The different approaches of sociological theory are: structural functional approach, social conflict approach, and the symbolic interaction approach. The structural functional approach states that our lives are guided by social structures, which are somewhat reliable patters of social behaviors. For example, in families, the community and religious organizations play an enormous role in shaping our lives. Each social structure consists of social functions, or consequences for the operation of society as a whole. For example, education has several imperative functions in a society such as social placement and learning. The social conflict approach is a theory that views society as a field of inequality that brings about conflict and social change.
