
  they miss the consensus- and balance in society

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Assignment

• The conflict paradigm presupposes that resources
  and power are limited, which in turn, creates
  tension and conflicts between different groups.
• Investigate some relationships within the school
  from the viewpoint of conflict theories, for
  example the relationship between teachers and
  students, or between school-board and students,
  or between pastime and studies.

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Assignment

• The functionalist paradigm presupposes that every
  part of society has a (positive) function.
• Investigate some relationships within the school
  from the viewpoint of functionalist perspective,
  for example the relationship between teachers and
  students, or between school-board and students,
  or between pastime and studies.

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Interaction perspective

• Max Weber (1860-1920)
• Verstehen
• Understanding the meaning of human action
• Thought to be characteristic of the social
  sciences opposed to the natural sciences
• Identifies different kinds of authorities
• Traditional
• Charismatic
• Rational
• Ideal types
• Institutionalised social action
• Iron cage

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Interaction perspective/founders

• George Herbert Mead (1880-1949)
• Symbolic interaction
• Human behaviour has a deeper symbolic meaning
• Humans learn the meaning of social behaviour, by
  socialisation
• Erving Goffman (1922- )
• Role theory

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Objectivity/impartiality

• Is objectivity possible in (social) sciences?
• Scientists have consciousness formed by their
  personal experience, they live in a certain
  culture, place and time, they have their personal
  interests
• Is objectivity desirable in science?

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Postmodernism/post structuralism

• Michel Foucault (1926-1984)
• History of madness and medicine
• History of sexuality
• The Archaeology of Knowledge
• Deconstruction
• Discourse/discourse analysis
• Plurality of knowledge and method
• Power and knowledge Relativism