“SOCIOLOGY”

ASSIGNMENT: 01

BPA-1

SECTION-B

SUBMITTED TO: MISS KANEEZ FATIMA

SUBMITTED BY: SYED MUHAMMAD ASAD

DEPARTMENT OF
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIOLOGY WITH SOCIAL
SCIENCES:
SOCIOLOGY:
DEFINITION:

“The scientific study of society and social institutions aims to analyze

the interactions and collective behavior of various human beings. The
scientific study of society, social relationships, and collective behavior is
focused on the study of how society develops and operates. The concept
of a social institution is also examined in this field”.

Relation of Political Science with the other

Social Sciences:
Relation of Political Science with the other Social Sciences Aristotle has
called Political Science „The Master Science‟ as it deals with human
beings who is a social being having many dimensions; historical,
political, economical psychological, sociological etc. Political Science is
concerned with the political aspect of this social man and his
interaction with the various dimensions of his social life, be it
economical, social, psychological, sociological, historical etc. One
question which comes to mind, therefore, is it correct to call Political
Science „the master science‟ or is it just one of the social sciences?
Until 18th Century specialization of Political Science didn’t exist since
various aspects of society was studied under single discipline known as
„moral philosophy‟. In the words of Lip set “Until the 18th Century the
moral sciences, as the social sciences were then known, possessed
greater unity than diversity”. The beginning of 19th century brought
industrialization and with it came specialization of social sciences as it
became beyond the scope of Political science to study the various
aspects of the complicated social phenomenon under a single
discipline. Easton writes, “the purely physical need for a division of
labor helps to account for the distinctions among the social sciences…
the social sciences have grown up as separate disciplines because and
only because of this historical necessity. The actual allocation of subject
matter to the various disciplines is simply a matter of accident…even
though distinctions in social knowledge have existed from the every
beginning of human inquiry into the society”. What distinguishes
political science as an academic discipline is its emphasis on
government and power. However, the study of government and power
is not confined to political science: it naturally permeates into other
social sciences and hence its association with the other social sciences
and the growth of interdisciplinary study in social sciences. According to
Easton, “Specialization in social sciences has stimulated a movement
towards a reintegration of our compartmentalized knowledge; which
should go a long way towards remedying these defects. Even though
the future must witness an increase in the rate of cross-fertilization and
in the degree of cooperation among the social sciences, there are few
realists who envision the ultimate fusion and disappearance of all
specialties into one body of knowledge”. In fact it was the growth of
empirical theory in political science which developed after the Second
World War which shifted the focus from the study of state and
government to the study of political behavior and attitudes. It was this
application of scientific methods to the study of political phenomenon
and behaviorism which brought in the need for interdisciplinary study
of political science. Thus Easton has rightly commented, “Theoretical
revolution in the study of the political phenomena, in the form of
empirical theory has opened the door to a new and more meaningful
relationship between political science and the other disciplines4 ”. Thus
political science borrowed many theories and concepts, methods and
techniques from other social sciences. For example decision making
theory from organizational field, structural functional approach from
sociology and anthropology, action theory from sociology, system
analysis from communication sciences etc. even new concepts like
political culture, political socialization, political communication, political
development etc. are being adopted and hence emphasis is being laid
on the study of community power structure5 . Hence one could say
that it is this so called behavioral revolution in social science and the
growth of empirical enquiry to the issues of politics which has given rise
to the interdisciplinary approach in political science. The following
section deals with the relation of political science with some of the
other social sciences.

SOCIAL SCIENCES:
“Social science is the study of society and how it influences the world
around us. It investigates how society works and what causes it to
behave”.
The social sciences include:

1. Economics
2. Mass communication
3. Political science
4. Public administration
5. Psychology
6. Educate
7. Anthropology etc.
1-ECONOMICS:
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SOCIOLOGY AND ECONOMICS:
 As social sciences, sociology and economics are inextricably
linked. Because society is strongly influenced by economic
variables, and economic processes are primarily governed by
society's environment, the connection between the two is so tight
that one is frequently viewed as a branch of the other.

 Economics is the study of man's economic actions. It is concerned

with wealth creation, consumption, and distribution. Economic
forces have a significant impact on every element of our social
lives. Individual development is heavily influenced by economic
issues. The study of society is difficult without economic
conditions. All social issues are intrinsically tied to people's
economic circumstances. Marshall defined Economics as "on the
one hand, the study of wealth, and on the other, and more
importantly, a portion of the study of man."

 Similarly, Sociology has an impact on Economics. Economics is

nearly impossible to study without a social basis. Sociologists have
aided in the investigation of several facets of economic
organization. A sociologist provides an economist with
information on the property system, labor division, and
occupations, among other things

 The field of sociology and economics collaboration is expanding.

Economists are increasingly using sociological notions to the study
of economic issues. In their research into the difficulties of
economic development in developing nations, economists
collaborate with sociologists. The combined efforts of both
professionals could be quite useful in solving the issues.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SOCIOLOGY AND ECONOMICS:
 In economics, man is the main subject of interest. Economics
studies humans as an economic being and therefore is very
concrete. It does not have much scope in comparison to sociology
because the economics just covers the economic relation of man.
 Sociology, on the other hand, is concerned with man's social
element, with the various types of interactions and connections that
people use all over the world. The goal of learning and
experimenting is to improve society. It is a part of sociology, just
as it is a part of economics.
 Sociology is considered the newest of all social sciences. Despite
the fact that economics is considered much older, it is included
in the study of sociology which is considered a newer branch of
social science.
 Sociology, on the other hand, is concerned with man's social
element, with the various types of interactions and connections that
people use all over the world. The goal of learning and
experimenting is to improve society. It is a part of sociology, just
as it is a part of economics.
2-PSYCHOLOGY:
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SOCIOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY:
 Sociology is a science about society. Therefore, it is closely
related to other social sciences and also closely related to
psychology. Sociology and psychology are closely related,
interrelated and interdependent. Both depend on each other's
understanding. If we analyze their mutual relationship and
interdependence, their relationship will be clear.

