What Is Sociology?
Overview
- Explain concepts central to sociology
- Understand how different sociological perspectives have developed
What Are Society and Culture?
- Explain concepts central to sociology
- Understand how different sociological perspectives have developed
Sociology is the study of groups and group interactions, societies and social interactions, from small and personal groups to very large groups. A group of people who live in a defined geographic area, who interact with one another, and who share a common culture is what sociologists call asociety. Sociologists study all aspects and levels of society. Sociologists working from themicro-level study small groups and individual interactions, while those usingmacro-level analysis look at trends among and between large groups and societies. For example, a micro-level study might look at the accepted rules of conversation in various groups such as among teenagers or business professionals. In contrast, a macro-level analysis might research the ways that language use has changed over time or in social media outlets.
The term culture refers to the group’s shared practices, values, and beliefs. Culture encompasses a group’s way of life, from routine, everyday interactions to the most important parts of group members' lives. It includes everything produced by a society, including all of the social rules. Sociologists often study culture using thesociological imagination, which pioneer sociologist C. Wright Mills described as an awareness of the relationship between a person’s behavior and experience and the wider culture that shaped the person’s choices and perceptions. It’s a way of seeing our own and other people’s behavior in relationship to history and social structure (1959).
One illustration of this is a person’s decision to marry. In the United States, this choice is heavily influenced by individual feelings; however, the social acceptability of marriage relative to the person’s circumstances also plays a part. Remember, though, that culture is a product of the people in a society; sociologists take care not to treat the concept of “culture” as though it were alive in its own right. Reification is an error of treating an abstract concept as though it has a real, material existence (Sahn 2013).
Studying Patterns: How Sociologists View Society
- Explain concepts central to sociology
- Understand how different sociological perspectives have developed
All sociologists are interested in the experiences of individuals and how those experiences are shaped by interactions with social groups and society as a whole. To a sociologist, the personal decisions an individual makes do not exist in a vacuum. Cultural patterns and social forces put pressure on people to select one choice over another. Sociologists try to identify these general patterns by examining the behavior of large groups of people living in the same society and experiencing the same societal pressures.
Changes in the U.S. family structure offer an example of patterns that sociologists are interested in studying. A “typical” family now is vastly different than in past decades when most U.S. families consisted of married parents living in a home with their unmarried children. The percent of unmarried couples, same-sex couples, single-parent and single-adult households is increasing, as well as is the number of expanded households, in which extended family members such as grandparents, cousins, or adult children live together in the family home (U.S. Census Bureau 2013).
While mothers still make up the majority of single parents, millions of fathers are also raising their children alone, and more than 1 million of these single fathers have never been married (Williams Institute 2010; cited in Ludden 2012). Increasingly, single men and women and cohabitating opposite-sex or same-sex couples are choosing to raise children outside of marriage through surrogates or adoption.
Some sociologists study social facts, which are the laws, morals, values, religious beliefs, customs, fashions, rituals, and all of the cultural rules that govern social life, that may contribute to these changes in the family. Do people in the United States view marriage and family differently than before? Do employment and economic conditions play a role? How has culture influenced the choices that individuals make in living arrangements? Other sociologists are studying the consequences of these new patterns, such as the ways children are affected by them or changing needs for education, housing, and healthcare.
Another example of the way society influences individual decisions can be seen in people’s opinions about and use of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits. Some people believe those who receive SNAP benefits are lazy and unmotivated. Statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture show a complex picture.
| State | Population | # Receiving SNAP | % Residents Receiving SNAP | Average Weekly Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 601,723 | 135,796 | 22.6% | $1,667.00 |
| Florida | 18,801,310 | 3,664,055 | 19.5% | $852.00 |
| Rhode Island | 1,052,567 | 172,343 | 16.4% | $919.00 |
| Ohio | 11,536,504 | 1,627,589 | 14.1% | $878.00 |
| Massachusetts | 6,547,629 | 787,411 | 12.0% | $1,197.00 |
| New Jersey | 8,791,894 | 88,259 | 10.1% | $1,116.00 |
| Wyoming | 563,626 | 34,167 | 6.1% | $866.0 |
| National Average: | 14.5% | $974.00 |
The percentage of the population receiving SNAP benefits is much higher in certain states than in others. Does this mean, if the stereotype above were applied, that people in some states are lazier and less motivated than those in other states? Sociologists study the economies in each state—comparing unemployment rates, food, energy costs, and other factors—to explain differences in social issues like this.
