Harold Garfunkel Theory Of Social Interaction

Sociology has its unique perspectives and each perspective makes sense on its own basis. From the three perspectives which are called conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, and functionalism the one that makes most sense to me is symbolic interactionism. Symbolic interactionism as stated in the book is, “[A] theoretical perspective in which society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world and communicate with one another.” The sociological perspective of symbolic interactionism was developed by Charles Horton Cooley and George Herbert Mead. Symbolic interactionism is analyzed at a microsociological level unlike conflict theory and functionalism.

Sociology is defined as ‘The study of human social life, groups and societies’ (Giddens, 1989). It involves describing and analysing how different forces such as social, cultural, political, and economic have on behaviour and an individuals identity. (Van Kreiken et al.2000). Furthermore, it encompasses the complex connections on a micro level along with those on a macro level thus enabling sociological imagination.

Sociology is the scientific study of human society. It examines the development of social structures, and the interaction between these structures and human behaviour. Sociologists aim to provide tools of understanding the process of socialisation, and investigate the causes and consequences of things such as labels, belief systems, bureaucracy, gender roles, relationships, and inequality. Becker and Horowitz (1972) claimed that "good sociology is sociological work that

Which sociological perspective generalizes about everyday forms of social interaction in order to understand society as a whole?

The study of sociology brings people to view topics in a unique way than others. The way we see the world, human behavior, as well as its connection to society from an outside point of view is called social imagination or perception. The sociological imagination “searches for the link between micro and macro levels of analysis,” a concept that basically says that a person lives

Examine the view that Erving Goffman’s work focuses on forms of social interaction but ignores social structure.

Professor Howard stresses the importance of sociology as a field, especially in how it opens up people’s minds to the realities of the world. It helps people understand the dynamics of how the world operates and how our own personal worlds operate. Also, sociology allows people to witness how social forces influence us and shape our actions every day.

Throughout the sports world there are many different players that have signature gesture that they are know for, but what people sometimes look past is that some of these famous gestures are actually their way to profess their faith. Some of the most famous gestures that are the athletes way to profess their faith and show the world what they believe in are gesture such as Tim Tebow’s thinking man pose or Stephen Curry’s point after making a basket. These are all very well recognized athletes that profess their faith on a very highly view stage where millions of people can see. To young kids who are looking from the outside at these famous and well know athletes profess their faith throughout it all and not to let the fact that people on

The accomplice of behavior and attitudes towards the way society is functioning and changing creates the use of the term, “sociology.” Sociology is defined, in Sociology Matters by Richard T. Schaefer, as, “The scientific study of social behavior and human groups.” Merriam-Webster defines Sociology to be,”The study of society, social institutions, and social relationships.” Given the two clear definitions, sociology involves studying humans within the surrounding society posses.

As one of the major purposes of sociology is to comprehend ways human actions and ideologies are formed by the social structures and cultural environment,

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

"Live your life at the point of impact, moving at the speed of life, we are bound to collide with each other." A sociological concept is a way sociologists develop a certain and unique way for understanding the world around us because of one 's specialized training. How one approaches society leads to making different types of discoveries that some to various conclusions. These individual perspectives can tell one something about what one is trying to understand. A sociological concept is affected by the personal experiences of the sociologist, his or her interests, abilities, opportunities, and the specific historical circumstances. It is the guiding principal that attempts to explain and predict the social world in which we live.

There are three theories that sociologist hold responsible to explain and describe what’s going on in the world. The three theories are functionalist theory, conflict theory and symbolic interactionism theory. Each theory has a different perspective for how the world works. Functionalist look at different parts of society to see how each part of society can function effectively. By looking at different parts of society functionalist try to achieve balance and harmony. The conflict theory sees society as being in a competition for scarce resources. Conflict theorists consider everything that is limited not just money. Lastly, the Symbolic interactionism theory sees society as being recreated everyday by having social interactions with one another. Symbols are what make society what it is. For instance Language is a symbol used constantly to communicate with one another. From what I have learned this semester in sociology, I believe that the Functionalist theory explains how the world works. Without one of the five basic social institutions: family, economy, education, religion and government, society would fall apart. Religion and education shapes families and depicts ones morals and values. Religion also plays a role in families political views. Without politics there would be no government and without government there would be no economy. Each social institution plays a huge effect on one another.

This “theory” that she describes is also a perspective in social psychology. The social interactionism perspective stresses the importance of the individual, the role, and socialization. Society is a product of socialization because meanings and norms are shared and agreed upon. In this theory’s case, people give meaning to and rank roles, which can also be negotiated and changed. Society agrees on what a high status role and what a low status role is like. People evaluate themselves based on categorizations and therefore, find their purpose in their identities.

Sociology is a social science that studies human societies, their reactions, and the processes that preserve and change them. Sociology also studies social status or stratification social movements, and social change, as well as societal disorder in the form of crime, deviance, and revolution. Its attention is mostly going to the collective aspects of human behavior. There are and have been a discipline in which there is a body of ideas that all accept are valid. It is about our own lives, our own behavior and is therefore complex and difficult to study. The practice of sociology involves the ability to think imaginatively and to detach oneself from any preconceived ideas about social life. It can also increase self-understanding and influence our own futures from what we learn. Sociology embraces a variety of theoretical views. The disagreement between theoretical viewpoints can occasionally be quite radical and these differences can occasionally produce complex issues die to the problem of subjecting our own behavior to study.