3 Major Theoretical Perspectives In Sociology

Assignment #1 The first major theoretical perspective is the functionalist perspective, which also goes by the names functionalism and structural functionalism. These types of perspectives are commonly based on the theory that society is a stable, orderly system. Under the functionalist perspective, a society is said to be composed of many different parts, which are interrelated and serves different functions that in the end contributes to the stability of the society. Many factors, such as education, family, government, the economy, and religion, all play an important role in the survival of a society. If anything is to happen to one of these factors, the other factors will be affected, and would cause the system
In these types of perspectives, society is said to be the sum of the interactions of both individuals and groups. Theorists who use this perspective typically focuses on interactions, and the parts that symbols play in giving meaning to human communication. These symbols include signs, gestures, and even written language. Amongst the Symbolic Interactionist Perspective, there are macrolevel analysis, and microlevel analysis. Macrolevel analysis examines whole societies, while microlevel analysis focuses on just small groups. Microlevel analysis is typically what Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives are based on. Symbolic Interactionists attempt to study how people make sense of their life situations, and how they carry out activities on a day-to-day basis. Symbolic Interactionists believe our thoughts, and behaviors are primarily shaped by our social interactions with other individuals. Theorists such as Charles Cooley, and George Mead, explored how individual personalities are developed from social experience and came to the conclusion that “we would not have an identity, a self, without communication with other
Du Bois, whose original name is William Edward Burghardt Du Bois. Throughout his lifetime, Du Bois was known as an American civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, Sociologist, Educator, and much more. Works by Du Bois includes “The Souls of Black Folk”, “The Freedmen’s Bureau”, “The Talented Tenth”, and many more. Du Bois shared in creation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP for short. He believed that social science could indeed provide the necessary knowledge needed to solve the problem involving race. In some of his famous works, Du Bois argues against many of the points that Booker T. Washington, for not demanding the proper equality for African Americans. He continued to fight for equality amongst African Americans, until his death in 1963. W.E.B. Du Bois’s work might inform us on society and/r behavior today, being that he fought for better treatment of African Americans, so now they are treated more equally, and given the same