Key Sociological Perspectives and Theorists
Auguste Comte
Auguste Comte coined the term “Sociology.” He created the classification of the three stages: Theological, Metaphysical, and Positive. He believed that sociology should contribute to the welfare of mankind.
Emile Durkheim
Emile Durkheim starts the history of sociology as we understand it today. He discusses issues such as Group Solidarity, Social Order, Crisis of Beliefs, and Anomie. He posited that society is more than the sum of individuals; it has its own entity.
Social Facts: These are ways to think, act, and feel, external to the individual and endowed with a superior power by which they are ordered.
Contributions of Emile Durkheim:
- The Division of Labor gradually moves to religion as the core of social cohesion.
- Rapid and intense social changes can produce a breakdown in the individual, leading to Anomie.
Anomie: A feeling of lack of purpose or goals in life, produced by certain social conditions. These feelings arise in individuals when they perceive that their daily life is meaningless.
Emile Durkheim, Suicide: A study on Social Cohesion, which underlined the influence of social factors in suicidal behavior. He created a typology of suicide: Anomic, Altruistic, and Egoistic.
Karl Marx
His theoretical perspective is based on the materialist conception of history and the dialectical method. Social change is not induced by ideas and values, but by economic influences that are linked to the conflict between classes, which constitute the engine of historical development. He centered his attention on the change of modern times linked to the development of capitalism.
Capitalism is a system of production in which the conflict between the ruling class and the working class is constant. Capitalism will lead to socialism or communism, in which the economic system would become common property and a more egalitarian and participatory social order would be established.
Max Weber
His study focuses on capitalism and is influenced by Marx. He rejects the materialist conception of history given by Marx. Ideas and values are highly significant in the changes, as are economic influences. He also studied Bureaucracy.
Functionalism
Roots: Works by Comte and Durkheim.
Basic Idea of Functionalism: Society is an integrated whole, consisting of structures that form a gear. For it to persist over time, its specialized agencies must work in harmony with each other.
Robert K. Merton developed functionalism within sociology and distinguished between:
- Manifest Functions
- Latent Functions
- Dysfunctions: These are aspects of society that bring about change because they pose a threat to social cohesion. These features of social life challenge the existing order.
Symbolic Interactionism
It focuses on the individual as creative and active.
H. Mead: He argues that language makes us conscious of our own individuality, and this is key in symbols. Symbolic thinking frees us from being limited, in our experience, to what we see, hear, or feel. The individual is aware of himself because we learn to look at ourselves, to see ourselves as we see others.
All interaction between individuals carries an exchange of symbols. When we interact with others, we are constantly looking for clues that indicate what is the most appropriate type of behavior in this context and how to interpret the intentions of others.
Marxism
Based on the ideas of Marx, but interpreted differently by different schools of thought, it is a stream of Marxist sociological analysis and political reform, often radical. It emphasizes class division, power, conflict, and ideology. Marxist sociology and Marxism have always existed in a relationship of mutual influence and opposition.
Theoretical Dilemma
It is stated that:
- In relation to human action and social structure.
- If societies are harmonious or are in permanent conflict.
- The change processes of the modern world are due to economic or other factors.