Kristenn Saintilus Reflection Essay There are many different sociological theories that sociologists have come up with in organizing today’s society. Three being Functionalism, Symbolic Interactionism and Conflict theory. Functionalism has to do with an organizing set or a set of rules that are organized in an institution. Symbolic interactionism has to do with developing a perspective focus and relying on the process of social interaction. Conflict theory emphasizes a higher power producing social order. The theory that I identify most with as a sociologist would be Functionalism. I relate to this theory because I believe that I already have an outline written out for me in terms of what I want to do in the future and what will take me there. Others have this thought process as well in terms of excessive hope (playing your cards correctly). In order to grow to where we want in life, we tend to follow certain paths that can, for certain, open a door into the next step into our goal. For example, I myself am a singer and also want to be a pediatrician. I have been playing my cards right in the sense that I am in a performing arts school and have been taking classes that focus on the sciences and try to excel in those subjects. In my mind, I am correctly following a structural functional perspective. Although I feel that I am closely connected to Functionalism, Symbolic Interactionism is associated to me as well. I can’t control whether or not I attain
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.
The second sociological perspective is functionalism and it just like conflict has a macro view on issues. When thinking about functionalism break the word up and it will help to give you a clear definition. Each part of the problem with function individually and then they will work together to cooperate. Functionalism like conflict has three questions that need to be answered. “ What parts of society are involved? What functions do the parts play? How are they related to one another/ or how do they impact one another” (Halperin, 2/13/15). If these questions can't be answered then it doesn't fall under the perspective of functionalism.
Everyone in the world has a theory about why something happens or how it happens, but in sociology there are many different types of theories that often contradict each other. Theory is defined as “a statement of how and why specific facts are related” (Macionis, 2013). Most theories explain why people act in certain ways and explains why a person in a group may act different than someone that is alone. When building sociological theories most sociologist ask their selves two different questions: “What issues should we study?” and “How should we connect the facts?” (Macionis, 2013). By answering these questions the sociologist is led to a road map, or a theoretical approach. Theoretical approach is described as “a basic image of society that
In sociology, functionalism is one of the main theoretical perspective. The father of the sociology Emile Durkheim was the promoter of functionalism. Functionalism mainly focusing on the stability and order of the society. This gives a variety of elaboration about the society or human behaviour. All the parts of the theoretical perspectives connected and influenced each other, this all works together in maintain the society healthy. All of these parts depends one to another, if one of the parts not working properly, that will affect all the system or that all circles.
Sociologists employ three major theoretical perspectives in sociology today. They are the structural-functionalist perspective, the conflict perspective, and the symbolic interactionism. The structural-functionalist perspective is done at a macro level and its focus is on the relationships between the parts of society. The Conflict perspective is done at a macro level and its main focus is on how the wealthy controls the poor and weak.
After taking a Sociology class this semester, I learned a lot of about the different topics and concepts in this course and how they are related to our society, which has changed my perspective as well as how I view and see the meaning of my surroundings. I would also think about what would be going on inside a specific person's mind and how he or she was feeling. After learning about different concepts in Sociology and watching the videos presented in class, it became easier to just stop and think about a person, wonder who that person was, and be curious about that person's life story. We pass by people all the time every day, but we never really know what is going on with them and don't really think about it or care since it is so
Sociology is the function of the human society, and social problems among us. There are three different theories that I will be discussing in this essay. The theories are symbolic interactionism, The conflict theory and functional analysis perspectives. These perspectives help make up the way society thinks as a whole. All three of these perspectives are alike, as much as they are different.
One sociological perspective is the Functionalist theory. Functionalism is one of the earliest sociological theories. Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) was a professor and was interested in how society was possible and how society remains stable. This theory focuses on the macro-level of social structure rather than micro-level of everyday life. Functionalism sees society in parts which form a system, the parts depend on each other. Functionalist theory looks at the parts of society such as
What are the three major sociology perspectives in regards to social issues? They are Symbolic Interactionism perspectives, Functionalism perspectives, and Conflict Theory perspectives. These perspectives offer sociologists abstract examples for explaining how society affects people, and vice versa. Each perspective individually theorizes society, social forces, and human behavior.
Sociological Perspectives and Theories Sociologists try to explain how society orders itself but there are many different theories for this, which often conflict with one another. Some of these classic theories include Marxism, Functionalism, and Interactionism. There are also more modern or contemporary theories such as Feminism. Each sociological perspective has different beliefs.
In sociology, there are three major theories; critical theory, functionalism and symbolic interactionism. These theories express the structure of society in which each theory looks at a different aspects of sociology. Sociologists apply these theories in the study of society, but it becomes difficult if only one theory is applied. For that one applied theory, would only look at the aspect to which it is confined to. To successfully study sociology all three theories must be applied together.
As mentioned there are three specific was to view the world sociologically which are structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic theory. Structural Functionalism is
Throughout the course of this semester, I have learned there are many different terms and theories about society that I feel like I can relate to and have a much better understanding about the concept of sociology. For the last paper of this class I would like to talk about the last three sociological concepts that I feel have helped me improve my understanding of the relationship between society and myself. The three concepts that I will talk about are: fictive kin, agenda setting theory, and lastly, bystander effect or diffusion of responsibility.
Throughout my life, there has always existed some sort of seemingly invisible presence that somehow constantly entered my mind and shaped my thoughts. There are times when this presence made me feel guilty, attempted to control me, and even policed my own thoughts. It took me a long time to realize that the presence was there, in my brain, all around me. It was not tangible, I could never photograph it, or have it show up on an MRI scan of my brain, but it was definitely there. It took me a long time to realize this, but I discovered that this presence, in my mind and all around me, was society’s influence on me. All of the invisible borders in my life, the voice in my mind that told me to do or not do certain things, were social constructs. It took randomly deciding to take a sociology course on a whim for the veil to be lifted. This class gave me the ability to wield my sociological imagination as a sort of lens to hold up to the world, and have those invisible borders be revealed. Through this lens, I have decided to take on the sociological perspective and look at the way my life has been shaped and molded by the hands of the society I grew up and live in. Through this perspective, I have come to realize that my life in American society has been shaped by the agents of socialization, my race, and my gender and sexuality.
There are two main sociological perspectives. The Functionalist Perspective, Symbolic Interactionism Perspective and the Conflict Perspective. Functionalism presents society as a machine of interconnected parts that work together in unison to maintain a state of economic balance and social equilibrium for the whole. for example the family, schools, government and religion are social institutions that contribute to