Introduction to

Sociology

SOW 1211
Introduction to Sociology
 We all belong to many groups;
 you’re a member of your sociology class, and
you're a member of your family;
 you may belong to a political party,
 sports team, or the crowd watching a sporting
event;
 you’re a citizen of your country, and you’re a part
of a generation.
 You may have a somewhat different role in each
group and feel differently in each.
Introduction to Sociology
 Why do we feel and act differently in
different types of social situations?
 Why might people of a single group exhibit
different behaviors in the same situation?
 These are some of the many questions
sociologists ask as they study people and
societies.
Introduction to Sociology
 The first social scientist to use the term sociology
was a Frenchman by the name of Auguste Comte
who lived from 1798-1857.
 As coined by Comte, the term sociology is a
combination of two words.
 The first part of the term is a Latin, socius- that may
variously mean society, association, togetherness or
companionship.
 The other word, logy, is of Greek origin. -Study of
Hence
Sociology is the study of society
Introduction to Sociology
 Although the term “sociology” was
first used by the French social
philosopher august Comte,
 The discipline was more firmly
established by such theorists as
Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx and Max
Weber e.t.c (Nobbs, Hine and
Flemming, 1978).
 DEFINITION
 Auguste Comte defines sociology as the
science of social phenomena, subject to
natural and invariable laws for discovery of
which its object of investigation.
 Kingsley Davis defines sociology as the
general science of society.
 Emile Durkheim defines sociology as the
study of social institutions.
 Max Weber defines sociology as the science
to which attempts the interpretive
understanding of social action in order
thereby to arrive at causal explanation of its
cause and effects.
CONT:
 Morris Ginsberg defines sociology as the
study of human interaction and inter-
relations, their conditions and consequences.
 Note: The common idea underline in all
definitions mention that sociology concern
People, their social relations in the society.
 Key Terms
Society: a group of people who live in a defined
geographical area who interact with one another
and who share a common culture
Social solidarity: the social ties that bind a group
of people together such as kinship, shared
location, and religion
Social institutions: patterns of beliefs and
behaviors focused on meeting social needs
Social facts: the laws, morals, values, religious
beliefs, customs, fashions, rituals, and all of the
cultural rules that govern social life
 Key Terms
significant others: specific individuals that impact a
person's life
culture: a group's shared practices, values, and
beliefs
dysfunctions: patterns that have undesirable
consequences for the operation of society
positivism: scientific study of social patterns
conflict theory: a theory that looks at society as a
competition for limited resources
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
 At the center of the sociological perspective
is the question of how groups influence
people, especially how people are
influenced by their society.
 To find out why people do what they do,
sociologists look at social location, the
corners in life that people occupy because of
where they are located in a society.
 It examines how these contexts influence
people’s lives.
SCOPE OF SOCIOLOGY
 Scope refers to the area of study, or
subject matter on which sociology acts or
operates .It includes the following:
◦ It studies human society and their
influence of individual
◦ It studies society structures and how it
affects people.
◦ It study social institutions and their role
in society
SCOPE OF SOCIOLOGY
• It studies culture, beliefs, systems, customs
and values and how they influence human
behavior.
 It studies human behavior.
 It studies changes in the societies.
 Social control: religion, tradition, folkways,
mores, belief, laws
 Socialization: a process through which a man
develops into a social being.
 It studies social issues and their causes (Poverty,
crime, discrimination, prostitution, etc.)
SCOPE OF SOCIOLOGY

 Generally speaking, it attempts to explain the

outcomes of individuals and their personal
attributes, opinions, tastes, and
characteristics in terms of their social
environment.
 Sociologists emphasize the careful gathering
and analysis of evidence about social life to
develop and enrich our understanding of key
social processes.
AIMS OF SOCIOLOGY
 Students who have been well trained in sociology
know how to think critically about human social
life, and how to ask important research questions.
 They know how to design good social research
projects, carefully collect and analyze empirical
data, and formulate and present their research
findings.
 Students trained in sociology also know how to help
others understand the way the social world works
and how it might be changed for the better.
 Most generally, they have learned how to think,
evaluate, and communicate clearly, creatively, and
effectively.
 These are all abilities of tremendous value in a wide
variety of vocational callings and professions.
AIMS OF SOCIOLOGY
 The scientific knowledge about human
society is needed in order to achieve
progress in various fields.
 Sociology improves our understanding of
society and increases the power of social
action.
 Sociology throws more light on the social
nature of man.
 The study of sociology helps us to
understand the motives, aspirations, status,
occupations, traditions, customs,
institutions, culture.
AIMS OF SOCIOLOGY
 Helps us to examine the relationship
between social institutions and the
individuals.
 The need for the study of sociology is
greater especially in underdeveloped
countries in order to achieve development.
 The study of society is a paramount
importance in solving social problems.
AIMS OF SOCIOLOGY
 Study of society has helped several
governments to promote the welfare
of the people.
 Sociology is of great practical help in
the sense, it keeps us up-to-date on
modern social situations and
developments.
 Finally as Prof. A. Giddens has
pointed out “Sociology tells us how
to become what we want to be"
Sociological Imagination
C . Wright Mills

