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There are explain in structural functionalism, conflict theory, feminist theory and social construction of social problems.
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Sociological Imagination
An awareness of the relationship between an individual
and the wider society
The ability to view one's own society as an outsider
would, rather than from the limited perspective of personal experiences and cultural biases
Mills argued that the Sociological Imagination
enables us to understand the relationship between “private problems” and “public issues”
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
ON SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Sociological perspective tend to focus on one of
two different levels
Macro Theories
Societies represent an intricate system of
Functionalists see a common set of norms and values as the glue that holds groups, institutions, and whole societies together.
Thus, one of the major sources of contemporary social problems is the weakening of the social consensus
Functionalists theorists assume that human beings work together through common consensus to collectively preserve society.
This perspective is associated with the writings of
Karl Marx
Conflict perspective assumes that social behavior
is best understood in terms of conflict or tension among competing groups
It views societies as being composed of diverse
groups with conflicting values and interests
Conflict Theory - continued
Conflict theorists see a diverse collection of social groups all struggling for wealth, power and prestige
Marx stressed that there are two social classes with competing interest:
Conflict sociologists see social problems as the inevitable byproducts of power
conditions that are incompatible with group values.
According to this theory, social problems occur
when groups with different values meet and compete.
From this perspective social problems need to be
understood in terms of which groups hold which values and have the power to enforce them against the wishes of other groups.
not really a single theory but a group of theories
that share a concern with the same basic questions
Many feminists believe that the exploitation of
women by their male counterparts is the original and most basic form of social exploitation
else; symbols range from words and language to nonverbal gestures and signs
According to symbolic interaction, people attach meanings to each others words and actions
To understand individual behavior, the interactionist tries to look at the world though the eyes of the actors involved
This understanding of the of the conditions in
Symbolic interactionism explains our behavior in
terms of the patterns of thoughts and beliefs we have, and in terms of the meaning we give our lives