Chapter 1

The Sociological
Perspective

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 Chapter Outline
• What Is Sociology?
• The Sociological Perspective
• The Significance of Diversity
• The Development of Sociological Theory
• Theoretical Frameworks in Sociology

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 What Is Sociology?
• Sociology is a scientific way of thinking about society
and its influence on human groups.
• It is an empirical discipline.
• Its conclusions are based on careful and systematic
observations.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 The Sociological Perspective (1 of 4)

• Wright Mills coined the term “sociological

imagination.”
• The ability to see the societal patterns that influence
the individual as well as groups of individuals.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 The Sociological Perspective (2 of 4)

• The ability to look at what people are doing and

develop an understanding of the society in which they
live, thrive, and die.
• Throughout this class, you will begin to develop your
own sociological imagination.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 The Sociological Perspective (3 of 4)

• Social structure is defined as the organized pattern

of social relationships and social institutions that
together constitute society.
• Social institutions are the established and organized
systems of social behavior with a particular and
recognized purpose.
– The family, religion, marriage, government, and the
economy are examples of major social institutions.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 The Sociological Perspective (4 of 4)

• Troubles are privately felt problems that spring from

events or feelings in a person’s life.
• Issues affect large numbers of people and have their
origins in the institutional arrangements and history of
a society.
– Issues shape the context within which troubles arise.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 Debunking

• Sociologists find it crucial

to examine the most
controversial topics.
• Peter Berger calls this
process debunking.
• Debunking refers to
looking behind the
facades of everyday life.

Cultural practices that seem bizarre to outsiders may be

taken for granted or defined as appropriate by insiders.
Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
 The Significance of Diversity (1 of 2)

• Diversity is a central theme studied by sociologists.

– Diversity is an important issue in any society,
particularly in the United States.
– Racial and ethnic minority groups currently comprise
23% of those living in this country.
– This percentage continues to steadily increase.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 The Significance of Diversity (2 of 2)

• Diversity is a broad concept that includes:

– studying differences in opportunities available to various
groups in society
– the shaping of social institutions by different social
factors
– the formation of group and individual identity
– the process of social change
• Diversity includes the study of different cultural
orientations.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 Defining Diversity

• Understanding diversity is
crucial to understanding
society.
• Patterns of social change
and social structures are
patterned by diverse
group experiences.

In an increasingly diverse society,

valuing and understanding diversity is
a part of fully understanding society.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 Society in Global Perspective (1 of 2)

• It is impossible to understand today’s societies without

seeing them in a global context.
– The social and economic systems of every society are
intertwined with those of other nations.
– Mass media, the Internet, and ease of travel continue to
make societies more interconnected.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 Society in Global Perspective (2 of 2)

• We are no longer a country separated by geographic

boundaries.
– We can communicate with almost anyone in the world in
minutes.
– We can travel to the other side of the globe in hours.
– A natural disaster in one region of the globe has
widespread effects on all other nations.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 The Development of Sociological Theory

• The Influence of the Enlightenment

– Observation and reason replaced a belief in the
supernatural causes of events.
– Alexis de Tocqueville: felt that despite the
individualism of Americans, they had little independence
of mind.
– Auguste Comte: coined the phase “sociology.”
 He believed that society could be studied scientifically.
This approach is known as positivism.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 Sociological Theory (1 of 3)

• Harriet Martineau wrote

about how to observe
behavior as a participant.

• Emile Durkheim
focused on the
forces that hold
society together in
moral cohesion.
Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
 Sociological Theory (2 of 3)

• Karl Marx saw social

class as a fundamental
dimension of society that
shapes social behavior.

• Max Weber was

concerned with
ideas and how they
shaped society.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 Sociological Theory (3 of 3)

• Jane Addams developed

housing projects for
immigrants, slum dwellers,
and other dispossessed
groups.

• W. E. B. Du Bois
was deeply troubled
by the racial
divisiveness in
society.
Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
 Functionalism

• Functionalism interprets each part of society in terms

of how it contributes to the stability of the whole.
• Conflict theory sees society as organized around the
unequal distribution of resources and held together
through power and coercion.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 Conflict Theory

• Conflict theory sees society as organized around the

unequal distribution of resources and held together
through power and coercion.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 Symbolic Interaction

• Symbolic interaction theory emphasizes the role of

individuals in giving meaning to social behavior,
thereby creating society.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 Feminist Theory

• Feminist theory is the analysis of women and men in

society and is intended to improve women’s lives.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 Chapter Summary

• What is sociology?
• What is debunking?
• Why is diversity central to the study of sociology?
• When and how did sociology emerge as a field of
study?
• What are some of the basic insights of classical
sociological theory?
• What are the major theoretical frameworks in
sociology?

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 Question 1

Sociology is:
A.the study of human instinctual behavior.
B.a scientific way of thinking about society and its
influence on human groups.
C.the only science that provides insight into human
behavior.
D.the study and analysis of individual behavior.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 Answer 1

B. a scientific way of thinking about society and its

influence on human groups.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 Question 2

According to C. Wright Mills, issues:

A.affect large numbers of people.
B.are the primary focus of psychologists.
C.are privately felt problems that spring from events or
feelings in a person’s life.
D.are only dealt with by individuals and their families.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 Answer 2

A. affect large numbers of people.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 Question 3

What is “debunking”?
A.A research method that is no longer used in sociology.
B.A psychological disorder.
C.Accepting ideas and practices that are hidden.
D.Looking behind the facades of life.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

 Answer 3

D. Looking behind the facades of life.

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

• You
– Social Institutions
– Social Structure
– Social Change
– Social Interaction

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

• You
– Race / Ethnicity
– Gender
– Social Class
– Education

Copyright © 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.