 Sociological imagination is the ability of

understanding the intersection of one's own
biography and other biographies with history
and the present social structure you find
yourself and others in.
 In essence, it understands the private in
public terms.
Sociological Imagination
C.Wright Mills
 Individuals make choices, but their
choices are constrained by social,
historical, cultural, political and economic
factors.
 Most important, people frequently do not
even realize the extent to which their lives
are affected by things that are external to
them and outside their control.
 The main point is, if we are to understand
people’s behavior, we must take into
account these individual factors!
Sociological Imagination
C.Wright Mills
 Itfocuses on Mills' distinction
between history and biography and
between individual troubles and
public issues.
 Neither the life of an individual nor
the history of a society can be
understood without understanding
both.
FOUNDING PERSONS OF
SOCIOLOGY
1. Emile Durkheim (1858-1964)
2. Karl Marx( 1818-1883)
3. Auguste Comte(1798-1857)
4. Adam Smith(1723-1790)
5. Harriet Montineau (1802-1876)
6. Herbert Spencer-English sociologist
1820–1903
7. Ibin Khaldum(1332-1406)
Emile Durkheim (1858-1964)
FRENCH

• He argued that sociologists task is to explain

the course of any social phenomenon and the
function it contain.
• According to him the individual in society
should be explained in terms of society and not
society in terms of the individual.
• This is because individual behavior is
conditioned or directed by society.
Emile Durkheim (1858-1964)
• While suicide is generally viewed as very
individualistic and personal act, Durkheim
effectively argued that characteristics of
communities influence suicide rates,
independent of the particular individuals living in
those communities.
• He found that some countries had consistently
high rates of suicide over several decades, while
other countries had consistently low rates.
• How can we explain these macrolevel
differences?
 Emile Durkheim (1858-1964)
 For example he observed that protestant had
high rate compared to Catholics.
 He identified four types of suicide base on the
level of integration and regulation.
 Integration refers to the degree to which
collective sentiments factors of cohesion or
solidality) are shared. (Integration is the act of
bringing together smaller components into a
single system that functions as one).
 Regulation refers to the degree of external
constraint on people.
Emile Durkheim (1858-1964)
• Therefore according to him individual
society is socially determined.
• He sought to demonstrate the degree of
social cohesion prevailing various European
societies through his study of suicide in
which he identified four types of suicide
 Altruistic suicide, Egoistic, and Fatalistic
and Anomie
 TYPES OF SUICIDE
1. Low integration-Egoistic suicide
• It is committed by individuals who are
social outcast and see themselves as being
alone or an outsider).
• These individuals are unable to find their
own place in the society and have
problems adjusting to groups.
TYPES OF SUICIDE
2. High integration-Altruistic suicide
(Altruistic suicide occurs when social group
involvement is too high. Individuals are so
well integrated into the group that they are
willing to sacrifice their own life in order to
fulfil some obligation for the group.
3. Low regulation-Anomic suicide ( is caused
by lack of social and it occurs during high
levels of stress and frustration. For example
when individual suffer extreme financial loss,
the individuals face may drive them towards
committing suicide as means of escape.
TYPES OF SUICIDE
4. High regulation-fatalistic suicide.
• This occurs when individuals are placed
under extreme rules
• or high expectations are set upon them
which removes a persons sense of self or
individuality
Karl Marx( 1818-1883)

 He was a German Philosopher who was

interested in understanding the major
changes that were occurring in Europe at his
time.
 He did not consider himself a sociologist; he
attempted to study society as scientifically as
possible his aim was to develop what he
thought of as a scientific of theory of the
society.
Karl Marx( 1818-1883)

