The Major Sociological Theoretical Perspectives

A problem that faces many college students face is college debt. This social problem is a continual problem with more students registering at colleges and universities. A social problem is defined as “any condition or behavior that has negative consequences for large numbers of people and that is generally recognized as a condition or behavior that needs to be addressed (Barkin 6).” Members of the Seton Hall University community along with other students worldwide experience this. Based on people I know, they use loans to pay for school because they can’t afford to pay for it themselves or their parents can’t afford it. Along with that, I know from personal experiences, I have two very close friends who are paying for school

Sociologists develop theories to explain and analyze society at different levels and from different perspectives. Sociologists study everything from the micro level of analysis of small social patterns to the “big picture” which is the macro level of analysis of large social patterns.

After a careful study and a deeper research on an introduction to sociology, I have come to understand that no problem can be solved well enough if one does not have the sociological perspective which is defined as a way of looking at the world through a sociological lens. In fact, there is the need of the lens that will help one to view situations and have the eye to emerge through different views to solve that problem. This mirror has become a doorway that will help one to have a beginner’s mind to approach problems.

The Sociocultural Lens is a group of theories and perspectives that are based on sociology and sociological theory. They focus on broader aspects of society and how these affect human behavior. The premise is that social workers need to understand individuals within their environmental context. C. Wright Mills asserted that most sociological theories reflect the sociological imagination, a term used to describe the relationship between an individual’s personal experiences and the wider society. Sociological models help social workers think more comprehensively and offer a more balanced approach to their work (Rogers, 2016).

Growing up, my life was somewhat sheltered compared to the lives of other people my age. I was raised by both my mom and dad in a Christian household, in which I was taught morals based upon our faith. As a result of this upbringing, my parents and I made the decision to enroll me in a private Christian school in sixth grade. In this setting I was protected from the influences of the outside world. All of the language, violence, and temptations were around me, which I began to recognize as I entered my freshman year of high school. Even the walls of the highly respected establishment could not keep the real world out.

In today’s tumultuous world, a person can benefit from different ways to make sense of all the things that happen around them to add perspective and reason. One of these ways is to use a sociological perspective to achieve a greater understanding of both cause and effect. The three major sociological perspectives include: the functionalist perspective, the conflict perspective, and the symbolic interactionist perspective. In response to the news article NYC Police Officers Turn Their Backs on Mayor, each of the sociological perspectives will be discussed in relationship to the civil unrest between the New York City police department and mayor’s office in the shooting deaths of two officers during protests.

After reading the Three Main Sociological Perspectives, I developed a brief understanding about sociology. Out of all three perspectives, I have witnessed numerous examples that represent functional perspective. There are two parts that make up the functional perspective. The two parts are manifest function and latent function. One event that I witnessed that demonstrated a latent function was when Carmen Farina opened schools after a severe snow storm. In the winter of 2014, Carmen Farina made the decision that required all New York City schools to open. On the previous night, New York City endured a snow storm accumulating multiple feet. Her reason to open schools was due to the unintentional or latent function it provides to many individuals.

There are three specific ways to view the world from a sociological perspective. The first is symbolic interactionism, which emphasizes the social aspect of society. People develop symbolic meanings through social interactions. This theory analyzes the way society functions by looking at the meanings people place on objects, whether they are physical, social, or abstract. Another perspective is structural functionalism, which states that society is made up of interrelated parts that work together, and is structured to do the greatest good for the benefit of the most people. This theory views society as a complex system that works together to form solidarity and stability. Lastly, there is the conflict theory, which says that society is composed of groups that are involved in a constant power struggle, and even if outwardly it seems there is cooperation, there is always underlying conflict. There is an emphasis in using

The decisions we make and the outcomes of those decisions are influenced and shaped by the situations we find ourselves in, the values we have and the behaviours of the people around us. These decisions and actions in turn have an effect or impact on the society. In this essay, I will explain the “sociological imagination” according to Mills, his distinction between personal troubles and public issues and analyse sociological imagination in my biography by showing how my dream of attending university is made a reality as a result of social or historic forces.

The book disuses three different perspectives of the socialization process, functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interaction. The functionalist see the socialization process as a way for society to set up roles. This perspective looks at people and the environment as influences on people and their self-images. According to the functionalist perspective, social equilibrium is based on conformity. The conflict perspective is different because available opportunities are the bases of the idea, instead of internalized expectations. The Symbolic interaction perspective is similar to the conflict perspective. Roles are shaped by the society the person lives in. The difference between the two is that the conflict perspective used pressure

This semester I was enrolled in a course called, Sociology, The Family. The purpose of this course was to understand the different types of families from a sociological perspective. Meaning, we learned how individuals internalized certain family dynamics and how it affects them. Throughout the course, we discussed certain topics such as sexuality, gender, ethnicity, social class, blended families, and domestic violence and how these actions play apart in different families. Our class was able to understand this study by analyzing readings from scholarly articles, textbooks, presentations and class discussions. I thought this course would be beneficial to my education because I was interested in understanding how events from one’s childhood can shape a persons behavior and personal characteristics. But

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.

One thing that is notable is the difficulty of defining what religion is. Sociological thinkers also have conflicting views about what purpose religion has for society. Some theorists view it from a functionalist viewpoint, while others take the conflict stance. Functionalists are concerned with making sure an orderly fashion is upheld in society. They have a variety

We like to think that we are all unique and that we have full control of the forces that affect our lives. Many aspects of one’s personality and life can be explained by larger social forces such as socioeconomic status, race and gender roles. It was not until I started this sociology class that I began thinking of my life in a larger sociological sense. I realize now that my life has been influenced by a variety of social forces that I did not have control of.

A theory is a statement that explains how and why the world operates the way it does. Theories are a great part of the framework used in organizing the specific social phenomena’s within social science. Theories can answer questions like why certain groups of people all live in the same/ certain neighborhood. Theories try to explain why groups of people do certain things, and why a society changes and how it works. There are three main theoretical perspectives within sociology. These perspectives are functionalism, symbolic interactionism and, conflict theory.