6 Unit 1 Sociological Perspectives

Section
The Sociological Perspective
1 K e y

• perspective
• sociology
T e r m s

• social structure
• sociological imagination
• sociological perspective

Section The Nature of Sociology

Preview
A perspective is a particular point of view. Babies are usually brighter
and better looking to their parents than they are to others.

S ociology studies human

social behavior. It as-
sumes a group, rather than
Newlyweds nearly always find their spouses much more attractive than do
their friends. We all see what is happening around us through our own per-
spectives—our own points of view.
an individual, perspective. We normally do not realize how much of our attitudes and beliefs are de-
Sociologists look for the pat- termined by our perspectives. Sometimes, though, when our outlook is chal-
terns in social relationships. lenged, we may be jarred into realizing how much we take it for granted. As
you will see, sociology has its own perspective. To understand it, you must
Individuals can benefit by
have an idea of just what sociology is.
using their sociological imag-
inations to look at events in What is sociology? As a newcomer to the field, you may at first view
their personal lives. sociology as the study of human social behavior. As you go along, however,
you will acquire a more precise understanding of sociology as the scientific
study of social structure. (Social structure is discussed later in this section.)
What is unique about sociology? Sociology, as stated earlier, has its
own perspective. The sociological perspective never focuses on the indi-
perspective vidual. Psychologists may study the individual, but not sociologists. The view
a particular point of view through the lens of sociology always remains at the social, or group, level.

sociology
the scientific study of social
structure (human social
behavior)

sociological perspective
a view that looks at behavior
of groups, not individuals

These elephant tusks were burned to

discourage trade in ivory. Whether
you support this action depends
upon your beliefs about conservation
and national sovereignty.
 Chapter 1 An Invitation to Sociology 7

The Social Sciences

Social science is a branch of learning that deals with human society. It includes a number of disciplines, which
we generally refer to as the social sciences. These disciplines differ, but they share enough in common to over-
lap. Descriptions of the major social sciences are presented in this table.

Social Science Description Example

Sociology Sociology investigates human social behavior from a group rather than an Relationship between the employment of
individual perspective. It concentrates on patterns of social relationships, women and family size
primarily in modern societies.

Anthropology Anthropology investigates culture, the customary be- Nature of the family in preliterate
liefs and material traits of groups. It is the social sci- societies
ence most closely related to sociology. Anthropolo-
gists, however, concentrate on the study of preliterate
societies (societies that do not use writing). Sociolo-
gists focus on modern, industrial societies.

Psychology Psychology investigates human mental and emotional Effects of birth order on emotional
processes. While sociologists concentrate on the group, development
psychologists also study the development and function-
ing of the individual.

Economics Economics is the study of the production, distribution, and consumption of Annual income levels of American
goods and services. families

Political science Political science investigates the

organization, administration, his- Relationship between a family's social
tory, and theory of government. class and voting behavior
Political scientists are con-
cerned, for example, with voting
patterns and participation in po-
litical parties.

History History examines past events in human Nature of family life in colonial
societies. Historians generally rely on society
newspapers, historical documents, and
oral histories as sources of information.
8 Unit 1 Sociological Perspectives

Industrial Revolution

American Revolution

George Washington Herbert Spencer publishes

is president Social Statics
1850

French Revolution
Charles Darwin publishes
Louisiana Purchase On the Origin of Species
1803 1859
Francis Lowell’s
company opens
1814
Indian Removal Act
1830

Harriet Martineau publishes

Society in America
1837

Auguste Comte begins publishing

Time Line of Positive Philosophy, which identifies
science of sociology
1830
Early Sociologists Karl Marx publishes
The Communist Manifesto,
promoting a classless society
1848

1770 1780 1790 1800 1810 1820 1830 1840 1850 1860

Sociologists do not focus on the behavior of individuals but on the pat-

terns of behavior shared by members of a group or society.
The person on the street might explain human behavior in
individualistic or personal terms—a young man joins a gang
to prove his toughness; a woman divorces her husband to
develop her potential; a teen commits suicide to escape
depression.
Sociologists attempt to explain these same events with-
out relying on personal factors. They look for social rather
than personal explanations when they examine delinquency,
divorce, or suicide. Sociologists might explain the events
in the following ways:
❖ Young men join gangs because they have been
taught by their society to be “masculine.”
❖ More women divorce because of the social trend
toward sexual equality.
❖ Teens commit suicide because of peer group
expectations of performance, material possessions, and
physical appearance.
Sociologists do not speak of a young man, a married
woman, or a teenager. They concentrate on categories of
Joining a gang provides some young people—young men, married women, and teenagers.
men—and women— with a sense of
security and belonging they haven’t
found elsewhere.
 Chapter 1 An Invitation to Sociology 9

Industrial Revolution World War I Worldwide depression

Lincoln issues the World War II

W.E.B. Du Bois publishes
Emancipation Proclamation The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study
1863 1899
U.S. population passes 40 million First U.S. scenic highway opens
1871 Max Weber publishes 1923
The Protestant Ethic
Alexander G. Bell patents telephone and the Spirit of Capitalism
1876 1904
Mickey Mouse is “born”
Haymarket Square Riot 1928
1886

