SOCIOLOGY

CHAPTER -01

INTRODUCTION TO
SOCIOLOGY
BY- Mr. AJAY.D
 GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
• Concept of Sociology
• Meaning of Sociology
• Definitions of Sociology
• History of Sociology
• Growth of Sociology in India
• Nature of Sociology
• Scope of Sociology
• Branches of Sociology
• Importance and application of Sociology in Nursing
• Relationship of Sociology with other social sciences
CONCEPT
OF
SOCIOLOGY
 CONCEPT OF SOCIOLOGY
• As we all know that human being is a social animal
and needs to interact with the surrounding for
survival.
• Sociology is the study of human societies.
• A society is a group of people whose members
interact, reside in a definable area and share a
culture.
• Sociologist learn about society as a whole (one to
one) and in groups that is societies can be studied at
different levels from detailed face to face interactions
or on large scales affecting the entire civilization.
• Sociology studies all things of human that
includes interaction between two people to the
relationship with the nations or world.
• On the level of interaction sociology can be
divided into two parts.

LEVEL OF INTERACTION

Micro sociology Macro sociology

MICRO MACRO
SOCIOLOGY SOCIOLOGY
• At this level sociologists • At this level focuses on
does face to face properties of large scale
interaction and deals social interactions for
with individual, family example influence of
members, colleagues, migration on changing
work partners or patterns of language or
friendship groups and factors that leads to
try to determine how the migration at large scale.
people with different
cultures try to interact
with each other.
Sociology is the study
of social life, social
changes, social causes
and consequences of
human behavior and
sociologist
investigates the
structure of groups,
organization and
societies and how
people interact with
these context
MEANING
OF
SOCIOLOGY
 MEANING OF SOCIOLOGY
• Dictionary defines sociology as the systematic
study of society and social interaction.
• The word SOCIOLOGY is derived from the
Latin word SOCIUS that is coined by French
philosopher AUGUSTE COMTE; that
meaning SOCIETY or ASSOCIATION and
the Greek word LOGOS means STUDY or
SCIENCE.
• So, Sociology is a science that deals with
social group.
DEFINITIONS
OF
SCOCIOLOGY
 DEFINITIONS OF SOCIOLOGY
1. According to AUGUST COMTE,
“Sociology is the study of social actions”.

2. According to MAX WEBER,

“Sociology is the scientific study of society”.

3. According to SIMMEL,
“Sociology is the study of social groups on the basis
of social interactions”.
4. According to EMILE DURKHEIM,
“Sociology is the study of social facts of
collective behavior through social institutions”.

5. According to MACK YOUNG,

“Sociology is the study of social aspects of
humans living together”.

6. According to OGBURN and NIMKOFF,

“Sociology is the scientific study of social life”.
HISTORY OF
SOCIOLOGY
 HISTORY OF SOCIOLOGY:
• Sociology is considered as a new discipline and
considered to be merged in the 19th century but some
people thinks that it has roots in the works of
Philosophers like Plato. Aristotle and Confucius.
• In 19th century, it developed as a challenge of
modernity that result from advancement in
technology, increased exposure of people to the
different culture and societies due to increased
migration.
• Sociologist responded to such social events and tried
to find out what keeps the social groups together and
causes of the breakdown of social solidarity.
• Sociologists believe that our social
surrounding influence our thoughts and
actions. In the 16th and 17th centuries
Europeans were exploring the world and they
observed many different socienties and
civilizations.
• The industrial revolutions began in the late 18 th
century; mechanical industries were growing
and thousands of people were migrating to
cities to work in the new factories that lead to
capitalism as very few people owned the
means of production such as factories.
• There was enormous population growth due to
longer life expectancy and decrease in the
death rate. This massive social change lent
new urgency to the development of social
sciences. It was great transformation from
simple societies to complex industrial societies
that attracted the sociologists to study the
changing phenomenon.
• However the term sociology was coined by
French Philosopher AUGUSTE COMTE in
1838 and he is also know as FATHER OF
SOCIOLOGY.
• Auguste Comte thought that science can also
be used to study the social world. He
introduced the concept of positivism to
sociology that is a new way to understand
social world based on scientific facts. He
envisioned a process of social change in which
sociologist played a crucial role in guiding
society.
 INSTITUTIONALISM OF
SOCIOLOGY
• It was first thought by University of Kansas in 1890
by Frank Blackmer under the title elements of
Sociology.
• The first academic department Of Sociology was
established in 1892 at the University of Chicago.
• Alben W Small in 1895 founded the American
Journal of Sociology.
• The first European department of Sociology was
established in 1895 at University of Borteaux by
Emile Durkheim.
• The first Sociology department in United
Kingdom was established at Landon school of
economics and political science.
• In 1919 a sociology department was
established in Munich Germany by Max
Weber.
• Later on this movement was spread all over
the world.
THE
GROWTH OF
SOCIOLOGY
IN INDIA
 THE GROWTH OF
SOCIOLOGY IN INDIA
In India origin and development of sociology found
its roots in pre independence era from the revolt of
1857 when Britishers got confused about the
complexity of Indian society and were unable to
find the root cause of revolt. Britishers were trying
to find out the real cause of unity among the huge
diverse in Indian society. In this way British
Government decided to study Indian culture and
religion and therefore led to development of
anthropology and Sociology in India.
• Gobind Sadashiv Ghurye (1891984): was the
first Indian sociologist who systematically
developed the discipline of sociology in India and
he is also known as the founding father of Indian
Sociology.