To identify social trends, sociologists also study how people use SNAP benefits and how people react to their use. Research has found that for many people from all classes, there is a strong stigma attached to the use of SNAP benefits. This stigma can prevent people who qualify for this type of assistance from using SNAP benefits. According to Hanson and Gundersen (2002), how strongly this stigma is felt is linked to the general economic climate. This illustrates how sociologists observe a pattern in society.
Sociologists identify and study patterns related to all kinds of contemporary social issues. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, the emergence of the Tea Party as a political faction, how Twitter has influenced everyday communication—these are all examples of topics that sociologists might explore.
Studying Part and Whole: How Sociologists View Social Structures
- Explain concepts central to sociology
- Understand how different sociological perspectives have developed
A key basis of the sociological perspective is the concept that the individual and society are inseparable. It is impossible to study one without the other. German sociologist Norbert Elias called the process of simultaneously analyzing the behavior of individuals and the society that shapes that behavior figuration.
An application that makes this concept understandable is the practice of religion. While people experience their religions in a distinctly individual manner, religion exists in a larger social context. For instance, an individual’s religious practice may be influenced by what government dictates, holidays, teachers, places of worship, rituals, and so on. These influences underscore the important relationship between individual practices of religion and social pressures that influence that religious experience (Elias 1978).
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Summary
Sociology is the systematic study of society and social interaction. In order to carry out their studies, sociologists identify cultural patterns and social forces and determine how they affect individuals and groups. They also develop ways to apply their findings to the real world.
Section Quiz
Which of the following best describes sociology as a subject?
- The study of individual behavior
- The study of cultures
- The study of society and social interaction
- The study of economics
Hint:
C
C. Wright Mills once said that sociologists need to develop a sociological __________ to study how society affects individuals.
- culture
- imagination
- method
- tool
Hint:
B
A sociologist defines society as a group of people who reside in a defined area, share a culture, and who:
- interact
- work in the same industry
- speak different languages
- practice a recognized religion
Hint:
A
Seeing patterns means that a sociologist needs to be able to:
- compare the behavior of individuals from different societies
- compare one society to another
- identify similarities in how social groups respond to social pressure
- compare individuals to groups
Hint:
C
Short Answer
What do you think C. Wright Mills meant when he said that to be a sociologist, one had to develop a sociological imagination?
Describe a situation in which a choice you made was influenced by societal pressures.
Further Research
Sociology is a broad discipline. Different kinds of sociologists employ various methods for exploring the relationship between individuals and society. Check out more about sociology at http://openstaxcollege.org/l/what-is-sociology.
References
Elias, Norbert. 1978. What Is Sociology? New York: Columbia University Press.
Hanson, Kenneth, and Craig Gundersen. 2002. “How Unemployment Affects the Food Stamp Program.” Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Report Number 26-7. USDA. Retrieved January 19, 2012 (http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/fanrr26/fanrr26-7/fanrr26-7.pdf).
Ludden, Jennifer. 2012. "Single Dads By Choice: More Men Going It Alone." npr. Retrieved December 30, 2014 (http://www.npr.org/2012/06/19/154860588/single-dads-by-choice-more-men-going-it-alone).
Mills, C. Wright. 2000 [1959]. The Sociological Imagination. 40th ed. New York: Oxford University Press.
Sahn, Richard. 2013. “The Dangers of Reification.” The Contrary Perspective. Retrieved October 14, 2014 (http://contraryperspective.com/2013/06/06/the-dangers-of-reification/).
U.S. Census Bureau. 2013. "America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2012." Retrieved December 30, 2014 (http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p20-570.pdf).