Jane Addams awarded

Nobel Peace Prize
George Eastman Model T Ford mass produced 1931
introduces Kodak 1909
box camera
1888

Titanic sinks
First department of 1912
sociology is established
at the University of Chicago
1892 19th Amendment gives
women the right to vote in U.S.
1920
Emile Durkheim
publishes Suicide
1897

1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950

This time line shows when important

The Importance of Patterns developments in sociology occurred
in relation to well-known events in
As you well know, high school students in a classroom behave in differ-
American history. Entries marked
ent ways. Some students listen to everything their teacher says. Some tune in with a blue dot indicate important
and out, and others spend much of the time daydreaming. Yet, if you visit sociology landmarks (The sociolo-
almost any high school, you will find patterned relationships. Teachers walk gists on this time line are discussed
around the room, work with students, lecture, and give tests. Students follow in the next sections of this chapter.)
the teacher’s lesson plan, make notes, and take tests. Although the personal How might the development of the
characteristics of students and teachers may vary from school to school, stu- box camera in 1888 have influ-
dents and teachers relate in similar patterned ways. It is the patterned inter- enced the growth of sociology as a
action of people in social relationships—what sociologists call social field of study?
structure—that captures the attention of sociologists.
How do group behavior and individual behavior differ? Sociologists
assume that social relationships are not determined by the particular charac- social structure
teristics of the individuals involved. Emile Durkheim, a pioneering nineteenth- the patterned interaction of
century sociologist, helped develop the sociological perspective. He argued, people in social relationships
for example, that we do not attempt to explain bronze in terms of its sepa-
rate parts (lead, copper, and tin). Instead, we consider bronze a
totally new metal created by the combination of several other metals. We can-
not even predict the characteristics of bronze from the traits of its parts. For
example, bronze is hard, while lead, copper, and tin are soft and pliable. The
mixing of the individual parts creates a new whole with new characteristics.
Durkheim reasoned that a similar process happens with groups of people.
Indeed, people’s behavior within a group setting cannot be predicted from
their personal characteristics. Something new is created when individuals
10 Unit 1 Sociological Perspectives

come together. For example, in 1999 the Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl
championship. Following the game, a few otherwise law-abiding Bronco fans,
as a group, disrupted the peace and challenged the police in ways they would
not have done as individuals.
Student Web Activity Tragedy, as well as joy, can change group behavior. The intense rivalry be-
Visit the Sociology and tween the Texas A&M Aggies and the University of Texas Longhorns was ban-
You Web site at ished the year twelve Aggie students died while preparing for the traditional
soc.glencoe.com and click on football pregame bonfire. During the halftime, the Longhorn band played the
Chapter 1—Student Web song “Amazing Grace” and taps, and saluted the victims and their families by re-
Activities for an activity on moving their hats. At a joint Aggie-Longhorn candlelight vigil two nights before
social patterns. the football game, the A&M student body president said that the communal shar-
ing of the grief changed the relationship between the two schools forever.
Why do people conform? Groups range in size from a family to an en-
tire society. Regardless of size, all groups encourage conformity. We will
study conformity in more detail later. For now, you need to know only that
members of a group think, feel, and behave in similar ways. For example,
Americans, Russians, and Nigerians have eating habits, dress, religious be-
liefs, and attitudes toward family life that reflect their group.

Another A Native

Time American’s
Speech
Virginia colonists had offered to “properly edu- We are however
cate” some young Indian boys at the College of not the less obligated
William and Mary in Williamsburg.To the surprise by your kind offer,
of the colonists, the benefits of a white gentle- though we decline
man’s education were not highly valued by the
accepting it; and, to
tribal elders. Below is a Native American’s reply to
the white men’s offer.
show our grateful
sense of it, if the gen-
tlemen of Virginia will
W e know that you highly esteem the kind
of learning taught in . . . [your] colleges.
. . . But you, who are wise, must know that dif-
send us a dozen of their sons, we will take care of
their education, instruct them in all we know, and
ferent nations have different conceptions of make men of them.
things; and you will not therefore take it amiss, if
our ideas of this kind of education happen not to Thinking It Over
be the same with yours. We have had some expe-
1. Describe your reaction to this passage. What
rience of it; several of our young people were for-
does it tell you about the importance of per-
merly brought up at the colleges of the northern
spective in interpreting the social world?
provinces; they were instructed in all your sci-
ences; but, when they came back to us, they were 2. Describe a social encounter where you per-
bad runners, ignorant of every means of living in sonally experienced a “clash of perspectives”
the woods, unable to bear either cold or hunger, with someone from another culture.
knew neither how to build a cabin, take a deer, 3. Do you think your education is preparing
nor kill an enemy, spoke our language imper- you to succeed in the world outside school?
fectly, were therefore neither fit for hunters, war-
riors, nor councellors; they were totally good for
nothing.
 Chapter 1 An Invitation to Sociology 11
Conformity within a group occurs, in part, because
members have been taught to value the group’s ways.
Members generally tend to conform even when their
personal preferences are not the same as the group’s.
Some teens, for example, start smoking only to gain
group acceptance.
Behavior within a group cannot be predicted
simply from knowledge about its individual
members. This could be because members truly
value their group’s ways or because they give in
to social pressures. Like bronze, the group is
more than the sum of its parts.

