The Nature of Studying Society

Society and Culture with Family Planning

Meaning of Sociology

Sociology

Latin word socious meaning companion or associate

and the Greek word LOGOS meaning study.
Combining two words will mean study of associates or
companions

Sociology is the study of society, groups, and

social behavior. (Broom, Bonjean, Broom 1990)
Sociology is the scientific study of human society.
This means that sociologist are interested in
describing and explaining human behavior,
especially as it occurs within in a social context.

Why study Sociology?

1.

2.
3.
4.

To understand the world we live in and the

intricate realties of group interaction and
social processes/
To explain and understand human behavior
in a society
To determine the existence of groups, their
functions, nature and characteristics
To understand how and why human
beings act the way they do.

The Emergence of Sociology

August Comte (1789-1857)

1.

French Mathematician and Philosopher who

proposed a separate new science of society
(social physics). In 1839, he changed it to
Sociology, a word he invented.
He divided Sociology into two areas:
a. Social Static concerned with the various parts
of society and how these parts of society are
held together (now called social structure)
b. Social Dynamics concerned with the analysis
of change within and among the various parts
of society (now called social process)

He is the founder of sociology and is best known for

his 6 volume Positive Philosophy. Based on the
philosophy of Positivism, he identified three stages
in understanding society:
a.
b.

c.

Theological Stage society is an expression of Gods will.

Metaphysical Stage people are less likely to see society
as the work of supernatural forces and placed more
emphasis on the forces
Scientific Stage the final stage in understanding. This
approach is called positivism, which he defined as a
path to understanding the world based on science.
a.

The philosophy emphasizes the techniques of observation,

comparison and experimentation in the development of
knowledge regarding the nature of society and human action.

2.

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)

British Philsopher-scientist
Advanced the thesis that evolution accounts for the
social and natural life. He stressed the society is similar
to a living organism with part working together in order
to survive.
Guiding principle: Society must adapt to its environment
to effect natural change, which will inevitably bring
progress and perfection.
Societies developed through a process of struggle (for
existence) and fitness (for survival), which he referred
to as the survival of the fittest.
Spencer equated this process of natural selection with
progress because only the fittest members of society
would succeed.

Karl Marx (1818-1883)

3.

A philosopher, economist and social activist

Stressed that history is a continuous clash
between conflicting ideas and forces. He believe
that conflict, especially class conflict, is
necessary in order to produce social change and
better society/
Marx regarded private property and capitalism
as the root causes of poverty.
Two of the most enduring legacies of Karl Marx
are the theories of Economic Determinism and
the Dialiectic

Economic Determinism

Economic relationship
provide the foundation
of which all other
social and political
arrangement are built.
He believe that family
structure, law, and
religion would be
developed after
adapting to the
economic structure.

The Dialectic

Marx view change as a

products of contradictions
and conflicts between parts
of society.
He predicted that the
conflict between haves
and the have-nots or the
ruling class and the
working class respectively,
would lead to a new
economic system.
Conflict is the only factor
that can bring change to a
society.

Emile Durkheim

4.

A French intellectual who viewed society as a total

entity, as something more than the sum of its
parts.
The combination of the parts, according to
Durkheims major concern was the balance
between regulation and freedom.
Based on his classic studies entitled Suicide,
when society over-regulates and there is less
freedom, fatalistic suicide occurs and less
regulation, we have anomic suicide.

Example

The suicide method became one of the most

prevalent tactics of PalestinianTerrorismin
Israel. Who are these people willing to
sacrifice their lives and what drives them to
do such things? We answer these questions,
while relying on the concepts of altruistic and
fatalistic suicide from Durkheim's typology of
suicide behavior. Palestinian suicide terrorists
from 1993 until the beginning of 2002, fit the
"altruistic" type as well as some elements
from the "fatalistic" and represent a
combination of both types; thus they can be
labeled under a new category of "fatalistic
altruistic" suicide.

This kind of suicide is related to too low of a

degree of regulation. This type of suicide is
committed during times of great stress or
change. Without regulation, a person cannot
set reachable goals and in turn people get
extremely frustrated. Life is too much for
them to handle and it becomes meaningless
to them. An example of this is when the
market crashes or spikes.

Max Weber (1864-1920)

5.

A German economist, historian and philosopher

To understand the behavior of the individual
attributes to that behavior, we have to understand
the meaning of the individual attributes to that
behavior.
Webers work was the basis for Verstehen
Sociology, which emphasizes the subjective
meaning of human actions.
Verstehen- German word meaning understanding.
Weber was more interested in analyzing the
meaning of a social pattern than in looking for
universal laws of human behavior.

In sociology, we analyze the importance of social rituals and social bonds.

Symbols and rituals tie us together and reinforce our bonds as we
celebrate or mourn together.
Weddings are a public social ritual, tying together two (or more) families
into a new kinship network. People are now related who were previously
not, and those present at the wedding participate in acknowledging and
celebrating these ties. Close relatives and friends participate in forging
the new family. Old friends and new friends also participate as do coworkers and neighbors. Thus a diverse group of people, many of whom
might never have met, participate in the event.
We now have double the relatives that we had before! Most of these new
relatives live far away from where we are, the technology of the day
helps reinforce these ties. Our Facebook pages have been quite busy as
people post photos, tag each other, and friend many of the people they
met at the wedding.
So, while marriage exists historically as an institution that organizes
property and inheritance relationships and regulates sexual behavior, it
has always also served the function of tying kinship networks together.

Marriage seems like one of the most personal

choices individuals can make. As Webers
concept ofverstehenreminds us,
understanding the meaning of marriage from
the perspective of those involved, as well as
the broader legal and social meanings help us
comprehend the broader social importance of
marriage and family.