Introduction to Sociology
INTRODUCTION
“Sociology” term was coined by the French Philosopher “COMPTE AUGUSTE” in 1839.
Sociology word is derived from Latin word “Societus” meaning Society and a Greek word
“Logos” means Study of. Thus Sociology means the study of Society
DEFINITION
According to Gillin and Gillin- “Sociology is defined as the study of interaction arising
from the association of living beings”.
According to LF Ward- “Society is defined as the science of Society or of Social
Phenomena.”
NATURE OF SOCIOLOGY
Nature of sociology is in controversies as some critics accept it as Science but some do not.
A) Sociology cannot be regarded as a Science.
Sociology lacks objectivity.
Sociology lacks exactivity.
Sociology lacks exact and clear terminology.
B) Sociology is a science.
Sociology uses scientific methods.
Sociology does frames laws and attempts to predict.
Sociology possesses Objectivity.
Sociology studies cause effect relationship.
SCOPE OF SOCIOLOGY
The main emphasis in broadest sense is related to the study of human inter-actions, inter
-relations their conditions and consequences. It means, in sociology whole life of man in
society is studied.
To demarcate the scope the field of sociology, the two schools of thoughts are given below
1. Formalistic school
Sociology studies generic form of relationship- Small
Concerns with mental of psychic relationship-Vierkandt.
Understands human behaviour- Max Weber
Studies all forms of relationship- Von
Conclusively, sociology is limited to abstract study of social relationship.
2. Synthetic school
According to Durkheim’s view- it has three divisions
A) Social Morphology- which studies-
Geographic basis of life
Relations to the type of social organizations
Population problems
B) Social Physiology-
Deals with social facts such as Religion, Morals, Laws and Languages
C) General Sociology-
Deals with discovering the general characters of social facts
BRANCHES/FIELDS OF SOCIOLOGY
Social Theory- studies sociological concepts, principles and generalizations.
Historical sociology- It includes past social institutions and origin of present ones.
Family Sociology- studies the origin, growth, functions, types of families and its
problems like dowry, divorce, domestic violence etc.
Human Ecology and demography- It studies about the death rate and birth rate,
migrated population, plane area, desert area etc..
SPECIAL BRANCHES OF SOCIOLOGY
Sociology of Religion- It studies the importance of religious beliefs, types of religion,
superstitions, magic and religious teachings.
Economic sociology- It studies inflictions, poverty rate and policies.
Cultural Sociology- It deals with the study of different culture, their folksongs,
dances, music, sculptures, monuments, dress styles, eating habits, foods etc.
Sociology of Social Stratification- This branch of sociology deals with division of
society into higher and lower units, class and caste system with their status and
functions in the society.
SOME OTHER BRANCHES
Medical Sociology- deals with the sociological analysis of medical organizations,
production of knowledge and selection of methods, actions and interaction of
medical professionals that affects the medical practice.
Social Psychiatry- deals with the interpersonal and cultural context of mental
disorder and mental well-being.
Sociology of Sex- deals with the distinction between sex and gender to assign the
category of being male, female and transgender, bisexual or as transsexuals that
influences the personal identity based on physical and mental characteristics such
as genitalia, chromosomes and behaviour.
Political sociology- it deals with the study of power and relationship between
societies, states, and political conflicts.
Military Sociology- deals with the systematic study of military as a social group.
Industrial Sociology- deals with the implications of trends in technological change,
globalization, labour market, managerial practice and employment relations.
IMPORTANCE OF SOCIOLOGY
Importance of sociology lies under following –
It studies society- by using sociology; one can study the society in a scientific
manner and can improve the human’s social affairs.
It studies the role of institutions in the development of individuals- sociology studies
the weaknesses and potentialities of individuals and helps to build a positive mental
attitude.
Sociology is useful for planning of society- sociology helps to mend the society
through adequate and proper planning.
Sociology helps to resolve social problems- social problems and evils are studied
and eliminated through the use of proper research and in return improve the social
life.
Sociology draws attention to intrinsic worth and dignity of man- sociology helps to
change the attitude towards human beings and enhance brotherhood by realizing
the intrinsic worth of a human as a being.
Sociology changes our outlook in regard to problems of crime- Sociology helps to
understand the mental deficiencies of criminals and make efforts to rehabilitate
them enabling society to be a better and safe habitat
Sociology enriches human culture- Sociology enable a man to have a better
understanding of his own, culture, and others by overcoming personal prejudices
and hatredness aiming for a common good.
Sociology helps to solve the problems of international Standards- Sociology helps to
understand the cause and effect of international conflicts between countries such as
wars, quarantine, illegal migrations, political conflicts etc and tries to resolve them
in a subtle manner.
RELEVANCE OF SOCIOLOGY IN NURSING/ IMPORTANCE OF SOCIOLOGY
IN NURSING
Sociology is very useful in nursing profession as discussed below-
It helps a nurse to understand the differences of cultures and life styles of clients
It helps to understand the cause and effect of social stigmas, community’s health
problems, castes, classes, groups etc.
It helps a nurse to welcome client for care without caste or colour discrimination,
prejudices, cultural beliefs and practices.
It helps a nurse to understand the social interactions
It helps to build a better community in terms of health either mental or physical
It helps to understand social support system in maintaining the health and standard
of care
It helps a nurse to achieve social control by means of positive or negative forces in
order to maintain an organized society.
It helps a nurse to guide people about welfare programs available.
CONCLUSION-
Sociology is important for a nurse to know the cultural values, traditions, beliefs and practices
before attempting to care for a client. By having knowledge of all these, a nurse can maintain
physical, psychological, social and emotional health of people in a given society.