• R.K Mukerjjee, H.T Muzumdar: also made great

contributions in the field of sociology. The study of
Sociology started in India in 1919 but in 1930
University of Bombay started as a separate
discipline. Now it is being thought at a number of
Universities.
 GREAT CONTRIBUTORS OF
SOCIOLOGY
AUGUSTE COMTE KARL MARX

He was French philosopher He is known for publishing of

and founder of sociology communist manifesto in
and positivism also known 1848 and his book was very
as father of sociology. popular in the history of
social movements.
MAX WEBER EMILE DURKHEIM

He was the first social theorist The French sociologist who

of the 20th century. He is combined the methodology
known as principal architect of empirical research with
of modern social sciences. sociological theory and
founder of sociology school
in France.
 GOBIND SADASHIV GHURYE

He was the first Indian sociologist who

systematically developed the
discipline of sociology in India and
he is also known as the founding
father of Indian Sociology.
NATURE OF
SOCIOLOGY
 There are different views off sociologist on
the nature of sociology. Some sociologist
considers it as art and other think it as science.
Sociologists got divided into opposite groups.
For one group sociology is a science because
sociology adopts and applies scientific methods,
founding father of sociology, Auguste Comte
and Emile Durkheim supported this view. On
the other side Max Weber do not accept
sociology as science. But many sociologists
consider sociology both as science and art.
 SOCIOLOGY AS SCIENCE
Many sociologist think that like many other
natural sciences sociology isalso a science as it
is governed by some natural laws. But before
coming to conclusion one must know that what
is science is.
 Science is a systematic body of knowledge.
 It is based on reasons and evidences.
 It collects facts and links them together in a
sequence to draw inferences.
 Science adopts scientific methods and
scientific knowledge that is acquired throught
observation, experimentation and
generalization.
 Science has other characteristics like
objectivity, observation, accurate prediction,
experimentation, generalization and cause and
effect relationships.
 So according to Auguste Comte and Emile
Durkheim Sociology is a science because it
adopts and applies scientific methods. It is a
science because of following factors in table.
FACTORS DESCRIPTION
• Sociology adopts • Sociology studies social events by
scientific adopting scientific methods, though it
methods. does not do experiment with men in
laboratory but to study the social
behavior it applies scientific methods
like case study, interview and
questionnaire which is used to
quantitatively measure social
phenomenon..
• Sociology makes • Accurate observation is also possible
accurate outside the laboratory. Newton also did
observations not invent his laws inside the laboratory.
Sociology makes many social
observations like process of migration
or phenomenon of tribal marriages.
FACTORS DESCRIPTION
• Objectivity . • New techniques and methods have been
introduced to make social phenomenon more
objective.

• Sociology • Like natural sciences it also tries to find out

describes the cause and solution of the problems. For
cause effect example relationship of population explosion
relationship. and poverty or family disorganization and
divorce.

• Like other natural sciences it also measures

• Sociology
social phenomenon by using statically
make
methods like sociometric scales.
accurate
measureme-
FACTORS DESCRIPTION
• Sociology • It also frame laws and attempts to predict
makes more accurately on the basis of cause effect
accurate relationships. For example dowry system in
prediction. India may lead to suicide, poverty or
divorce.

• Make • Like other natural sciences sociology is able

generalizatio to generalize the findings like marriages
-n among close blood relatives can be cause of
many genetic problems.
 SOCIOLOGY AS ART
Some sociologist view sociology as an art it belongs to
the family of social sciences because it concentrates
its attention on man, his social behavior, social
activities and social life and Max Weber is great
supporter to not to accept sociology as science.

 It lacks objectivity: it is not a science because it

cannot maintain complete objectivity with social
phenomenon. As complete objectivity in the study of
human behavior is impossible. Sociology deals with
social relationships that cannot be studied as
 Lacks of experimentation: it deals with
human relationships that cannot be put under
laboratory tests. One cannot see or weigh
human relationship as it is abstract in nature.

