Report Socio Cultural

What is
SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE?
Peter L. Berger coined the
related term
"SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE".
Sociological Perspective
 seeing "the general in the

particular," and that it helped
sociologists realize general
patterns in the behavior of specific
individuals.
one's own personal choice

and how society plays a
role in shaping individuals'
lives.
 involves recognizing and evaluating the

effects of social relationships and social
structures and forces, considering the
present day in historical context and
takes for granted that society is socially
constructed and thus changeable.
 a perspective that fosters

critical thinking, the
posing of critical
questions, and the pursuit
of solutions.
 The Importance of Historical Context

The sociological perspective always includes historical context
in its view of society, because if we want to understand why
things are the way they are, we have to understand how they
got that way. So, sociologists often take the long view, by, for
example, looking at the shifting nature of the class structure over
time, how the relationship between the economy and culture
has evolved over centuries, or, how limited access to rights and
resources in the past continues to impact historically
marginalized people today.
THE EMPOWERING NATURE OF
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
 Society and all that happens within it is made

by people. Society is a social product, and as
such, its structures, its institutions, norms, ways
of life, and problems are changeable. Just as
social structures and forces act on us and
shape our lives, we act on them with our
choices and actions.
5 basic Sociological perspectives
Functionalism
Marxism
Feminism
Social Action Theory
Postmodernism.
Sociological Theories and Theorists
 Functionalism
Symbolic Interactionism
 Durkheim Weber
 Parsons
 Conflict Theory Feminist Theory
 Marx Martineau
Addams
 Weber
 Du Bois
 C. Wright Mills
KEY CONCEPTS OF FUNCTIONALISM
 Also called functionalist perspective

 one of the major theoretical perspectives in
sociology.
 It has its origins in the works of Emile Durkheim,
who was especially interested in how social
order is possible and how society remains
relatively stable.
1. Human behavior is governed by social structures.

2. Theories show how social structures maintain or
undermine social stability.
3. Theories emphasize that social structures are
based on shared values.
4. Suggests that reestablishing equilibrium can best
solve most social problems.
 Society is held together by social consensus,

or cohesion, in which members of the society
agree upon, and work together to achieve,
what is best for society as a whole.
 Each aspect of society is interdependent and
contributes to society's functioning as a whole
or social consensus
Talcott Parsons
 Talcott Parsons (1902–1979) was an

American sociologist of the classical
tradition, best known for his social action
theory and structural functionalism.
Parsons is considered one of the most influential
figures in sociology in the 20th century.
Talcott Parsons
A leading proponent of functionalism.

 Argued that society is integrated and in
equilibrium when:
 the family raises new generations
 the military defends society
 schools teach students the skills and values they need to
function as adults
 religions create a shared moral code among people
Conflict Theory
1. Focuses on macro-level structures, such as “class

relations”.
2. Shows how major patterns of inequality produce
stability in some circumstances and change in others.
3. Stresses how members of privileged groups try to
maintain advantages while subordinate groups struggle
to increase theirs.
4. Leads to the suggestion that eliminating privilege will
lower the level of conflict and increase total human
welfare.
Karl Marx
 Ideas revolves around class conflict, defined as the struggle

between classes to resist and over come the opposition of other
classes.
 Marx argued that owners of industry, or capitalists, focus on
attempting to improve the efficiency of work and earning higher
profits.
 This causes capitalists to concentrate workers in larger
establishments, keep wages as low as possible, and invest little in
improving working conditions.
 Marx felt that workers would eventually become aware of their
exploited class, referred to as class consciousness.
Max Weber
 Weber pointed out flaws in Marx’s ideas.
 He noted the rapid growth of the service sector of the
economy, with its many non-manual workers and
professionals.
 He argues many members of these occupational groups
stabilize society because they enjoy higher status and
income than manual workers employed in the
manufacturing sector.
 Weber showed that politics and religion are also
important sources of historical change.
C. Wright Mills
 Laid the foundation for modern

conflict theory in the U.S. in the
1950s.
 One of his most important books is the Power
Elite, where he argues that power is highly
concentrated in American society, which is
therefore less of a democracy than we are
often led to believe.
Feminist Theory
1. Focuses on patriarchy.
2. Holds that male domination and female
subordination are determined by power and social
convention.
3. Examines the operation of patriarchy in micro-
and macro-level settings.
4. Patterns of gender inequality should be changed
for the benefit of all members of society.
KEY CONCEPTS OF MARXISM
 Society is held together by social consensus,

or cohesion, in which members of the society
agree upon, and work together to achieve,
what is best for society as a whole.
 Each aspect of society is interdependent and
contributes to society's functioning as a whole
or social consensus
References
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociological_imagination
 https://www.thoughtco.com/sociological-imagination-3026756

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What is

 seeing "the general in the

one's own personal choice

 involves recognizing and evaluating the

 a perspective that fosters

 The Importance of Historical Context

 Society and all that happens within it is made

 Also called functionalist perspective

1. Human behavior is governed by social structures.

 Society is held together by social consensus,

 Talcott Parsons (1902–1979) was an

A leading proponent of functionalism.

1. Focuses on macro-level structures, such as “class

 Ideas revolves around class conflict, defined as the struggle

 Laid the foundation for modern

 Society is held together by social consensus,

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