Sociological Theories & Paradigms

• Theories in sociology are propositions that explain the social world and help to make predictions about future events.

• Groups of theories are also sometimes referred to as approaches, schools of thought, paradigms, or perspectives.

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3 Main Sociological Paradigms

What is a paradigm?A paradigm is a set of assumptions, theories and/or perspectives the help us understand social reality.

In other words, a way of thinking.

The 3 main paradigms in sociology are:1. Functionalism2. Conflict Theory3. Symbolic Interaction

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Auguste Comte (1798 – 1857)

• Comte was one of the earliest sociologist and he coined the term “sociology”.

• He believed that the social world could be studied just like the natural world.

• He is associated with “positivism” which is studying the social world in a scientific way – try to discover laws of social behavior

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Emile Durkheim (1858 -1917)Father of Sociology

Durkheim is associated with structural functionalism. Functionalists believe that all social structures serve a function, otherwise they would not exist. Social structures help maintain order and stability in society. Durkheim, like Comte believed that society can be understood empirically using “social facts”, which are the norms, customs, and beliefs of society.When social bonds and norms break down, people suffer from normlessness, or anomie.

Functionalism

Everything in society serves a FUNCTIONSociety is like the human body, an organic

whole and each part relies on the other parts to create a healthy society.

People are interdependent, i.e. people rely on everybody else to make things function in society

Functionalism

• Functional = Order, stability, and status quo.

Dysfunction and rapid social change creates Chaos!

• Norms and customs create stability which makes things predictable.

When norms break down, people get confused and don’t know how to act and the suffer from anomie

• Cooperation and consensus make society run smooth.

Too much disruption hinders cooperation, society weakens

• People do best in an ordered society.

Too much change caused people to feel depressed and alienated.

• A functional society is a healthy society because all the parts work well together.

Dysfunction causes unhealthy society, because the parts aren’t working together properly.

Durkheim’S idea of the Collective Conscience

The collective conscience is “the totality of beliefs and sentiments common to average citizens of the same society” (Durkheim).

The collective conscience is the society that people are born into, and society goes on after people die. The beliefs of society can pass on from generation to generation

Society puts pressure on people to conform in order for people to get along in their social world.

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We all feel the influence of society• The individual recognizes

that something exists outside him/herself.

• Durkheim sees the external society exerting coercive power on the individual, who then internalizes it.

• When we feel that we are doing something wrong or right, this is a form of external coercive power.

Moral consciencecomes from the

outside

Durkheim: Mechanical vs. mechanic Solidarity

Mechanic solidarity is a small, simple society, with a simple division of labor. There is a strong collective conscience and intense pressure to conform to norms. Strict enforcement of norms – if you don’t conform you are out.People are similar. There is less diversity, less tolerance for difference. With more control, there is less freedom.

Durkheim believed that society was changing from mechanic to organic solidarity as people moved away from small villages and simple lives, to larger cities with complex systems.

•Organic solidarity happens in large, complex societies. Think big cities. There is a complex division of labor, with increasing specialization. With increasing specialization comes increasing interdependence.

•People have to rely on each other more because everybody does a small part of what people need to exist.

•Durkheim compares this to the human body Organic parts interdependent upon each other

•There is a weak collective conscience, less pressure to conform, less coercion, and therefore, more freedom for the individual.

Durkheim believed that as society became larger and more complex, the collective conscience would place less pressure on the individual and people would feel more freedom.

Durkheim: Mechanical vs. Organic Solidarity

Let’s Brainstorm

Structural Functionalism

How is crime functional?

A functionalist would say that it serves to reinforce the norms of what is right and wrong.