Sociology Of Society And Human Behaviour

Sociology is the study the different aspects of humanity and society. It encompasses a very broad and varying range of topics. It can be studied on a large world-wide scale spanning across several countries, which is called Macrosociology. It can also be studied on a small scale looking at only individual families or neighborhoods, which is called Microsociology. Not only does it peer into humans’ interactions with each other but examines why they act the way they do. It considers the environment, as well as how access to different luxuries can contribute to the people that we become. In this fascinating field there are three primary views on exactly what the fundamental driving force behind society is. Symbolic Interactionalism, the belief that symbols and the meaning that they are given, define how we will perceive life, in this philosophy these meanings are influenced by society and the events of individual lives. Functional Analysis, views society as any other organism, in this theory all parts of the whole must work together cohesively to function. Conflict theory takes a somewhat opposite view than Functionalism, this perspective suggests that rather than wanting to work in unison, society’s underlying motive is a power struggle for resources. Over the course of this paper the reader will explore these different perspectives.

The functionalist perspective is useful for understanding social structures and institutions and how they influence behaviour. Many social issues and successes have been linked to social structures. Take for instance the family function of primary socialization which Parsons pointed out as key in society as it internalizes society’s culture in an individual as well as structures their personality. For example if a person has committed some sort of heinous crime, investigators would usually look at their family life to determine how much it would have influences the person to commit such an act.

Functionalism sees society as a whole. It is often referred to as the consensus theory as it doesn 't choose to see the issue of conflict in society. It looks at the important factors which make up society such as the economy, the family, the political system and the educational system. It is how these all function together as a whole to create society that functionalists look at. If you think of society as a human body, and the factors functionalists see as important and the organs. If one does not work then it prevents the others from working. In order for society to run smoothly everyone must see these factors as critical and work to keep them going as smoothly as possible. To understand how any part of society, for example education, the functionalists would look at how education in terms of its contribution to the maintenance of the social system as a whole works. All the key institutions in society need to be well integrated for society to survive and operate efficiently.

Functionalism is a theory which allows an individual to understand their place in society, and understands the relationship between physical input and behavioural output. It also believes that society is a system of components that are internally connected and that all the components work together to maintain stability in the society.

This paper will attempt to analyze sociological factors, which explain societies propensity to treat women differently than men when they are accused of committing a violent crime, such as murder. Because we live in a male-dominated society it is believed that men commit most violent crimes. Some studies indicate that when a violent crime is committed by a man society has a more acceptable view of the offense. Because of gender stereotypes, women are judged more harshly by society than a man. Women are expected to follow normal behavior as ascribed by their societies current definitions of normal. Society views women as nurturers who are subservient to their husbands and devoted to their children (2008). The Andrea Yates case was chosen as the focus of this paper because it perfectly illustrates the impact of external and internal forces, which can drive a woman to commit a violent crime and societies reaction to those crimes.

In the world of sociology there are many different ways that humans interact with the world. Although we are all human beings, we do not always see the world the same way that others do. Even though not many are aware of the different ways they can see the world, there are three sociological perspectives. Using structural functionalism, the conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism one will be able to decide which view best represents the way they see this world. When asked about my perspective on the world, I view it using the conflict theory due to the examples that society gives us based on events that happen frequently. Even though all three of these theories are socially correct, the conflict theory defines my view of the world more than structural functionalism and symbolic interaction.

There is disagreement about whether sociologists should only perform objective research or also advocate for social reform. This lead to the creation of three levels of sociology: basic, applied, and public. The three major sociological theories are symbolic interactionism, functional analysis, and conflict theory. While symbolic interactionism is performed at the micro

Functionalism is a system of thinking based in the ideas of the Emile Durkheim that looks at society from a large-scale perspective. It examines the necessary structures that make up the society and how each part helped to keep the society stable. According to functionalism society is heading toward an equilibrium.

views society as a gadget or shape with indoors established elements (family, economic system, and remedy) that work together t produce relative balance.

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.

Sociological perspectives is an echoed term, which is divided into three major factors: “…symbolic interactionism, functionalism, and conflict theory” (Chambliss & Eglitis, n.d.). Conflict theory is a theory that claims society is in a state of perpetual conflict due to competition for limited resources. It holds that social order is

These theories can help explain and predict the social world at a micro (small-scale) and macro (large-scale) levels (Griffith University, 2014). From these two levels, sociologists have obtained various perspectives, including; the functionalist theory, conflict theory and the symbolic interactionism theory, each with a set of broad assumptions about the nature of society. They provide theory and research to create possible solutions for the issue (SSSP, 2010). Both functionalist and conflict theories believe that a social problem is a product of society. In contrast, symbolic interactionism views a social problem as a ‘symbolic interaction between individuals without the problem and others with the problem, leading the former to act like the latter’ (SSSP,

Functionalism is a macro level theory, which focuses on large scale social interactions, and views society as a structure with interrelated parts that are designed to meet the biological and social needs of individuals in a society (OpenStax, 2015). Herbert Spencer was the first to recognize a relationship between the parts of the society and the whole society. He explains the theory by comparing the society to a human body and the organs to social institutions; social institutions help society run smoothly and efficiently (OpenStax, 2015). Functionalists believe that social issues weaken a society’s stability, but that they also serve important functions for the society.

Functionalism is a consensus perspective, whereby society is based on shared values and norms into which members are socialised. For functionalists, society is seen as a system of social institutions such as the economy, religion and the family all of which perform socialisation functions.

A sociological perspective on human behavior is connected to the society as a whole. It invites us to look for the connections between the behavior of individuals and the structures of the society in which they live. (Appendix 1)