Classical Sociological Theory

The purpose of this paper is to construct an essay and define the sociological perspective. To be able to explain how my knowledge of the Sociological Perspective has helped me to understand the social world on both a macro and micro level. This essay will include the definition, discussion and application of specific sociological terms, concepts and theories.

In sociology, social facts are social structures, cultural norms, and values that extend to social control. According to Durkheim, social facts are the elements of society that must exist in every society. Emile

Essay Question: Why is the concept of social facts so significant for Durkheim’s work? Illustrate your answer with reference to at least one of his studies.

“ A social fact is every way of acting, fixed or not, capable of exercising on the individual an external constraint; or again, every way of acting which is general throughout a given society, while at the same time existing in its own right independent of its individual manifestations. (Durkheim,1895/1982;13) (Ritzer, pg 76)

Along with Marx and Weber, Durkheim is considered one of the founding members of modern sociology. He is also credited with making sociology a science through his application of scientific and empirical research. Durkheim believed that sociology should be seen as a science separate from other sciences such as psychology, by studying “social facts” objectively as things. (Kiviston, 2011)

Sociology is the research and analysis of the human society; meaning sociologist examine why we behave the way we behave, what affects our behavior, and if ordinary things are more complex than they seem. When developing a sociological perspective it makes the “familiar strange” (Conley, 3). When someone is trying to think as a sociologist it is encouraged to question aspects in your life that you thought were normal, which conveniently can make you feel unsure about what lifestyle you are comfortable living in.  A sociological perspective is gained when you learn to think through a “sociological lense” that challenges your mind to new levels of thought (Godwin, Lecture). When in rhythm with your sociological mind you reflect on new personal

Sociological theories are embedded in a particular social context and are deeply influenced by them. Each sociological thinker or theorist has to respond to the social institution in which he or she exists and to try and make sense of the enveloping culture. In other words, sociological theories are sociologist’s response to the context in which he lives and works.

In regards to (a) social facts, Durkheim refers to ideas, values and concepts that a society has developed over time and where each individual within this society shares. These ideas, values and concepts develop into behavioural patterns among the society and ultimately reach a point where

Before commencing a discussion on analyzing the article “What makes sociology a different discipline” from the other sciences we should have the know-how about sociology. In the words of modern thinkers of sociology namely Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim “Social fact should be the subject matter for the study of social life and can provide explanations for human thinking and behavior (p19)”. What we infer from the above definition is that man is born as a social animal. Man cannot live alone. He prefers to live in groups and his behavior that is actions and deeds are well governed and regulated by certain rules and laws of conduct that comprises of moral ethics and civic standards. His standard of living is said to be within the

After reviewing the article titles given for this first assignment, I believe they indicate that Sociology, generally speaking, is not only a study of diversity or commonality in traits among people; it is also a science about factors in a person’s life and how these factors culminate responses. Interestingly enough, its topics of concern seem to be directly determined by current and common events of the world. Through the invention and expansion of new ideas, popular trends and fashions through time, Sociology adapts to responsibly to service the very subjects of interest it studies; for, even the slightest change of a person’s daily experience can have an insurmountable impact on attitude, personal growth, family

The concept of anomie exemplifies Durkheim’s agenda to distinguish sociology as a discipline because it adheres to his conception of the social fact (social phenomena) as a unique scientific entity and sociology’s primary object of study. This philosophy separates social facts from the facts of biology and psychology. The primary qualities of a social fact are externality (the idea that the motivation to do something exists outside of an individual) and constraint (the idea that it limits what individuals can do). Anomie occurs when social facts loose their power and fail to function in the way they usually do under stable conditions. If, by Durkheim’s logic, social facts have such awesome power over individuals that they require a unique area of scientific study, it is entirely reasonable to assume that a lack of social facts would have a dramatic and harmful effect on a population. Durkheim uses empirical evidence, another characteristic of scientific study, to demonstrate the correlation between anomie and high rates of suicide. In this way Durkheim proves that one cannot think fully about suicide without a sociological perspective, furthering his argument for the existence of sociology as a discipline.

Where Marx saw the modern industrial world as a necessary step to freedom, Durkheim saw it as a development with specific social phenomenon which he refers to as “social facts” that needed to be studied scientifically as explained in The Division of Labor in Society. These social facts were outside the individual and were capable of exercising power over the individual and influencing behaviour.

Durkheim is a highly influential name to remember when thinking of sociology. Durkheim’s mission was to develop sociology so it could be defined and to develop a method on how sociology should be used. Durkheim’s main concern in his career was primarily associated with how societies might preserve their integrity and rationality within modernised society, when things such as shared religious views and ethnic backgrounds are seen as things of the past. In relation to Durkheim’s social realism his concern was with the growing individualism in society. Durkheim argues that we are in an era which is imperfectly moving towards a morality based on individualism as “Durkheim regarded individualism as a collective representation, a force that

We all know with today’s social global society that the of social mobility. Sociology forms different countries and cities with different cultures and migration industry’s along with leisure activities and events that we are impacted with technical and technology. With the technology this includes the acclamation. My understanding that sociology clams to be scientific and its objective explain the description and perdition of making different suggestions for modifications. The modification is part of the social phenomena. This is the effect on the normal development with

There are different major concepts in sociology for the research purposes including objectivity, subjectivity and value freedom. Social researcher is not allowed to influence his view due to his values in value freedom concept. It is generally accepted idea that the human being has got values but in will be considered that the sociologist has no values. It can be considered in the sense that personal values have nothing to do with the results of the sociologist’s research. Karl Marx was one of the first these theorist to articulate the notion that science is a social fact. Objectivity is a