Three Sociological Perspectives

Allister Quizon
Professor Ghazarian
SOC 001
30 June 2020
Three Sociological Perspectives
Structural functionalism is a perspective by which society is viewed as a structure with
several parts that make up the whole. These parts work together in order for society to function
smoothly. The parts of society are the social institutions such as education, religion, and politics,
each of which has roles to be filled that are necessary to keep society functioning. Education is
important to society because it prepares people for work and ensures they are qualified to be
incorporated into society. Another aspect of structural functionalism includes the idea that there
are some beliefs, ideas, and practices that are shared among all people called social facts. These
social facts also have their own roles in society. Laws are important in keeping people safe such
as stopping at an intersection when the light is red and the collective idea to conserve water is
important in protecting the environment and conserving natural resources. The functions of
social facts and institutions can be categorized in two ways. The first type is a manifest function
which is the direct and expected outcome of the social institution and the second type is a latent
function which is the unintended outcome. In healthcare, the manifest function is to treat people
who are dealing with illnesses and injuries, but the latent outcome could be a more efficient,
unexpected treatment for a disease. Since structural functionalism is based on the idea that
everything has a role, there can be some contradictions when an institution does not have a role
or when social changes occur and disrupt the natural order of society.
Conflict theory is a perspective based on the idea that social institutions and groups like
governments and political parties, gender, or religions will always be in competition with each
other for resources such as money, power, status, or education and it is that competition which
maintains social stability. Conflict can emerge from any two groups given that there is some kind
of inequality between them. When looking at a micro-level social interaction, this perspective
can be helpful because it helps give insight to the full picture as to what the inequalities are
between two groups and why a full picture perspective is important. If there is a distinct gap in
the quality of education when comparing a white child and a black child, it could be possible that
it is due to each child’s individual circumstances. When applying this perspective, it forces us to
see beyond the two children and to understand the inequality as a whole. This kind of inequality
is due to a lack of funding of schools in black neighborhoods while there is adequate funding in
white neighborhoods. Being able to recognize the conflict makes it easier to address the social
inequality and to understand what steps are needed to mitigate this inequality. This perspective is
still enough on its own as it focuses on conflict and competition of society instead of structure
and stability.
The third kind of perspective is symbolic interactionism. This theory focuses on the
communication between people on a micro-level and looks at how meaning is assigned to certain
interactions. Someone could have an affinity to swimming and the ocean and by applying this
perspective, it could be assumed that they have this natural liking as a result of positive
experiences that they have had with friends and family in relation to the ocean. Symbolic
interactionism also deals with the patterns of interactions that emerge from social groups. Erving
Goffman developed a concept known as dramaturgical analysis. This is the technique in which
sociologists use theater as an analogy of explaining patterns in interactions. It is the idea in
which people control what they show to the outside world, the front stage, and what they choose
to hide, the backstage; people tend to adapt their behavior depending on the situation. Another
concept of symbolic interactionism is constructivism in which the society dictates what the
reality of a social interaction is. People in the United States generally agree that a handshake is a
form of polite greeting. There is no reason that it has to be that way, but society had decided that
it is. In other cultures, such as Japan, their idea of a polite and respectful greeting is a bow
because their society decided that it is. Symbolic interactionism receives criticism for its narrow
view on society which is why it is important to understand each of the three perspectives and
know when it is appropriate to apply them.

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Allister Quizon

Three Sociological Perspectives

Structural functionalism is a perspective by which society is viewed as a structure with

know when it is appropriate to apply them.

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