Sociologists approach social phenomena from a variety of perspectives. The three main perspectives that are utilized in the field of psychology are structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism. Each of these perspectives offers a unique view on societal occurrences and social problems. The first two perspectives look at things from a macro level, while the third perspective looks at things from a micro level. Even though structural functionalism and conflict theory look at the larger social structure of things, they still differ in their explanation of social problems. Structural functionalism (unsurprisingly) looks at the function that each social structure plays in the larger societal "machine". This purely objective
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A symbolic interactionist does not care about the larger social structures, but instead seeks to understand how the everyday interactions an individual has shape who they become and how they act. When looking at crime, this perspective might look at the meaning crime has acquired in that individual's life. In their social circle, is crime something praised or is it something condemned? Based on this, it might be easier to understand why an individual would commit crime based on their experiences. Each of the three sociological perspectives offers a unique understanding of societal occurrences and social problems. By looking at each perspective and combining the information presented, we can gain deeper understanding of society as a …show more content…
We are each a product of the environment that our ancestors inhabited hundreds and thousands of years ago.
Race and ethnicity are two different concepts that are mistakenly used interchangeably in our society. Let's start by looking at race. Race is a socially constructed idea that society uses to put people into categories. Other than skin color and features, there is no real biological difference between the races we as a society have defined as separate. Race does not take into account for many of the things ethnicity does. Quite surprisingly, on surveys today, there are only two options for race, black or white. This tells you how arbitrary and inaccurate the idea of race truly is. Ethnicity, on the other hand, looks not really at skin color (though that may play a part) but instead looks at the cultural, historical, and social backgrounds of people from the same background. Ethnicity browses over genetics and looks at the environmental differences that exist between different groups of people. Someone who grew up in Guatemala will have a much different life experience than someone who grew up in England. These differences arise from their cultural background
A symbolic interactionist does not care about the larger social structures, but instead seeks to understand how the everyday interactions an individual has shape who they become and how they act. When looking at crime, this perspective might look at the meaning crime has acquired in that individual's life. In their social circle, is crime something praised or is it something condemned? Based on this, it might be easier to understand why an individual would commit crime based on their experiences. Each of the three sociological perspectives offers a unique understanding of societal occurrences and social problems. By looking at each perspective and combining the information presented, we can gain deeper understanding of society as a …show more content…
We are each a product of the environment that our ancestors inhabited hundreds and thousands of years ago.
Race and ethnicity are two different concepts that are mistakenly used interchangeably in our society. Let's start by looking at race. Race is a socially constructed idea that society uses to put people into categories. Other than skin color and features, there is no real biological difference between the races we as a society have defined as separate. Race does not take into account for many of the things ethnicity does. Quite surprisingly, on surveys today, there are only two options for race, black or white. This tells you how arbitrary and inaccurate the idea of race truly is. Ethnicity, on the other hand, looks not really at skin color (though that may play a part) but instead looks at the cultural, historical, and social backgrounds of people from the same background. Ethnicity browses over genetics and looks at the environmental differences that exist between different groups of people. Someone who grew up in Guatemala will have a much different life experience than someone who grew up in England. These differences arise from their cultural background