This document outlines 14 major theoretical paradigms in sociology: 1. Evolutionary theory views societies as progressing through different stages of development. 2. Structural functionalism sees society as a system whose parts work together to promote stability. 3. Social conflict theory views society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change. 4. Symbolic interactionism sees society as the product of everyday interactions between individuals. It then provides examples of prominent theorists within each paradigm and compares the different approaches. The major contemporary approaches discussed include neo-positivism, human ecology, sociometry, symbolic interactionism, functionalism, dialectical sociology, phenomenology, ethnomethodology, and various development theories

1. Chapter 2:
THEORETICAL
PARADIGMS ON
SOCIETY AND SOCIAL
BEHAVIOR

2. Theoretical Paradigms
THEORY
- Is a statement how and why specific
facts are related.
- It refers to an organized body of ideas
as to the truth of something
- Usually derived from study of facts
related to it
- Sometimes, results from exercising
speculative imagination
- The branch of a science or art consisting of
its explanatory statements, accepted
principles, and methods of analysis.

3. Theoretical Paradigm
A basic image of society that guides sociological thinking and research.
Example
Viewing different dimensions of society. (e.g.:)
- 1.) As a stable system
- 2.) As a changing system
- 3.) As a system in conflict
- 4.) As a social interacting system

4. Four general theoretical
paradigms and their proponents
1. The Evolutionary Theory
- Proposes that societies undergo different
stages in the development cycle and pass
through different phases of growth and
development, from simple primitive archaic
society to complex-modern society
- Looks for patterns of change. It offers
satisfying explanation how societies come to
exist, grow and develop

5. 2. Structural-Functional Paradigm
- Framework for building theory that envisions
society as a complex system whose parts
works together to promote solidarity and
stability.
- Views society as an organized network of
cooperating groups operating in an orderly
manner according to generally accepted social
norms.
- Members share sets of rules and values and
maintains a balance harmonious system. It
also recognizes that our lives are guided by
social structures.

6. 2. Structural-Functional Paradigm
PROPONENTS:
1. Auguste Comte – stressed social integration
2. Herbert Spencer – “Social Darwinism” (society is
a social organism with independent parts
performing specific system functions)
3. Talcott Parsons – Society as a social system with
basic tasks to perform
4. Emile Durkheim – “mechanical solidarity and
organic solidarity” holds society together.
5. Robert Merton – Social Functions (Manifest and
Latent) are consequences of social pattern.
• Manifest: recognized and intended consequences of social
pattern
• Latent: largely unrecognized and unintended consequences

7. 3. The Social-Conflict Paradigm
• This is a framework for building theory that envisions
society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict
and change.
• The approach views class conflict and class exploitation
as the prime moving force in mankind’s history, and that
the struggle for power and wealth as a continuous
process between and among categories of people.

8. The proponents of this approach include:
• Karl Marx- stressed class struggles.
• W.E.B. Du Bois- pointed out racial conflict ;
Racism.
• Coser and Dahrendorf- advanced that prejudice
and discrimination conflicts with seemingly
organized cooperative groups brought about by
power relations.

9. 4. Symbolic-Interaction Paradigm
• This paradigm is a theoretical
framework that envisions society as the
product of the everyday interactions of
individuals.
• The symbolic-interactions paradigm
includes such other approaches as
dramaturgy, ethno methodology and
social exchange.

10. The proponents of the symbolic-interactions paradigm
includes:
• George Herbert Mead(1934)- He believed that our
thoughts and feelings are not directly accessible to other
people.
• W.I. Thomas(1937)- He pointed out that we continuously
size up the “here and now” context in which we find
ourselves and assign meaning to it. Thomas calls this
process the “definition of situation”

11. The proponents of the symbolic-interactions paradigm
includes:
• Erving Goffman (1959)- He advanced dramaturgy
as a related theory to the symbolic-interactionist
paradigm. He views social interaction from the
perspective of a theatrical performance.
• Harold Garfinkel (1967)- He focused attention on the
taken-for-granted routine activities of our daily lives
and the understandings that lie behind them. He
termed his approach “ethno methodology”

12. The proponents of the symbolic-interactions paradigm
includes:
• Peter M. Blau (1964) and
George C. Homans (1947) – This theory helps to explain
the idea behind the “norm of reciprocity”. Expectations
that we should give and return equivalently in our
relations with one.

