Post on 19-Dec-2015
Paradigms in Sociology
There are three primary theoretical frameworks to interpret social life
1. Functionalism
2. Conflict Perspective
3. Symbolic Interactionism
Three level of analysis
Macro level (society level) Micro level (Individual level) Meso level (Organizations, family)
Functionalism
Assumes that society is compromised of interrelated parts which contribute to its stability and maintenance
Society, like an animal, consists of systems that act together to maintain
the life of the organism That means, everything that exists in the society is functional
Social Inequality is functional
Inequality helps societies to survive Society must make certain that its positions are filled Some positions are more important than others The more important positions must be filled by the
more qualified people To motivate the more qualified people to fill these
positions, society must offer them greater rewards
Motivating Qualified People
If society does not offer higher salaries, and benefits to more responsible positions, why would anyone strive for them?
Why suffer through taking tests in college or graduate school if you can get the same pay and prestige with a high school education?
Is there any danger in such view?
Functionalism
State of equilibrium (balance) The equilibrium may be upset External/internal reasons (war, trade
imbalance, or catastrophe of nature) Homeostasis
Functionalism
Societal cohesion (equilibrium) derives from consensus and common values
People in the US believe in the values of individual effort and hard work
These common values strengthen cohesion of people of different ethnic groups and religions
Functionalism vocabulary (Robert Merton)
Functions are the beneficial consequences of people’s actions that help keep a group (or society) in equilibrium
Manifest Functions are those intended or recognized by others
Latent Functions are unintended or unexpected consequences of actions that help system to adapt
Dysfunctions are consequences of the actions that undermine a systems’ equilibrium
Manifest Functions of Tuition Increase
Raise faculty salaries Recruit better faculty Renovate buildings/laboratories Build more computer labs
Latent Functions of Tuition Increase
Quality of faculty improved greatly University gained a national reputation
overnight The number of applicants doubled Expansion of programs and campus The expansion contributed to the stability of
the college This stability was unintended (latent function
of tuition increase)
Latent Dysfunctions of Tuition Increase Unintended Increased tuition can backfire Half the student body could not afford the increase
and dropped out With this loss of income, the college had to reduce
salaries They managed to get through one year, but then
folded These unintended results of tuition increase harmed
the system Equilibrium was not restored, system did not survive
Conflict Theory
Theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of groups competing for scares resources
Developed by Marx (1818-1883) The key to all human history is class struggle In each society, small group of people
controls the means of production and exploits those who do not
Marx stated that capitalism is
Struggle between bourgeoisie (small group of capitalists) and proletariat (the mass of workers)
Bourgeoisie controls politics, so that when workers rebel the capitalists are able to call on the power of the states to control them
Difference with Functionalism
Harmony vs. Conflict of interests Inequality is functional vs. inequality is a
reason for Class struggle Motivation of qualified people vs. Exploitation
and misery
Modern Conflict Theory
Weber(1864-1920) criticized Marx For Marx, social class was based solely on a
person’s position in relationship to the means of production
For Weber, Social class is a combination of Property, Prestige and Power
Managers of corporations do have power and they control the means of production although they so not own them
Weber’s view of Social Class
Prestige is not only related to property (wealth) Olympic gold medalists or Recipients of Nobel Prize
may not own property but they have very high prestige
Power is related to property (wealth) Everybody has some power, although those who
are rich have more power Although prestige may be transformed into Power
Weber’s three components of the Social Class
PropertyProperty PowerPower
PrestigePrestige
PrestigePrestige PowerPower
PropertyProperty
PropertyProperty PrestigePrestige
PowerPower
Bill Gates; wealthy men who become presidents
The wealthy in general
Crooked politicians
Olympic gold medalists who endorse products
Abraham Lincoln Colin Powell
Ronal Reagan
Symbolic Interactionism
Theoretical perspective in which society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meanings, develop their views of the world, and communicate with one another
The main question
Symbolic Interactionism primarily examine face-to-face interaction, looking at how people work out their relationships and make sense out of life and their place in it.
Which is the “real presentation” of you vision of a book?
There is no “book”, only various images of it from different points of view. And all the different images are equally “true”
Symbolic Interactionism
Views symbols- things to which we attach meaning –as the basis of social life
Without symbols our social relations would be limited to the animal level
We would not have mechanism for perceiving others in terms of the relationships (aunts, friends, parents, employers, teachers, etc)
Symbols
Symbols are important in helping us to understand abstract and complex concept like “justice”
The ideas underlying our system of laws are frequently represented by a blindfolded woman holding the scale of justice
Symbolic Interactionism
Without symbols we could not coordinate our actions and actions of others
No plans for future, books, movies, music Even self is a symbol It consists of the ideas that we have about who we
are This symbol is changing (we interacts with others
and constantly adjust our views of the self based on how we interpret the reaction of others)
We live in the world of symbols
How does Symbolic Interactionism work?
Analyzes how our behavior depend on how we define ourselves and others in a particular situation
If you think of someone as an aunt, you behave in certain way
The interpretation of the situation may be different for two people
Everyday life is a stage on which we perform, switching roles to suit our changing audience
Misunderstandings
Every interaction looks like
SENDER RECEIVER DECIPHER
doesn’t use symbols appropriately
Mistakes in transmission: dark, noisy, other distractions
Distraction Different coding system, different meanings attached