August 17, 2011

In Tuesdays discussion of the general tenants of Sociology I found Sociological Theory and the three theoretical approaches - structural-functional, social-conflict and symbolic-interaction - the most interesting.

The Structural-Functional Approach seems to follow an authoritarian model. A form that from the onset seems to come from "the top down" in a way. Rigid. Standardized. With an assumed perfection that if anything doesn't conform to the norm (manifest functions) it is labeled as a social dysfunction. But because social dysfunctions exist another approach was discovered/created. That being the Social-Conflict Approach.

The Social-Conflict Approach seem to exist in opposition to the previous method but in reality is a way to explain socials dysfunctions by three sub categories of conflicts: class conflict, gender conflict and race/ethnic, and I would add to this subgroup cultural conflict. But even in these subgroups there are dysfunctions that need further examinations; so the Symbolic-Interaction Approach was formed.

In the Symbolic-Interaction Approach, the daily interplay between individuals are based on the interpretations of the manifest functions that are constantly coming into conflict (one or more of the three conflict sub categories) with each other. How they (each individual by themselves or as a collective) respond to the symbols associated with the manifest function either create new manifest (new norms) or new dysfunctions that either become part of an individuals value system or the groups (neighborhoods/city/town/state/nation/church/etc).

And the wheel starts turning again.