Sociology Exam 1
Sociology: the scientific study of social behavior and human groups. Broad in scope; it focuses on social
relationships; how those relationships influence people’s behavior; and how societies, the sum total of
those relationships, develop and change
Sociological imagination: C. Wright Mills: awareness of the relationship between an individual and the
wider society. It is based on the ability to view our own society as an outsider might, rather than from
the perspective of our limited experiences and cultural biases.
Sociology is a social science; sociology emphasizes the influence that groups can have on people’s
behavior and attitudes and ways in which people shape society.
Knowledge that relies on common sense is not always reliable. Sociologists must test and analyze each
piece of information they use.
Sociologists employ theories to examine relationships between observations or data that may seem
completely unrelated.
19th Century thinkers;
1. Auguste Comte: French: Founded modern sociology: Knowing is enough
2. Harriet Martineau: English: it is important to understand but you must move forward: helped
found sociology in the US
3. Herbert Spencer: English: once you know it and understand it you can leave it alone and it will
take care of itself
Emile Durkheim: worked on suicide
Max Weber: emphasized the importance of the economy and social conflict
Macrosociology concentrates on large-scale phenomena or entire civilizations
Microsociology stresses the study of small groups
Functionalist Perspective emphasizes the way in which the parts of society are structured to maintain its
stability.
Conflict Perspective assumes that the social behavior is best understood in terms of conflict or tension
between competing groups.
Interactionist Perspective is concerned primarily with fundamental or everyday forms of interaction,
including symbols and other types of nonverbal communication.
Sociologists use all three perspectives since each offers unique insights into the same issue.
Applied and clinical sociology apply the discipline of sociology to the solution in practical problems in
human behavior and organizations.
Basic sociology is sociological inquiry that seeks only a deeper knowledge of the fundamental aspects of
social phenomena.