13. Comparison of the Theoretical Paradigms
The different Theoretical paradigms presented by social
scientists provide a rich background in understanding a society
behavior.
However, no particular theory's is sufficient to fully explain the
diverse and complex social phenomena.
In using the theories as framework for analyzing particular social
conditions, one must distinguish which theory would apply to
analyze a specific condition.
Thus, the eclectic approach seems to be the better and safer way
to explain society and social behavior.

14. MAJOR CONTEMPORARY
APPROACHES TO SOCIOLOGICAL
THEORY
1. Neo-positivism
a. George Lundberg- (1895-1966) Espoused qualification,
behaviorism and operationalism.
b. Stuart Dodd- (1990) Contributed the S theory as a qualitative
systematic theory of society. The symbol S representing situation.
Situations are of 4 components; time , space, population, and
characteristics.
c. George Zipf-(1902-1950)The guiding postulate of his theory is the
“principle of least effort”- that is , in situations allowing alternatives,
people choose those procedures that result in the “ least average
rate of probable work”

15. d. William Ogburn- (1886-1959) Contributed the “hypothesis or
theory of culture lag”- the lag between the adaptive culture (
non material culture) and the more advanced material culture.
2.Human Ecology
a. Robert Parks –(1864-1959, American ) Introduce the term
human ecology competition as the basic process in human
relationships; biotic factors as the proper field of study in human
ecology.
b. Ernest Burgess – (1886-1996, American) Introduced the
Concentric Zones Theory in the development of cities.
c. Amos Hawley- His “ecological theory” proposes five ecological
processes which bring about changes in the pattern of
relationships: concentration expansion or centralization,
contraction or decentralization, segregation and conversion

16. d.Walter Firey- Advanced the socio-cultural ecology; posited the
theory that space may have symbolic value; cultural definition and
cultural values in the giving of meaning to space.
e. Eugene Odum- Advanced the “equilibrium theory” or a balanced
development, that is ,maintaining a proper ecological system, His
idea is in the line with the concept of sustainable development
3. Sociometry and Microsociology
a. Jacob Moreno-(1890-1974),Rumanian) – Chief promoter of
sociometry as a theory about the informal structure , includes
sociogram; psychodrama and socio-drama
b. Robert Bales-(1916)- proponent of microsociology and the study
of small groups; developed the method for studying small groups
called “interactions process analysis.”

17. 4. Symbolic-Interactionism
• George Herbert Mead – Pioneer of Social Interactionism;
social action is seen as symbolic behavior and interaction
is based on shared symbolic meanings learned through
socialization.
• Charles Cooley – “organic theory of society” – the relation
of the individual society; developed the concept of
“looking-glass self” – the ability to visualize oneself
through the eyes of other people.
• W.I Thomas – introduced the situational approach or
behavioral approach; behavior as conditioned by one’s
“definition of the situation”

18. • Herbert Blumer – theorized that meaning does not
inhere in objects but derives from uses people make
of objects, he distinguished “definitive concepts” and
“sensitizing concepts”
• Erving Goffman – posited dramaturgical approach as
a special variation of symbolic interactionism
5. Functional Approach
• Florian Znaniecki – posited the postulate of universal
cultural order which is essential in social
comprehension and cultural phenomena.

