Sociological Theories

Chauncie Fisher
Block 1

In the studies of human behavior, nature vs. nurture plays a large role in how and why people behave the way they do. It can be argued that how a human behaves can be based on social factors and their environment. That our behavioral aspects originate only from the environmental factors of our upbringing can be supported by studies from psychologists such as John Watson and Ivan Pavlov, who explained classical conditioning. This type of conditioning matches an environmental stimulus with a naturally occurring stimulus, like the experiment with Pavlov and his dogs. Then there’s the fact that if our environment didn’t play a part in human traits and behaviors, theoretically the behavior of twins should be the same,
Marx explains the basis of social structure to be the relations of production or economic structure. Durkheim describes it as a set of social norms, while Parsons says it’s a set of social institutions with a pattern of action-oriented cultural values. The principle of extensiveness, one of the key factors of social order, states that the more norms and the more important those norms are to society, the better these norms hold a group together as a whole. For example, it’s easier for the Amish to succeed in upholding their religion and views because their way of life is the norm for their close-knit community. Along the lines of social order, social change refers to the alteration in the social order of society. This term that can be social progress, with society moving forward, or it can be society moving toward capitalism, with society moving towards a social revolution. Social change may be driven by either cultural, religious, economic, or technological forces, The theory of social control explains that values, norms, relationships, and beliefs is what encourages people not to break the law. This theory goes more into the possible ways to reduce the likelihood of criminal behavior developing in individuals and originates from Thomas Hobbes
Merton claims, but is instead the result of the pressures from all dominant values. Those that feel that they can’t achieve in society by legitimate means and experience social frustration, Merton says they turn to crime in order to attain wealth, while Cohen says they instead they form a subculture that turn the norms of a larger society upside down. In Cohen’s explanation, crime is valued within gangs and so allows retaliation against society and a way to gain status in the eyes of peers. A youth sub-culture has distinct styles, behaviors, and interests. The youth sub-culture allows an identity outside of family, work, home, and school. They’re often distinguished by things like slang, beliefs, or behaviors. Early studies in youth culture were mainly produced by functionalist sociologists, such as Talcott Parsons and Karl Marx, and focus on youth as a single form in