Sociology Notes
Understanding Social Behavior
Sociology – the study of human behavior and society – Focuses on groups but not individuals
Sociologists study a broad range of phenomena
From small group interactions and the meaning of cultural symbols to large scale economic shifts
Micro- vs. Macro- Sociology
Connection between the individual and society
The “Sociological Imagination”
C. Wright Mills, “The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society.”
To view our individual lives in the context of large, powerful, historically conditioned social forces
The Individual vs. Social Structures
How do we usually explain one’s behavior?
Going to war – prove patriotism, among other reasons
Divorce – no passion, to develop potential partner
College students’ suicide – to escape depression
How should we explain group behavior?
Going to war – society teaches us to be patriotic
Divorce – social trend towards sexual equality
Suicide – pervasive societal expectations of academic performance
What is a social structure?
Patterns of social relationships
Groups/Society Individual Behavior
Groups and society shape individual behavior
Individual behavior creates groups and society
Going to college – your personal decision?
Joining a gang – a social act providing some young men and women with a sense of security
Sociologists Focus on…
The individual or the group?
Individual behavior or patterns of group behavior?
Personal motivation or social forces?
The effect social structures have on people or the effect people have on social structure?
Sociological Theories
What does a theory do?
It explains reality
Each theory provides a framework for interpreting sociological observations
The three dominant sociological theories
Symbolic Interactionism (e.g. George Simmel, George Herbert Mead)
Functionalism (e.g. Emile Durkheim)
Conflict Theory (e.g. Karl Marx)
1. Symbolic Interactionism
Symbol refers
Sociology – the study of human behavior and society – Focuses on groups but not individuals
Sociologists study a broad range of phenomena
From small group interactions and the meaning of cultural symbols to large scale economic shifts
Micro- vs. Macro- Sociology
Connection between the individual and society
The “Sociological Imagination”
C. Wright Mills, “The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society.”
To view our individual lives in the context of large, powerful, historically conditioned social forces
The Individual vs. Social Structures
How do we usually explain one’s behavior?
Going to war – prove patriotism, among other reasons
Divorce – no passion, to develop potential partner
College students’ suicide – to escape depression
How should we explain group behavior?
Going to war – society teaches us to be patriotic
Divorce – social trend towards sexual equality
Suicide – pervasive societal expectations of academic performance
What is a social structure?
Patterns of social relationships
Groups/Society Individual Behavior
Groups and society shape individual behavior
Individual behavior creates groups and society
Going to college – your personal decision?
Joining a gang – a social act providing some young men and women with a sense of security
Sociologists Focus on…
The individual or the group?
Individual behavior or patterns of group behavior?
Personal motivation or social forces?
The effect social structures have on people or the effect people have on social structure?
Sociological Theories
What does a theory do?
It explains reality
Each theory provides a framework for interpreting sociological observations
The three dominant sociological theories
Symbolic Interactionism (e.g. George Simmel, George Herbert Mead)
Functionalism (e.g. Emile Durkheim)
Conflict Theory (e.g. Karl Marx)
1. Symbolic Interactionism
Symbol refers