19. • Talcott Parsons – posited the “theory of actions”;
constructed three analytical systems namely – the
social system, the personality system and the cultural
system
• Robert Merton – made a distinction between
“manifest and latent function”, concept of disfunctions
– implies the concept of strain, stress and tension of
structural level
6. Dialectical Sociology
• George Gurvitch – advanced the “hyper emperic
dialetics” – the dialectic method grounded in
emperical reality; distinction b/n macro and micro
sociology

20. • Luigi Struzo – advanced the “theory of social
harmonism” – relationship between society and
individual
• Ralf Dahrendorf – advanced the “theory of conflict
dialectics”
• C. Wright Mills – founder of “radical sociology” and
the concept of “sociological imagination”
• Alvin Gouidner – posited “reflexive sociology”
• Lewis Coser – emphasized the “functions of conflict
in social life”

21. 7. Phenomenology Sociology
• Alfred Vierkandt - advanced the use of
“phenomenological method or “ideational abstraction”
• Alfred Schutz – advanced philosophical
phenomenology and analysis od “intersubjective
consciousness”
• Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann – advanced the
Sociology of Knowledge concerned with the “social
construction of reality” – common sense knowledge
provides a sense of ordered reality in a person’s daily
life

22. 8. Ethno Methodology
• Harold Garfinkel – he coined the term “ethno
methodology” meaning the study of folk or common
sense methods and maintaining social reality’
9. Sociology of Knowledge
• Karl Mannheim – advanced the influence of the entire
social situation in shaping beliefs
10. Exchange Theory
• George Homans – Developed “psychological
exchange theory” which views human interaction as
essentially an exchange of rewards and punishments

23. • Peter Blau – attempted synthesis elements of
functional analysis, conflict dialectics and symbol
interactionism in individual exchange relationships
11. Developmental Theories
• Gunnar Myrdal – studied about the poverty of six
Southeast Asian Nations, the Philippine included.
• W.W Rostow – “capitalist theory of development” or
theory of economic growth
• Don Santos – states that underdevelopment of 3rd
world countries is a resuly of a capitalistic
development known as dependent capitalism

24. • Andre Frank – advanced the “theory of development
of undedevelopment”
• Samir Amin – advanced the “unequal development
theory”
• Immanuel Wallerstein – extended Frank’s
dependency theory and proposed a more general
theory which he called “world system theory”

25. 12. Sociology
Edward O. Wilson (1975- American)
• He advanced the “theory of sociobiology”
to explain scientifically the basic reasons
behind social phenomena
Sociobiology means the systematic study
of the biological basis of all social behavior.

26. 13. Postmodernism
- A term usually contrasted with modernity; it
designates a new condition which contemporary
advanced industrial societies are alleged to have
reached.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Social
Cultural
Economic
Political

27. Postmodernists include:
1. Foucault says that he only wants to talk about society
as a whole when it comes time to destroy it.
2. Baudrillard – If the “social” ever existed as an object of
representation, study, or collective action, it no longer
does, or else it has been transformed into an object of
manipulation.
3. Lyotard develops a richer and more positive
conception of politics, justice, and community than most
postmodernists.

28. 4. Bell defines some features of postmodern
society; to him, economics is based on a service
economy.
-Society will give pre-eminence to professional
and technical elite and will be based on a
reinvigorated meritocracy.
- Society will be based on the axial principle: the
centrality of theoretical knowledge as the source
of innovation and policy formulation.
- Central technology and technology assessment
will be based on future orientation.
- Experts will make decision; an “intellectual
technocracy” will emerge.

29. 14. Contemporary Feminist Theory
Patricia M. Langermann and Jill N. Brantly
- advocates of feminist theory – that system of
general ideas designed to describe and explain social
life and human experience from a woman – centered
vantage point; the feminist theory posits that
women’s location in, and experience of, most
situations is different from and unequal to that of
men, and in terms of a direct power relationship
between men and women, women are oppressed, that
is, restrained, subordinated, molded, used and
abused by men. Thus, the feminist theory can be
classified as a “theory of difference”, or of inequality,
or of oppression.

30. PRESENTED BY
Capuso, Czarilyn
Fernando, Aviguel
Guerta, Daniel
Karamihan, Ena
Marie Gwyneth
Merilles, Lyka
Orbe, Joshua