Sociological

perspectives
6th Topic
Uswah Liaqat
MAJOR THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

Before explaining theoretical perspective, it is necessary to

introduce what perspective is? What is perspective?
A perspective is a broad assumption about society and
social behavior that provides a point of view for the study
of specific problems.
There are four of these general perspectives in modern
sociology, evolutionary, functionalist, the conflict, and the
interactionist perspectives Most of the sociologists are
guided in their work by a major theoretical perspective.
Ken Brown has given the example to understand the perspective.
For example, imagine that there are five people looking at the
same busy shopping street - a pickpocket, a police officer, a road
sweeper, a shopper and the shopkeeper. The pickpocket sees
wallets sticking out of pocket or bags, and an opportunity to steal.
The police officer sees potential crime and disorder. The road
sweeper litter and garbage left by everyone else. The shopper
might see windows full of desirable consumer goods to buy, and
the shopkeeper sees only potential customers. All are viewing the
same street, but are looking at different aspects of that street
what they see will depend on their perspective ' - what they are
looking for. They might all be seeing different things , but you
cannot really say any of their views is more correct than other -
though you might think some views provide a more truthful,
rounded and full description of the street than others do.
The Evolutionary Perspective

This is the earliest perspective in sociology based on the

work of August Comte, Spencer “It focuses on how human
societies originate and grow over a period of time.” After a
few decades it fell from favor, and is now once again
becoming fashionable. Sociologists using this perspective
look for pattern of change and development appearing in
different societies in different times.
The Functionalist or Order Perspective

According to Maccionis: " Functionalist perspective

is a framework for building theory that sees society
as a complex system whose parts work together to
promote solidarity and stability”.
The functionalist perspective in sociology is a view
of society that focuses on the way various parts of
society have functions, or positive effects, that
maintain the stability of the whole.
The perspective draws its original inspiration from the work of Herbert
Spencer and Emile Durkheim.
Spencer compared societies to living organisms. Any organism has a
structure - that is, a set of interrelated components, such as a head,
limbs, a heart, and so on. Each of these parts has a function that is, a
positive consequence for the whole system, in this case a living
organism.
In the same way, Spencer argued, a society has a structure. Its
interrelated parts are the social institutions i.e. family, religion, the
military, and so on. Ideally, each of these components also has a
function that contributes to the overall stability of the social system.
Modern structural functionalism (usually called functionalism)
does not press the analogy between a society and an organism.
But it does retain the same general idea of society as a system of
interrelated parts.
Functionalist theory implies that society tends to be an organized, stable,
well - integrated system, in which most members agree on basic values.
Under normal conditions, all the elements in the social system - such as
the schools, the family, and the state - tend to “fit together" with each
element helping to maintain overall stability .
In the functionalist view, a society has an underlying tendency to be in
equilibrium, or balance. Social change is therefore likely to be disruptive
unless it takes place relatively slowly because changes in one part of the
system usually provoke changes elsewhere in the system. Sudden and
rapid changes caused social disruption in society.
Main focus of the functionalist is on social order, stability and equilibrium
in society. They believe that whenever something becomes absolutely
dysfunction, automatically removed by the society. If something exists in
society, no matter how negative it is, it will definitely be functional for
society.
The conflict perspective
According to Maccionis: “ Conflict perspective is a
framework for building theory that sees society as an area
of inequality that generate conflict and change”.

The conflict perspective in sociology is a view of society that

focuses on social processes of tension, competition, and
change. The perspective derives its inspiration from the work
of Karl Marx, who saw the struggle between social classes as
the "engine" of history and the main source of change.

Conflict theorists assume that societies are in a constant

state of change, in which conflict is a permanent feature "
Conflict does not necessarily mean outright violence, it
includes tension hostility, competition, and disagreement
over goals and values.
Conflict, according to Marx, is between bourgeoisie -a wealthy and powerful
group who owns and controls the means of production, and proletariat-poor
laborer who are exploited by the bourgeoisie. According to Marx, this conflict is
between haves and haves not. Conflict between these two classes according to
Marx, is a sourer of social change in society. This change will took place after
the overthrown of the bourgeoisie by proliteraite.

Karl Marx viewed struggle between social classes as inevitable because

workers are exploited under capitalism.
They claimed that the Capitalists exploit the working class by giving the low
wages.
The conflict perspective encouraged the working class for gaining their rights by
radical movements
This conflict is not an occasional event that disrupts the generally
smooth workings of society: it is a continuing and inevitable part of
social life.

Conflict theorists do not see social conflict as necessarily destructive,

although they admit that it may sometimes have that effect. They
argue that conflict can often have positive results. It binds groups
together as they pursue their own interests, and the conflict among
competing groups focuses attention on social problems and leads to
beneficial changes that might otherwise not have occurred.

In this way, social movements-such as those for women's nights or

against nuclear power-become an important source of change. The
changes caused by social conflict prevention society from stagnating.
The interactionist perspective
According to Maccionis : “it’s broad focus on social
structures that shape society as a whole”.
Symbolic interaction is the interaction that takes place between people
through symbols. Much of this interaction takes place on a face-to-face basis
but it can also occur in other forms: symbolic interaction is taking place between
you and the author as you read this sentence, and it occurs whenever you obey
(or disobey) a traffic signal or a no-trespassing notice. The essential point is that
people do not respond to the world directly they place a social meaning on it and
respond to that meaning. The words of this ppt, the red light of a traffic signal a
wolf whistle in the street, have no meaning in themselves, rather, people learn to
attach symbolic meaning to these things, and they order their lives on the basis
of these meanings. We live in a symbolic as well as in a physical world, and our
social life involves a constant process of interpreting the meanings of our own
acts and those of others.
 The perspective draws much of Its original inspiration from Max Weber, who
emphasize the importance of understanding the social world from the view
point of the individuals, who act with in it.
Interactionalist theory have been strongly influenced by social psychology and
by the work of early leaders, particularly George Herbert Mead.

The main reason interactionist theorists are wary of the emphasis of other
sociologists place on the major components of society is that concepts such as
“the economy” or “the state” are. After all, abstractions: they cannot exist or act
by themselves. It is people that exist and act, and is only "through their social
behavior that society can come into being at all. Society is ultimately created,
maintained, and changed by the social interaction of its members.
Criticism / Difference between symbolic and other two perspectives
The interactionist perspective provides a fascinating insight into the
mechanics of everyday life, and it has the advantage of revealing
fundamental social processes that other perspectives easily overlook.
But the perspective is open to the important criticism that it neglects
larger social institutions and societal processes of stability and change-
institutions and processes which, after all, have powerful effects on
social interaction and on our personal experience.
Difference between symbolic and other two perspectives/
Criticism
The important difference between this perspective and the two we
have considered is that it does not focus on such large structures as
the state. the economy, or social classes. Instead, it concerned
primarily with the everyday social interaction that takes place as
people go about their lives.
 Extra

The interactionist perspective focuses on social behavior in everyday life. It tries

to understand how people create and interpret the situations they experience,
and it emphasizes how countless instances of social interaction produce the
larger structure of society government, the economy and other institutions.
This perspective presumes that it is only through these social behavior of the
people that society can come into being. Society is ultimately created,
maintained and changed by the social interaction of its members