 According to Marxism, there are

broadly two classes in the history of
human societies; the haves
(Bourgeoisie) and the have nots
(Proletariats).
 The difference between them is based
on the way they are related to the
means of production
 Karl Marx( 1818-1883)

 Among his major Theoretical concepts were class

and class of conflict.
 He used this in combination with other concept to
build a theory of how capitalist operated and
changed.
 Marx's analysis of the social structure of capitalism
was supposed to apply to people of any social
characteristics.
 Capitalism is an economic and political system in
which a country’s trade and industry are controlled
by private owners for profit , rather than by the
state. An era of free-market)
Karl Marx( 1818-1883)

 Ifyou owned the means of production,

you were a member of the capitalist
class;
 if you sold your labor for a wage, you
were a member of the proletariat.
 Marx's theories about society,
economics and politics have largely
been referred to as Marxism.
Karl Marx( 1818-1883)
 In a capitalist society there were two major
classes.
 The capitalist class which is called the
bourgeoisies or the haves and the industrial
working class which is called proletarians.
 He argued that conflict between classes was
inevitable because of different relationships
in the means of production.
Karl Marx( 1818-1883)

 Karl Marx is a thinker who insisted

on a philosophy aimed at abolishing
exploitation, disparities and social
inequalities.
 He conceived human history as a
history of class conflicts and
proposed a classless society, where
the conflicts would be ultimately
resolved.
Karl Marx( 1818-1883)

 He was inspired by Charles Darwin's

theory of evolution, which explained the
evolution of the species in terms of the
process of natural selection.
 Marx says that human societies develop
in accordance with certain laws, which
are independent of the wishes and
desires of people.
Materialistic Conception of History
 For Marx, it is important to understand that human
reality is essentially historical and is driven by material
forces.
 An example of materialism is valuing a new car over
friendship.
 Constant concern over material possessions and
wealth: a great or excessive regard for worldly
concerns. The theory or attitude that physical
wellbeing and worldly possessions constitute the
greatest good and highest value in life.
 Historical materialism is an attempt to explain the
origin and development of the society from a
materialistic perspective (rather then idealistic).
Materialistic Conception of
History
 Itdeals with the most general laws of
social development, where it identifies
material forces playing crucial roles in
the formation and evolution of human
societies.
 The most important aspect of social
reality is the economic structure of a
particular society and their respective
production relationships.
Adam Smith(1723-1790)

Scottish

 Adam Smith was a Scottish Philosopher and

Economist.
 He is considered by many as the father of
economics.
 Smith believed that humans possessed a natural
affection for others.
 This led him to seek for the hidden forces of social
harmony.
Adam Smith(1723-1790)
 He isoften associated with economics
because of his famous move `the wealth
of the nations which is considered the
foundation of capitalism.
 Mercantilism
 Before classical economists emerged, mercantilism
controlled the idea on how nations may develop
economically.
 Mercantilism is an economic policy that is designed to
maximize the export and minimize the for an economy.
 Mercantilism reduces trade and cooperation between
countries, which makes goods more expensive and
difficulty to procure.
 By extension, mercantilism is the philosophy and belief
that trade with other nations should be regulated
through what is now known as protectionism
 Mercantilism
 Protectionism is where nations aim to prevent or
restrict the supply of goods coming into the country.
Government use the various policies to prevent
imports from international competing with local
business.
 Proponents of the protectionist policies argue that
domestic jobs will be lost to foreign competition
without such policies being imposed
 The mercantilists advocated government regulation of
trade to promote a favorable trade balance.
 If a country could achieve a favorable trade balance, it
would receive payments from the rest of the world in
the form of gold and silver. Such revenues would
contribute to an increase in spending and thus a rise in
domestic output and employment.
 Focus of Classical Economists

 Classical economics claims that markets

work best on their own.
 It states that there should be be minimal
government interference.
 Classical economics states that demand
adjusts to change in supply.Therefore, the
economy always moves towards equilibrium.
 In other words, we should leave the
economy alone. We should leave it because
it finds its own balance.
Other classical economist
 British
political economist David
Ricardo (1772-1823)
 French economist and business Jean-
Baptiste Say (1767-1832)
British Cleric and Scholar Rev Thomas
Robert Malthus (1766-1834)
British political economics and civil servants
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
 Contributions of Adam Smith
 The motivation to prove mercantilist theory
wrong was one of his major efforts in Wealth of
Nations.
 His major contributions are:
 Division of Labour
 Invisible Hand
 The Role of Government
 He attributed human behavior to the influence of
society.
 He laid the foundation of sociological theory of
symbolic interactionism. These ideas are from
his second book tittle `The Theory of moral
Sentiments”.
 Division of Labour
 Division of labour is an economic concept which
states that dividing the production process into
different stages enables workers to focus on specific
tasks
 Main quotation for Adam Smith:

