Sociological Theories

Sociological imagination is term coined by C. Wright Mills in The Sociological
Imagination to describe the way sociology influences thinking in daily life. He described it as
“the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and the wider society”. In this
case, an individual must be willing to look at situations in their lives from an alternate point
of view, and realizing the way phenomena interact and influence each other. Additionally,
this concept attempts to reconcile the elements of the “individual” and the “society”.
There are four major theories in sociology: structural-functional, social conflict,
symbolic interactionist, and feminism. Social conflict theory views society as a platform of
inequality that leads to the development of conflict and change. In this perception, society is
set up in such a way that only a few individuals benefit at the expense of the majority. To the
social conflict theorist, factors such as sex, class, race, and age all contribute to inequality.
The social conflict theory is associated with Karl Marx’s theory of capitalism, which is based
on the concept that human being need to work to survive (Giddens, 1971). However, one is
either predisposed to productivity in terms of owning the productive property or working for
those who own them. In Marx’s perspective, the relationship between the workers and the
owner attract conflict as people compete for scarce resources, especially when only a small
group of people in any society control these resources. Unlike the social conflict theory that
focuses on avenues of conflict in society, the structural-functional perspective perceives
society as a system of interconnected elements that work holistically to maintain a state of
social equilibrium for all groups regardless of background.
The functionalist perspective is mainly associated with works of Emile Durkheim and
Herbert Spencer. In this view, every institution and element of society contributes to the
overall function of society. For instance, the family institution nurtures children, while
schools educate them, and politics provide a system through which society is governed to the

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idealistic benefit of everyone. These parts cannot function on their own, hence the emphasis
on the interconnectivity of every institution or element of society. Another theory is the
symbolic interactionist perspective, which focuses on how the broader aspects of society and
as large social groups and institution affect the social world. This level of approach can be
considered macro, while the structural-functionalist, micro. Contrary to the latter that looks at
the micro elements and how they affect the bigger picture, the former dissects society from
the bigger picture point of view and recommends solutions to social problems at the
institutional level. Early philosophers and sociologists such as W.I. Thomas and George
Simmel advocated the importance of analyzing meanings of social behavior and their
consequences (Parsons, 2010).
The last theory, the feminist, concerns the status of both men and women in the
society with the aim of applying that knowledge to enhance women’s lives. In this case, the
feminist approach to sociology is oriented towards empowering women and discovering ways
that women contribute to society. For instance, one of the popular feminist views is the
Marxist feminism, whereby women are viewed as critical drivers for capitalism in future of
contemporary society. This viewpoint is argued from the perspective that when women
perform unpaid domestic work, they provide care for the current generation of workers while
also reproducing and socializing the future generation of workers. Besides, women are also
consumers of the products of capitalism. I would use all these theories in my sociological
imagination because different contexts warrant different approaches. For instance, the role of
women in ensuring a better and more successful future can be defined through feministic
lens, while also attracting a functionalist analysis.
Question 2: Culture

Culture is a combination of values, beliefs, systems, and practices that define
societies. Culture also concerns all the elements that are common to a certain group of people

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such as the economic, social and political aspects. Most societies have distinct culture that is
different from another, and sociologists perceive culture as a concept that plays a crucial role
in social relationships, social order, shaping daily living and experiences.
Sociologists characterize the non-material elements of culture as the qualities and
convictions, language, correspondence, and practices that are conducted in a similar manner
by different groups of people, which is not specifically tied to geographical location.
Developing these classifications, culture is comprised of our insight, sound judgment, values,
and desires. It is likewise the principles, standards, laws, and ethics that administer society;
the words we use just as how we talk and keep in touch with them, and the images we use to
communicate significance, thoughts, and ideas (like traffic signs, for instance). Culture is
additionally what we do and how we act and perform such as dance and theatre. It advises
and is exemplified by the way we walk, sit, convey our bodies, and interface with others; how
we act contingent upon the spot, time, and “crowd;” and how we express characters of race,
class, sex, and sexuality, among others. Culture likewise incorporates the aggregate practices
we take an interest in, for example, strict functions, the festival of mainstream occasions, and
going to games.
Material culture is made out of the things that people make and use. This part of
culture incorporates a wide assortment of things, from structures, technology, and apparel, to
film, music, writing, and craftsmanship, among others. Parts of material culture are all the
more usually alluded to as social items. Sociologists see the different sides of culture, the
material and non-material, as individually associated. Material culture is molded by the non-
material parts of culture. As it were, what we esteem, accept, and know, and what we do
together in regular daily existence, impacts the things that we make (Parsons, 2010). In any
case, it’s anything but a single direction connection among material and non-material culture.

