04/12/2019

SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE
OF THE SELF

Theories in sociology provide us with

different perspectives with which to view our
social world, the individual, and the self.

A perspective is simply a way of

looking at the world.
A theory is a set of interrelated
propositions or principles designed to
answer a question or explain a particular
phenomenon; it provides us with a
perspective.

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Sociological study may be conducted at both

macro (large-scale social processes) and
micro (small group, face-to-face interactions)
levels.

Macrosociology involves the study of

widespread social processes .
Microsociology involves the study of
people at a more interpersonal level, as
in face-to-face interactions.

MAJOR THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

• FUNCTIONALISM
• CONFLICT THEORY
• SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM
• SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM

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• FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE
The functionalist
perspective is based largely
on the works of Herbert
Spencer, Emile Durkheim,
Talcott Parsons, and
Robert Merton.

• FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE
Society is a system of interconnected parts
that work together in harmony to maintain
a state of balance and social equilibrium
for the whole.

Identified the 5 major socialization

institutions.

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• FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE
Each of the social institutions contributes
important functions for society:
________ provides a context for reproducing,
nurturing, and socializing children.

________ offers a way to transmit a society’s

skills, knowledge, and culture to its youth.

• FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE

_______ provides a means of governing

members of society.

_______ provides for the production,

distribution, and consumption of goods
and services.

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• FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE

_______ provides moral guidance and an

outlet for worship of a higher power.

• FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE
Identified the 5 major socialization
institutions.

1. Family
2. Education
3. Politics
4. Economics
5. Religion

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• FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE
• Functionalists use the terms
functional and dysfunctional to
describe the effects of social
elements on society.

• Elements of society are functional

if they contribute to social stability,
and dysfunctional if they disrupt
social stability (examples?).

• CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE
• Conflict perspective views society as composed of
different groups and interest competing for power
and resources (e.g., the Self is understood according
to group membership).

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• CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE
The conflict perspective
can be traced to the
classic works of Karl
Marx who suggested
that all societies go
through stages of
economic development
(e.g., bourgeoisie vs.
proletariat) .

• SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM

Social constructivism by Lev

Vygotsky emphasizes the
importance of culture, and the social
context, in understanding what
occurs in society
and constructed knowledge is based
on this understanding .

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• SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM
It maintains that learning is based
on real life adaptive problem
solving which takes place in a
social manner through shared
experience and discussion with
others such that new ideas are
matched against existing
knowledge and the learner adapts
rules to make sense of the world.

• SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM
Social constructivism is on a macro
level. "We" as society, assign labels to
certain things and associate those
things/objects with meanings.

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• SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM
• Money is simply paper (or abacca
apparently) but as a society and on a
macro level, that paper can be used to
trade for goods and services.

• Another example could be road signs

and road lines. Those signs are just
blocks, shapes, and letters but they
mean that as a driver, I must stop or
yield or stay under the speed limit.

SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
• Symbolic interaction theory analyzes society by
addressing the subjective meanings that people
impose on objects, events, and behaviors.
• Subjective meanings are given primacy because it is
believed that people behave based on what they
believe and not just on what is objectively true.
• Thus, society is understood through human
interpretation.

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SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
• We define certain things and associate
those things/objects with meanings like
social constructionism, but in a smaller
setting.

Example:
Smoking and drugs
Why would young people smoke cigarettes/take
drugs even when all objective medical evidence
points to the dangers of doing so?

SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
Example: when we think of a
Buddhist Monk the image comes
to our mind.
We will have some assumptions
about these people and our
behavior towards them will be
based on these assumptions that
we have made.

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