 “One man draws out the wire, another

straightens it, a third cuts it, a fourth points it, a
fifth grinds it at the top for receiving the head; to
make the head requires two or three distinct
operations; to put it on is a peculiar business, to
whiten the pins is another; it is even a trade by
itself to put them into paper.”
 1-Division of Labour
 He observed a production unit of 10 workers
producing pins.
 If each of the 10 workers performed all the
tasks, the daily output would be 200 pins.
 When the production is divided into 10
different tasks, the same workers make
48,000 pins in one day (240 times more!).
 He concluded that division of labour can
increase the output at the global level.
Specialization and trade, is division of labour
at the global level.
 Invisible Hand
 Invisible hand characterizes the mechanism
through which beneficial social and economic
outcomes may rise from the accumulated self-
interested actions of individuals none of whom
intends to bring about such actions
 Main quotation from Adam Smith:
 ✓“It is not from the benevolence of the butcher,
the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our
dinner, but from their regard to their own
interest. We address ourselves, not to their
humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to
them of our necessities but of their advantages.”
 •The Invisible Hand is the quest for profit.
Core rationale in the Invisible Hand

 Itis difficult to imagine any

government being able to collect
information on all the consumers’
preferences and all the firms’
technologies, and finding the optimal
output level in each firm.
 ✓It turns out that the Invisible Hand
(or the desire of firms to increase their
profit) makes everybody better off.
The Role of Government

 Adam Smith, although argued that markets are

efficient, pointed out that sometimes there are market
failures (public goods, monopolies).
 He argued that government intervention is justified in
cases of market failure.
 Protection from violence. “The first duty of the
sovereign, that of protecting the society from the
violence and invasion of other independent societies”
 Protection from injustice. “The second duty of the
sovereign, that of protecting, as far as possible, every
member of the society from the injustice or oppression
of every other member of it”
The Role of Government
 Establishing institutions for public goods.
“erecting and maintaining those public
institutions and those public works, which,
though they may be in the highest degree
advantageous to a great society, are, however,
of such a nature that the profit could never
repay the expense to any individual or small
number of individuals, and which it therefore
cannot be expected that any individual or
small number of individuals should erect or
maintain.”
The Theory of moral Sentiments.

 Smith’s Moral Sentiments was a real scientific

breakthrough.
 It showed that our moral ideas and actions are a
product of our nature as social creatures
 Social psychology was a better guide to moral action
than books or authorities.
 Smith argued that by giving everyone freedom to
produce and exchange goods as they pleased (free
trade) and opening the markets up to domestic and
foreign competition, peoples natural self interest
would promote greater prosperity than with
stringent government regulations.
MAX WEBER (1864-1920)

 He was a German Scholar who just likes Comte, Durkheim and

Marx was interested in and wanted to understand the major
changes.
 He contributed to sociological method with the concept of ideal
types. An ideal type is a theoretical Model of a typical
characteristic of species.
 He authored many works but the most well known are:
 1.The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
 2.Economy and Society
 UNDERSTANDING,PROTESTANT ETHIC AND
ORIGINS OF CAPITALISM,IDEAL TYPE AND
AUTHORITY.
 Max Weber defines sociology as the
science to which attempts the interpretive
understanding of social action in order to
arrive at causal explanation of its cause
and effects.
 Weber argued that people cannot be
studied using the procedures of the
physical sciences because they think,
reason and attach meaning to actions or
things.
UNDERSTANDING,PROTESTANT ETHIC AND
ORIGINS OF CAPITALISM,IDEAL TYPE AND
AUTHORITY.
 Thus human beings have free will, therefore
the basis of sociological analysis should be
the meanings that individuals give to the
social world and their positions in it.
 Accordingly, he argued that sociologists
should adopt vertstehen (this is a German
word for empathy and interpretative
understanding) in order to show how
people’s beliefs and motives lead to
particular behavior and action.
PROTESTANT ETHIC AND
ORIGINS OF CAPITALISM
 Max in his study tried to explain how a
particular type of religious belief came to
influence economic behavior.
 Weber’s main interest was the way in which
religious ideas would affect and determine
change.
 Weber studied several cultures and religions
of the non-western world to show that they
had not developed a similar type of rational
capitalism as the West due to religious and
cultural factors
PROTESTANT ETHIC AND
ORIGINS OF CAPITALISM
 He argued that religion provided a clue on the
origin of capitalism and suggested that the ideas
and practices of Protestantism were suitable to
capitalist’s development.
 In a way that was not true of other religions
such as Islam or other forms of Christianity such
as Catholicism.
 In respect to the relationship between Western
capitalism and religion, Weber suggested that a
particular type of Protestantism provided
favorable conditions for the growth of the
capitalist economic system.
His findings were that:

 In areas of mixed religions, a particular group

of Protestants owned huge amount of wealth
and held important positions.
 The different types of religions in different
societies help to explain why Western
capitalism did not develop elsewhere such as
in China, India or the Middle East.
PROTESTANT ETHIC
 The protestant ethic emphasize wariness of
worldly things
 self-denial, hard work, rational pursuit of profit
and reinvestment.
 Therefore according to Weber, the protestant
ethic provided motivation for the capitalist
behavior of accumulation for its own sake.
 The Protestants believed that salvation was
found in personal life based on religious
teachings and social achievement such as
success in one’s profession (success could be
reflected in accumulation of wealth).
PROTESTANT ETHIC
 They believed that acquisition of wealth was
not wrong but enjoyment and temptations of
the things money can buy is what was wrong.
 They put emphasis on hard work,
productivity, rejection of luxury and frugality
led to a lifestyle that encouraged and
influenced the spirit of capitalism.
IDEAL TYPE

Weber developed the concepts of ideal type

ideal type is an analytical construct that serves
as a measuring rod for social observers to
determine the extent to which concrete social
institutions are similar and how they differ
from some defined measure.
The ideal type involves determining the
features of a social institution that would be
present if the institution were a logically
consistent whole, not affected by other
institutions, concerns and interests.
IDEAL TYPE
The ideal type never corresponds to concrete
reality but is a description to which we can
compare reality.
Ideal types are useful in empirical research and
help in understanding aspects of the social world.
For example Weber constructed an ideal type
bureaucracy on the basis of history and used it to
compare actual/ real bureaucracies.
Ideal types are logically constructed concepts and
should be derived from the real world of history.
AUTHORITY
 Weber defined authority as legitimate
domination
 Authority involves the ability to get things done
in situations where a particular order is seen as
legitimate by those following it.
 Weber identified 3 main types of legitimate
domination or authority Namely
 Traditional
 Charismatic
 Rational legal authority.
Traditional authority
 It is a form of authority where the traditional
rights of a powerful and dominant group or
individual is accepted and not challenged by
subordinates.
 It can take the form of religious entities or well
established and slowly changing cultures/
institutions such as the family, tribal or clan
structures.
 The dominant individual can be a priest, clan
leader or family head.
 It is buttressed by culture
Traditional authority
 By the followers in the sanctity of old age
traditions.
 It has existed in many societies throughout
history e.g. Gerontocracy which is rule by elders
and patriarchies where positions are inherited and
is the most important type of domination where
legitimacy is based on tradition.
 Weber argued that traditional authority hindered
the development of rational legal authority and
capitalism in non western societies.
Weber found that in traditional
authority
 The leader is a personal master and the officials
are personal retainers.
 The staff obeys the leader because of the force
of tradition.
 The staffs lack offices with defined areas of
competence and subject to impersonal rules.
 It lacks clear hierarchy i.e. there is no order of
superiority or inferiority .
 There is no system of appointment and
promotion based on contract.
 Technical training is not a requirement for
recruitment and appointments have no fixed
salaries.
Charismatic authority
 Charisma is a quality of personality
considered extra ordinary and followers may
view it as supernatural/ superhuman/
exceptional powers thus whether such
powers exist is irrelevant
 what is important is that followers believe
that they exist. Accordingly a charismatic
individual depends on the definitions by
followers or disciples as such
Charismatic authority
 i.e.if they define the leader as charismatic,
then he/she will be charismatic irrespective
of whether the leader has outstanding
qualities.
 Sometimes a charismatic leader is just an
ordinary person
 examples of charismatic leaders include;
Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Martin
Luther King Junior.
 A charismatic leader gains and maintains
authority by proving his /her heroism in life.
Charismatic authority
 Weber was concerned with what happens
when the charismatic leader dies because the
system is fragile and could only exist when
the leader is alive yet the survival of the
organization is important to the staff because
they will live on and maybe out of work.
