[W3.2] Introduction to Sociology/Sociological Theory - Shim ChaeYeon(심채연)

 1) Summary

Sociologists develop theories to explain social phenomena. Sociological theories have been developed at various levels, ranging from macroscopic to microscopic.

Structural functionalism argues that social institutions are the means to meet an individual's biological needs. This approach regards society as a stable system, and it is said that parts of society work together to maintain the whole. Social institutions can have explicit and potential functions. Theories focus on social order and stability, but they also have a hard time explaining social changes. They also have limitations in supporting the status quo and ignoring social challenges.

Conflict theory understands society as a system of competition, not balance, and argues that resource competition, inequality in power and rewards, and change occur through conflict. Conflict theory overlooks the stability of society, but can be combined with structural functionalism as a complementary theory. By considering these two theories together, a more comprehensive view of society can be obtained.

Symbolic interaction theory is one of the approaches to understanding society, arguing that human behavior and interaction are explained through meaningful exchange of symbols. Symbolic interaction theory argues that social meaning can constantly change, individuals can shape and change society. Symbolic interaction theory contrasts with structural functionalism and conflict theory in terms of focusing on individuals rather than structure.

Role theory assumes that an individual's behavior is shaped by the expectations of others. Each role consists of a set of functions or norms, determined by social structure and interaction. Individuals try to comply with norms by performing their roles, and groups assess role performance to reward or sanction them. However, role theory has difficulty explaining social deviations, and it cannot explain the process by which role expectations are formed or changed. 

Impression management theory is a concept that developed the role theory and emphasizes individual efforts to manage one's image. In addition, social constructivism, which focuses on the explanation of institutions and actions, is often considered a source of postmodern movements and has influenced the field of cultural research.

Feminist theory aims to understand and change women's social, political, and economic status. There are various feminist theoretical perspectives, and there are liberalism, Marxism and socialism, radicalism, separatism, cultural feminism, black feminism, and queer feminism. They analyze and interpret women's experiences in various social, political, and economic contexts.

The integrativeist approach is used to more comprehensively understand and explain social phenomena by combining theories at the micro and macro levels. This approach proposes four interdependent elements: the macro-goal component and the micro-goal component, and the macro-subjective component and the micro-subjective component.

2) Something new or interesting

I learned more about the sociological theories I learned in high school, such as functional theory, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction theory. Since I was able to learn about the limitations of each theory, I felt that they were all necessary theories regardless of what was more complete and better. 

In particular, the part dealing with role theory and impression management was interesting. I have experienced many behaviors related to impression management myself. Since childhood, I wanted others to perceive me in a specific way, so I continued to make efforts to be seen in that way. It is interesting that this behavior can be defined as a sociological theory. This is because it is a story that very many people have acted similarly with the same mind since the past.

3) Questions & Discussions

Is there an example where sociology theory has also been completely denied by later theories, as was the case with natural science in the last document? 

Given the limitations, which of the theories introduced in the document can be widely used without any limitations?(or which theory is most widely used in modern sociology research?)