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Three Approaches Of Sociology

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The Three Approaches to Sociology Research Sociology can be easily summarized as the study of human society. Using proven scientific methods, researchers can delve into the functions of our society. They can try to find the underlying reasons for such varied problems as racial inequality, income disparities, and religious discrimination. They may even end up offering advice on how to improve some of society’s ills. Modern day sociologists tackle their research from one of three different points of view. These differing perspectives are social conflict theory, structural functionalism, and symbolic interactionism. Each has various strengths and weakness when it comes to the field of sociology. One of the earliest of these perspectives …show more content…

When society pushes one ideal to the point of ignoring other possibilities, in this case regarding sexuality and gender, and it can be extremely difficult for some parents to except their children are not going to live the life that they envisioned. This can be even worse, for both parents and children, when deeply conservative religious convictions come into play. Structural functionalism is another perspective in sociology research, and is attributed to Emile Durkheim. Durkheim is also considered by many to be the father of modern social sciences, and is often referred to as the first sociologist. His work led to the formal adoption of sociology as an academic discipline. Durkheim believed that society was composed of many different parts, each with their own function. Harmony could be achieved when all parts of society worked together to achieve their goals. When some in society failed to work together or perform their specified function, dysfunction would …show more content…

They might dig into who the person voted for, why they did so, and what issues were of greatest concern to them. Unlike other sociological perspectives, symbolic interactionism is more greatly influenced by personal opinion and perspective. Someone who considers themselves an Evangelical may be less likely to vote for a Presidential candidate who doesn’t oppose abortion. A woman who considers herself a feminist may be unlikely to vote for a Congressman who believes women shouldn’t work outside the home. These decisions may be less impacted by greater society trends as a whole. Symbolic interactionism can be especially useful when studying the impact of social media, such as Twitter and Facebook. These few formats for social engagement have amazing abilities to not only connect us with other people, who we may not normally interact with, but to also expose us to a much wider range of viewpoints and beliefs. However, there are some unfortunate

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