 Sociology is the science of studying social phenomena and social

relations. It is a science about social groups and social systems. It
is a science about collective behavior. But psychology is a science
about the mind or mental process. It analyzes the personal
attitude, emotion, perception, learning process and values, and the
process of personality formation in society.

 There are many psychologists, such as Freud, McDougall, etc.,

who have enriched sociology in many ways. They believe that the
entire social life can ultimately be attributed to psychological
forces. Every social problem and social phenomenon must have a
psychological basis, and sociology needs to be solved with the
help of psychology. Social psychology emerged as new branch.

 Similarly, psychology depends on Sociology to comprehend itself

fully. Psychology also requires help from sociology in many cases.
As human mind and personality is being influenced by social
environment, culture, customs and traditions hence psychology
take the help from Sociology to understand this.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SOCIOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY:

 Sociologists focus on society as a whole or large groups within
society. They study patterns of behavior and how they shape the
world around us. For example, if they’re researching religious
organizations’ impact, they may examine whether a concentration
of churches in a neighborhood has any effect on crime, income, or
education.

 Earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology offers students career

opportunities in areas such as public health, senior services, data
management, nonprofit management, and academic leadership.
Students completing a bachelor’s in sociology can tailor their
coursework to specific interests and career goals, such as
criminology, social justice, and social work. Sociology offers two
types of master’s degree programs: traditional programs and
applied, clinical, and professional programs. A traditional program
prepares students to pursue a PhD. An applied, clinical, and
professional program prepares students to enter the workforce and
perform sociological research.

 Sociologists can use their expertise to initiate change in areas such

as public health, senior services, data management, nonprofit
management, and academic leadership. A bachelor’s in sociology
can equip students with the skills needed for a diverse range of job
opportunities in human, social, and community services.
3-POLITICAL SCIENCE:
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SOCIOLOGY AND POLITICAL
SCIENCE:

 Sociology is the science which deals with human beings and their
social relationship. Political science deals with the political
activities of men. Political activities influences and is influenced by
the social life of men. Political science studies state, government
and power mostly while sociology provides sociological
background to the forms of government, the nature of
governmental organs, the laws and sphere of the state activities
as determined by the social processes. As political science deals
with state sociology also studies state as one of the human
association. The special study of the political life of society is very
important for the complete study of the society as a whole.
According to Morris Ginsberg ''Historically, Sociology has its main
roots in politics and philosophy of history". The state, which is the
center of political science in its early stage, was more of a social
than political institution.

 Sociology depends very much on political science in every respect.

The state and governments make laws for the welfare of the
society; the government removes social evils such as poverty,
unemployment, dowry and so on from the society. The
undesirable customs are uprooted from the society by the
government. The government gives financial assistance to people
at the time of natural calamities such as floods, famine, cyclone
and drought. In the same way, political science depends upon
 sociology and sociology provides material to political science that
is the political life of the people.
 The laws which are formed by the government are based on the
social customs, traditions, mores, norms, etc. of the society. Most
of the changes which have been taken place in the political
theory, during the past times have been possible due to sociology.
For understanding of political problems, some knowledge about
sociology is very essential because all political problems are
mainly corrected with a social aspect. In this connection F.H.
Gidding says "To teach the theory of the state to men who have
not learn the first principle of sociology is like teaching astronomy
or thermodynamics to men who have not learnt Newton's laws of
Motion".
 Political science and psychology are closely related to each other
and their merging has given rise to a new discipline called
“political psychology” which tries to use theories and facts to
explain and understand political problems. The State and its
political institutions are the products of the human mind and can
best be understood in terms of the mind. Thus, Barker says, "The
application of the psychological clue to the riddles of human
activity has indeed become the fashion of the day.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SOCIOLOGY AND POLITICAL
SCIENCE:
 The main difference between sociology and political science is that sociology is
the scientific study of human society while political science is the study
of politics and their impact on society as a whole.

 Unlike sociology, political science emphasizes the

use of political power in the national and
international level.

 Sociology and political science are subjects that

concern the administration and management of
human society and its social development. Though
the contemporary subject of political science has
incorporated several sociology concepts and
widened its scope, its main focus makes it
distinguishable from other academic disciplines .

REFERENCES:
 Abt, Helmut A. “Some Trends in American Astronomical
Publications.” Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
93 (1981): 269-73.
 Agassi, Joseph. Faraday as a Natural Philosopher. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1971.
 American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 1976.
 Aristotle. Posterior Analytics. 2. Hugh Tredennick. Cambridge:
Harvard University Press, 1960. Aristotle. Rhetoric. Tr. Lane Cooper.
Englewood.
 https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/essay/politics-essay/contribution-
of-political-science-to-sociology/40316
 https://www.ncertbooks.guru/difference-between-sociology-and-
economics/
 https://sociology.unc.edu/