 Therefore to cope with the death of the leader,
the staff may recruit a new leader or develop
rules for identifying future leaders.
Charismatic authority
 The charismatic leader may also be allowed
to anoint a successor and to transfer
charisma symbolically.
 However, all these strategies may fail
because charisma cannot be made routine
but must be transformed into either
traditional or legal rational authority or be
institutionalized in some form like the
Catholic Church.
Weber found that:
 Staff members are not trained but chosen
depending on the qualities desired by the
charismatic leader.
 There is no hierarchy.
 Work is not a career and there are no clear
appointments, promotions or dismissals.
 The leader intervenes when the staff fail or
cannot handle certain situations.
 There are no formal rules, established
administrative organs and no precedence with
which to judge new cases.
Rational Legal Authority
 It is based on a legal framework which
supports and maintains the distribution of
power among individuals and groups.
 It is characterized by bureaucracy. According
to Weber it is authority or legitimate
domination based on rational grounds
 i.e. based on a belief in the legality of
enacted rules and the right of those elevated
to authority under such rules to issue
commands, instructions or orders.
Rational Legal Authority
 It develops when societies establish system of
conventions, laws and regulations leading to the
establishment of a legal system so that there is rule of
law, written legal codes, written rights and laws and a
professional administration of justice by legally
trained persons.
 The development of a rational- legal system implies
that the political system will be rationalized in the
same way.
 Therefore politics will have constitutions, written
documents, established offices, regular elections,
political representation and political procedures.
Rational Legal Authority
 As the political and legal systems develop in a
rational manner, authority takes a legal form so
that those who rule appear to have a legitimate
right to do so.
 The subordinate people (the ruled) accept the
legality of the rulers and believe that rulers
have legitimate right to exercise power.
 This form of authority may be challenged by
subordinates but this may not result into
radical change of the system.
Rational Legal Authority
 In addition the challenge need not be based on
class, ethnicity or nationalism but is mainly in
the form of political struggles.
 Weber argued that the future of human society
will be dominated by rational – legal authority.
 Though charismatic leaders or movements may
emerge, they would tend to become more
routine, rational and bureaucratic.
 It modern society authority is largely exercised
on the basis of bureaucracy.
His findings were that:

 He argued that religious beliefs determined a

particular attitude to work in the West but was
absent in other societies.
 The protestant ethic was a sort of Puritanism
based on Calvinism (the teachings of John
Calvin) the founder of the Presbyterian
Church.
 For him this indicated a link between
protestant religion and the spirit of capitalism.
Ibin Khaldum(1332-1406)
 TUNISIAN

 some scholars argues that Ibin Khaldum(1332-1406)

was the first time sociologist.
 He lived in various places, southern Europe, North
Africa and Middle East and he was a Lecture at the
Al-Alizar Mosque University in Cairo.
 He was concerned with the study of social change
and important institutions in the society.
 He also identified some methods in studying societies
observation, Comparative and Empirical research.
Auguste Comte(1798-1857)
FRENCH

 He coined the term sociology and for that

reason he is known as the founder of the
discipline.
 He identified sociology as a positive
philosophy Similar to natural science and
about regularities of social event.
Auguste Comte(1798-1857)
 His great work positive Philosophy
published between 1830-1842 established
the basics of scientific study of social
phenomena.
 He was the first who thought that society
could be studied scientifically and he divided
the science of society into two: social
Statistics (structure) and social Dynamics
(change)
In social dynamics whereby he
divided human history passing
through three stages –(PSA)
Theological Stage
❖All phenomena were produced by
a supernatural being.
❖Similary he argued that both
individual and social mind evolve
three stages of development.
In social dynamics cont……
2. Metaphysical Stage.
❖It is a transitional phase in which abstract
not practical forces such as nature
replaces supernatural beings as explanation
of all phenomena.
❖This was objectionable to Comte because
it offered progress and was orderly.
❖ He associated it with enlightenment and
French revolution stage.
In social dynamics