Acquiring the Sociological

Imagination
The sociological perspective enables us to
develop a sociological imagination. That is,
knowing how social forces affect our lives can
prevent us from being prisoners of those
forces. C. Wright Mills (1959), an American
sociologist, called this personal use of soci-
ology the sociological imagination—the
ability of individuals to see the relation-
ship between events in their personal lives
and events in their society.
What is gained by using our sociological imagination? People do To the outsider, these teenagers seem
to be dressed alike. How does this
not make decisions, big or small, in isolation. Historically, for example,
photo show that a group is more
American society has shown a strong bias against childless and one-child than the sum of its parts?
marriages. Couples without children have been considered selfish, and an
only child has often been labeled “spoiled” (Benokraitis, 1999). These values
date back to a time when large families were needed for survival. Most peo-
ple lived on family farms, where children were needed to help with the
work. Furthermore, many children died at birth or in infancy. People re- sociological imagination
sponded to society’s needs by having large families. Now, as the need for the ability to see the link
large families is disappearing, we are beginning to read about benefits of between society and self
one-child families—to the child, to the family, and to society. This change in
attitude is reflected in the decrease in family size.
The sociological imagination helps us understand the effects of events,
such as the social pressures just discussed, on our daily lives. With this un-
derstanding, we are in a better position to make our own decisions rather
than merely conform (Erikson, 1997; Game and Metcalfe, 1996).
This social awareness permits us to read the newspaper with a fuller un-
derstanding of the events. Instead of interpreting a letter opposing welfare as
an expression of someone with no compassion, we might instead see the
writer as a person who places great importance on independence and self-
help. The sociological imagination questions common interpretations of
human social behavior. It challenges conventional social wisdom—ideas peo-
ple assume are true.
12 Unit 1 Sociological Perspectives

Sociology Job Opportunities

Today in Sociology
In general, all employers are interested in four types of skills regardless of what specific career
path you choose. These skills are:

❖ the ability to work with others ❖ the ability to solve problems

❖ the ability to write and speak well ❖ the ability to analyze information

Because computers have revolutionized the office, for example, information analysis skills are be-
coming much more important to managers in all types of organizations. The increasing complexity of
work demands greater critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Knowledge is of limited use if you
can’t convey what you know to others.
The study of sociology helps students to develop these general skills, so it is a solid base for
many career paths. For sociology majors, the following list of possibilities is only the beginning—
many other paths are open to you.
❖ Social services—in rehabilitation, case management, group work with youth or the elderly,
recreation, or administration
❖ Community work—in fund-raising for social service organizations, nonprofits, child-care or
community development agencies, or environmental groups
❖ Corrections—in probation, parole, or other criminal justice work
❖ Business—in advertising, marketing and consumer research, insurance, real estate, personnel
work, training, or sales
❖ College settings—in admissions, alumni relations, or placement offices
❖ Health services—in family planning, substance abuse, rehabilitation counseling, health
planning, hospital admissions, and insurance companies
❖ Publishing, journalism, and public relations—in writing, research, and editing
❖ Government services—in federal, state, and local government jobs in such areas as
transportation, housing, agriculture, and labor
❖ Teaching—in elementary and secondary schools, in conjunction with appropriate teacher
certification; also in universities, with research opportunities.

Doing Sociology
1. Which of the above career paths is most interesting to you? What is it about this area that you
find interesting?
2. Evaluate your current strengths and weaknesses in the four primary skill areas.
3. Look at the employment opportunities in the Sunday edition of your local paper. Clip out ads for
jobs that you might qualify for with a sociology degree.
Adapted from Careers in Sociology, 4th ed., American Sociological Association, 1995.
 Chapter 1 An Invitation to Sociology 13

Illiteracy Rates
One of the assumptions of conventional
wisdom is that nearly all American adults
know how to read and write. Research
has shown, however, that a large per-
Percentage of Americans Over
centage of adults are illiterate. Literacy is 20 Who Are Illiterate
defined as the ability to read at a fourth- > 15%
grade level. This map shows, by state, > 13%
the percentage of Americans over twenty > 11%
> 9%
years old who are illiterate. ≤ 9%

Interpreting the Map

1. List the states with highest and lowest literacy rates.
2. How does your state rate on literacy?
3. What might be some reasons for adult illiteracy?

Adapted from Doug Henwood. The State of the U.S.A. Atlas.

Section 1 Assessment
1. Define sociology.
2. Explain the significance of patterns for sociologists.
“It is doubtless impossible
to approach any human
problem with a mind free
3. Give an example from your life that illustrates conformity within a
group. of bias.
4. How does the sociological imagination help people to understand the Simone de Beauvoir
effects of society on their personal lives?

Critical Thinking
“
feminist author

5. Making Comparisons Examine the idea of perspectives by

identifying an issue that you look at in one way and your parent(s) or
other adults look at in a different way. Write about the issue from both
perspectives.