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Cultural toolkit is the idea that not only do people live within a culture but use
specific elements of that culture to influence decision-making and behavior (Swidler, 1986).
This framework would define different aspects of high school behavior. For instance, due to
social media influence, most teenagers would be under pressure to conform to certain ideals,
and subsequently impose behaviors such as peer pressure and even bullying. For a cultural
toolkit example, I would choose to associate it with adolescent identity. While adolescence
has been widely regarded as a stage of development across an individual’s lifespan, the
behaviors and identity are drawn upon different sources intrinsic to the concept of culture. As
such, adolescents drawn on different cultural toolkits to mold themselves in way that is
deemed socially appropriate and self-satisfying. Success in academics in high school would
hence, be influenced by the cultural tool kits adopted. I would look for inspiration to
understand the element of wanting to be successful in the first place, then put in efforts to
adopt behaviors that would ideally reinforce such an accomplishment. For instance, I would
manage my time better, study more, retain an active lifestyle and endeavor to acquire more
knowledge by reading more material in different subjects.

Question 3- social structure and social solidarity

Social structure is a macro-level perspective that defines the stable pattern of social
relationships existing in a particular society or group. It provides system within which people
interact with others The structure influences interaction from many angles, for instance, how
the economic structure affects how we interact with others such as the typical relationship
between an employer and an employee. The key dynamics of social structure, according to
Emile Durkheim is based on the types of social solidarity that correlate with different forms
of society. Durkheim introduced the concepts of organic and mechanical solidarity as central
elements of his theory of the development of societies in The Division of Labour in Society,
written in 1893. In a society demonstrating mechanical solidarity, its cohesion and

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togetherness comes from the degree of homogeneity between people, meaning that
individuals feel connected through similar things such as work, religious training, educational
achievements, and lifestyle. Mechanical solidarity, on the other hand, traditionally operates in
“traditional” and societies that can be considered small scale. In simpler groups, solidarity is
usually based on kinship ties of familial networks. Organic solidarity is as a result of the
interdependence forged from specialization of work and the complementarities between
individuals in a certain setting. It is a development which is common in industrial and modern
societies.
While people perform different tasks and often have different values and interest, the
solidarity of society depends on their reliance on each other to undertake their specified tasks.
“Organic” here is referring to the interdependence of the component parts, and thus social
solidarity is maintained in more complex societies through the interdependence of its
component parts (e.g., farmers produce the food to feed the factory workers who produce the
tractors that allow the farmer to produce the food).
According to Alexander (1990), anomie is defined as a social condition in where there
is disappearance of the values, norms and beliefs that were previously associated with that
particular society. The concept, was developed by Émile Durkheim, when he discovered that,
that anomie occurs during and or after periods of major spontaneous and rapid changes to
economic, social or political elements of society. Emile thought this as a sort of transition
period where the norms and values that existed before the change are no longer valid due to
development of new norms. In the sociological perspective, norms refer to certain ways of
living that are considered normal and adopted by mainstream society. For instance, the act of
the president presiding over certain meetings in congress is considered a norm, in a case
where his absence would nullify anything discussed.

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References

Alexander, J. C. (Ed.). (1990). Durkheimian sociology: cultural studies. Cambridge
University Press.
Giddens, A. (1971). Capitalism and modern social theory: An analysis of the writings of
Marx, Durkheim and Max Weber. Cambridge University Press.
Parsons, T. (2010). Essays in sociological theory. Simon and Schuster.
Swidler, A. (1986). Culture in action: Symbols and strategies. American sociological review,
273-286.