 Positivismstage (ultimate stage)

❖ In this people gives up the vain
search for supernatural beings and
mysterious forces and look instead for
the invaluable (unchangeable) natural
laws that govern all phenomena.
❖This is the ultimate stage for Comte
because it promised both order and
progress.
Harriet Montineau(1802-1876

 She was an English woman and popular

writer.
 She translated Auguste Comte`s Positive
Philosophy her book is titled how to
observe manners and morals has the first
methodology book in sociology in which
she emphasize the important principles
Harriet Montineau
(1802-1876
◦ Use of Theoretical frame work to guide
sociology observation.
◦ Development of pre-determined questions
in data collection.
◦ Objectivity, Representative sampling.
 She conducted comparative research
Herbert Spencer-English
sociologist 1820–1903

 Influenced by Darwin’s evolution theories

 Social Darwinism

 Society - set of interdependent parts that work

together to keep the system going

 Social change & unrest naturally occur as a society

evolves towards stability & perfection = good,
“survival of the fittest”
FACTORS THAT LED TO DEVELOPMENT OF
SOCIOLOGY AS AN ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE

 As an academic discipline, the necessary

conditions of sociology in the 18th
Century in Europe came about as a result
of several forces.
1. The industrial Revolution
2.The Enlightenment Movement (The age
of reasoning)
3.Voyages
1. The industrial Revolution.

 There were changes that came with the industrial

revolution, therefore there was need for a science to
explain these changes.
 The period of the Industrial Revolution witnessed a
quantum leap in industrial production.
 New sources of energy and power, especially
 coal and steam, replaced wind and water to create
labor-saving machines that dramatically decreased
the use of human and animal labor and, at the same
time, increased the level of productivity.
1. The industrial Revolution
 Although the Industrial Revolution took
decades to spread, it was truly revolutionary
in the way it fundamentally changed
Europeans, their society, and their
relationship to other peoples.
 The development of large factories
encouraged mass movements of people
from the countryside to urban areas where
impersonal coexistence replaced the
traditional intimacy of rural life.
1. The industrial Revolution
 Higher levels of productivity led to a search
for new sources of raw materials, new
consumption patterns, and a revolution in
transportation that allowed raw materials
and finished products to be moved quickly
around the world.
 The creation of a wealthy industrial middle
class and a huge industrial working class (or
proletariat) substantially transformed
traditional social relationships.
2.The Enlightenment Movement
(The age of reasoning)
 It was characterized by faith in the ability of
humans to reason and solve society`s
problems
The enlightenment was influenced by:
Positivism-Scientific systems of thought in
which accurate observation and empirical is
considered the highest form of knowledge as to
opposed to religious Dogma(Religious beliefs)
2.The Enlightenment Movement (The
age of reasoning)
Humanitarianism. It is the principle that human
reason can direct social change for betterment of
sociology
Growth of Natural Science. The 19th century
saw much progress on the natural science and
therefore inspired social thinkers to emulate the
examples of the natural scientists.
3.Voyages: Many people especially missionaries
travelled through the land and discovered that
people behaved differently and communication
was difficult to know people`s culture
LEVELS OF SOCIOLOGICAL
ANALYSIS
Micro level (individual)
It is concerned with the behavior of individual in
their immediate environment e.g. interaction pattern at
the family level, peer group.
2. Middle level
It focuses on what happens in communities or
organizations i.e. Schools, business enterprises etc. At
these level social entities are smaller than all societies
but larger than micro level social phenomena.
3. Macro level (i.e. whole society and how it changes.
It deals with a larger scale of analysis. These
focus on sociological study and relate to the areas of
interest of sociologists
sociology may be divided into
specific sub-fields on the basis of
certain criteria.
The most important fields of sociology can be
grouped into six areas.
1. Social Order: They focuses on institutions and
groups, their formation and change, manner of
functioning, relation to individuals and to each
other.
2. Social Control: Focuses as to maintain social
order.
3. Social Change: Focuses on the way society and
institutions change over time through technical
inventions, cultural diffusion and cultural conflict,
and social movements, among others.
CONT:
4.Social Processes: Focuses on the pattern
in which social change takes place, and the
modes of such processes.
5. Social Groups: Focuses on how social
groups are formed, structured, and how they
function and change.
6. Social Problems: Focuses on the social
conditions which cause difficulties for a
large number of persons and which the
society is seeking to eliminate.