Perspectives
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
Sociology is known to be a very debatable subject without an agreeable consensus. Different perspectives exist and each one tries to explain the society in a different way.
A perspective can be defined as a set of principles, an approach or a school of thought which helps to understand and explain social life. A perspective helps us to understand how the society is organised, how social life is arranged and how it functions.
Sociological perspectives can be categorised into 2 broad groups:
(1) STRUCTURAL PERSPECTIVES
The Structural perspectives study society as a whole system. This perspective is interested in the very structure of society and a macro analysis of society is adopted.
The Structuralist approach emphasise on the power of ‘society’ over the individual. This perspective emphasise on the way behaviour is constrained or controlled by social forces (society). Society directs behaviour and an individual is said to be a social construct (a product of society). So, society shapes individuals’ behaviour. Individuals are made and controlled by society. They are socialised into a preset list of roles, norms and values. We are what we are because of the expectations of the social groups we belong to.
(2) Social Action / Interpretive perspective
The social action perspective emphasise on the ability of individuals to shape their own behaviour. Unlike the structuralist perspective, the social action or interpretive perspective emphasise on the ability of individuals to control and decide their own actions. According to this perspective, it is society which is constructed by individuals, not individuals shaped by society as the structuralist claim. They do agree that norms, values exist but not to direct behaviour rather to be used as guidelines and they can even be interpreted differently. So, interpretive sociologists argue that individuals shape their own actions.
Sociology is known to be a very debatable subject without an agreeable consensus. Different perspectives exist and each one tries to explain the society in a different way.
A perspective can be defined as a set of principles, an approach or a school of thought which helps to understand and explain social life. A perspective helps us to understand how the society is organised, how social life is arranged and how it functions.
Sociological perspectives can be categorised into 2 broad groups:
(1) STRUCTURAL PERSPECTIVES
The Structural perspectives study society as a whole system. This perspective is interested in the very structure of society and a macro analysis of society is adopted.
The Structuralist approach emphasise on the power of ‘society’ over the individual. This perspective emphasise on the way behaviour is constrained or controlled by social forces (society). Society directs behaviour and an individual is said to be a social construct (a product of society). So, society shapes individuals’ behaviour. Individuals are made and controlled by society. They are socialised into a preset list of roles, norms and values. We are what we are because of the expectations of the social groups we belong to.
(2) Social Action / Interpretive perspective
The social action perspective emphasise on the ability of individuals to shape their own behaviour. Unlike the structuralist perspective, the social action or interpretive perspective emphasise on the ability of individuals to control and decide their own actions. According to this perspective, it is society which is constructed by individuals, not individuals shaped by society as the structuralist claim. They do agree that norms, values exist but not to direct behaviour rather to be used as guidelines and they can even be interpreted differently. So, interpretive sociologists argue that individuals shape their own actions.