Functionalists

• Early Sociologists: Durkheim, Comte, & Spencer

• View society as a set of interrelated parts that work together to produce a stable social system

• Consensus holds society together

• Topics: functions that family or ed. Serve in society; dysfunctional, manifest or latent functions

Auguste Comte “the Father of Sociology”

• Argued that societies contained forces– Social statics-for stability and

cooperation – Social dynamics-for change and conflict

• -Used scientific observation• -Positivism-sociology should

be based on knowledge of which we are positive

• -society can be improved by studying its problems

I’ve got my eye on you!!

Herbert Spencer• -pioneered the theory of Social

Darwinism (evolutionary social change led to progress provided people did not interfere (survival of the fittest)

• -compared society to human body composed of parts working together to promote well being and survival

• We should not interfere; no social reform

Emile Durkheim• Focused on the forces that held society

together• -Believed society exists because of broad

consensus among its members• -Believed that sociologists should only

study observable facts of society• -Durkheim was the first to carry out large

scale analysis of social statistics• -Like Spencer saw society as a set of

interchangeable parts

• suici

Conflict

• Marx• Competition over

scarce resources is the basis for social conflict

• Conflict leads to change

• Topics of interest: forces that promote competition and change; who possesses power and exercises over those with less; decision making in family; relationships among racial groups; coworker employer disputes

Karl Marx• economist and political philosopher• -angered by the brutal treatment of

workers during the Industrial Revolution

• -Combined roles of social observer and social activist

• -All societies are shaped by struggle between the bourgeoisie (those who owned the means of production) and proletariat (laborers)

Interactionist ( Max Weber)

• Focus on individual• Attempts to

understand meanings individual attach to their actions

• Deduce essential characteristics of features of society

• Topics of interest:Child development,

mate selection, symbols

Max Weber• pronounced Va- bur• -Human beings act on the basis of their

understanding of a situation• -sociologists must discover Verstehen

(pronounces ver-shtay-en)- the personal meanings, values, beliefs and attitudes that underlie human behavior

• -Rationalization-mindset that emphasizes the use of knowledge, reasoning and planning

• Ideal types-