 Lack of terminology: many terms used in

sociology is vague and carries different
meaning to different persons. For example the
term caste and class has not yet acquired the
clear meaning.
 NATURE OF SOCIOLOGY
ACCO0RDING TO ROBERT
BIERSTEDT
Sociology is the branch of knowledge and
it has its own characteristics. Sociology has
different nature in society. It is different from
other sciences in certain respects. The
following are the main characteristics of
sociology as enlisted by Robert Bierstedt in his
book ‘the social order’ and they are follows:
 CHARACTERISTICS EXPLAINATION
Sociology is a The main aim of pure sciences is the acquisition of
knowledge and aim of applied science is to apply the
pure science acquired knowledge to put it to use. Like other pure
rather than sciences sociology has also its applied field like
applied one:- social work etc. pure science may have more than
one application. So according to view of Robert
Bierstedt sociology is a pure science and not an
applied one because the aim of sociology is to
acquire knowledge about human society, not the
utilization of that knowledge.
Sociology is a Sociology belongs to the family of social science as
it focuses its attention on the social behavior, social
social science not activities and social life of the man. Sociology deals
a physical with the social universe and is related to other social
science:- sciences like history, political science, economic,
philosophy, anthropology etc. this is the reason that
it is different from other physics, chemistry, geology,
mathematics etc.
CHARACTERISTICS EXPLAINATION

Sociology as Sociology is more concentrated with the form of

an abstract human events and their pattern rather than
focusing on the concrete manifestations of
science not a
human events. For example sociology is not
concrete concerned with particular war and revolutions
science:- but in general it studies the war and revolution as
social phenomena and as types of social conflict.
Thus it can be considered that sociology is an
abstract not a concrete science.
Sociology is an Sociology is an purely in independent science as
independent it not treated and studied as a branch of any other
science, like philosophy or political philosophy,
science:-
or history. Like other independent sciences is has
its own field of study, boundary and method.
 CHARACTERISTICS EXPLAINATION

Sociology is both Empiricism is the approach in which the facts are

rational and an gathered as a result from observation and
empirical experimentation. On the other hand rationalism
science:- stresses upon reason and the theories that result from
logical inferences. The empiricists collects facts and
the rationalist co-ordinates and arranges them and
both are significant in the construction of the
knowledge.

Sociology is a special sciences deals with the particular field like

general science economic specializes itself in the study of economic
and not a special activities and political science concentrates only on
social science:- political activities. But sociology deals with general
aspects of man and human interaction. Sociology
studies human activities in a general way and does not
investigates Economics, Religious, Political, Legal,
Moral or any other special kind of phenomenon in
relation to human life and activities.
CHARACTERISTICS EXPLAINATION

Sociology is a Sociology only deals to find out the general laws or

generalizing principles about human integration or situation. It does
and not not study each and every event that takes place in the
individualizing society and tries to make generalization on the basis of
science:- the conclusion of some selected events.

Sociology is Sociology does not deal with questions of value and

categorical and does not make any value judgment. Approach of
not normative sociology is ethically neutral and it is neither moral nor
discipline:- immoral as it only focuses on what not what should be.
SCOPE OF
SOCIOLOGY
 The sociology is a very flexible subject. It
is difficult to determine its boundaries as it is
related to social phenomenon and linked to so
many other subjects, for example sociology can
also be seen as social psychology and on the
other side biological theories can be recognized
sociological theories and makes it difficult to
decide the boundaries of sociology as discipline.
The opinion for the scope of sociology
has been divided into two groups:-
1. Formalistic school.
2. The synthetic school.
 FORMALISTIC SCHOOL
• According in the view of the formalistic school, scope
of sociology is very narrow and limited. They argued
in favor that sociology should be a definite subject
matter and a distinct discipline. They emphasized that
it is a specific social science and it should deal with
social relationships from different angles.
• The supporters of the formal school of thought are
social thinkers like George simmel, vier Kandt,
Fredinand Tonnies, Leopord von Wiese and Max
weber.
• Max weber: According to him the scope of sociology is
to understand the social behavior. Sociology is
concerned with analysis and types of social relationship.
• Vier Kandt: A supporter of this view believes that
sociology should confine its studies to mental or
psychiatric relationship like love, hate and competition
only.
• Von Wiese: According to him sociology should confine
itself to the discovery of the fundamental force of
change and should abstain from a historical study of
concrete society.
• Fredinand Tonnies: He divided the societies into two
categories on the basis of forms of relationships; on the
basis of forms of relationships he tried to differentiate
between community and society.
 THE SYNTHETIC SCHOOL
It believes to widen the scope of sociology.
According to supporters of this thought of
school they opines that different aspects of
social life are inter related so sociology should
attempt to study social life as a whole.
 Auguste Comte: was supporter of this
thought. According to him studying sociology
in isolation is likely to give incomplete and
wrong conclusion.