This document provides summaries of several major sociological theories and perspectives: - The functionalist perspective developed by Emile Durkheim focuses on how society functions as an interrelated system to maintain stability. - The conflict perspective developed by Karl Marx focuses on how competition for scarce resources leads to social change and conflict. - Max Weber's interactionist perspective focuses on how individuals interact through symbols and attach subjective meanings to actions. It also provides brief biographies of Durkheim, Marx, and Weber, outlining their major concepts and contributions to sociology.

3. Functionalist perspective
(Emile Durkheim)
• Focuses on: society as a set of interrelated
parts that work together to produce
a stable social system
• Main assumptions: society is held together through
consensus; most people agree on what is best for
society and will work together to ensure that the
social system runs smoothly
• Topics of interest: division of work in the family;
functions served by education

4. Conflict perspective ( Karl Marx)
• Focuses on: forces in society that promote
competition and change
• Main assumptions: conflict in society arises
over competition for scarce resources; social
change is an inevitable feature of society
• Topics of interest: decision making in families;
relationships among racial groups; labor
disputes

5. Interactionist perspective (
Max Weber)
• Focuses on: how individuals interact
with one another in society
• Main assumptions: individuals attach
meanings to their own actions and to the
actions of others; interaction btwn ppl takes
place thru use of symbols
• Topics of interest: child development;
relationships within groups; mate selection

7. Émile Durkheim
(French) (1858-1917)
• Founded sociology as an academic discipline
• Famous for his study on suicides (1897)
• Use of statistics in sociology
• Key concepts: social facts, social structure
social solidarity, collective conscience, mechanical and
organic solidarity, anomie
• Structural/functionalist theorist

8. Karl Marx
(German) (1818-1883)
• Founder of political / economic theory of socialism (communism)
• Considered the founder of the conflict perspective
• Wrote the Communist Manifesto and co wrote Das Kapital (with
Friedrich Engels)
• Key concepts: proletariat, bourgeoisie, capitalists, social class,
dialectics (thesis, antithesis, synthesis)

9. Max Weber
(German) (1864-1920)
• Believed that sociologist could never capture the reality
of society but should focus on ideal types that best capture
the essential features of aspects of social reality
• Key concepts: bureaucracy, verstehen, rationalization of the
modern world, people are becoming prisoners of new
technology, loss of individuality

10. Feminist Theory
Feminist theory is one of the major contemporary sociological theories,
which analyses the status of women and men in society with the purpose of using
that knowledge to better women's lives. Feminist theory is most concerned with
giving a voice to women and highlighting the various ways women have contributed
to society.
Critical Theory
Critical theory is a type of social theory oriented toward critiquing and
changing society as a whole, in contrast to traditional theory oriented only to
understanding or explaining it. Critical theories aim to dig beneath the surface of
social life and uncover the assumptions that keep us from a full and true
understanding of how the world works.
Labeling Theory
Labeling theory is one of the most important approaches to understanding
deviant and criminal behavior. It begins with the assumption that no act is
intrinsically criminal. Definitions of criminality are established by those in power
through the formulation of laws and the interpretation of those laws by police,
courts, and correctional institutions.

11. Social Learning Theory
Social learning theory is a theory that attempts to explain
socialization and its effect of the development of the self. It looks at
the individual learning process, the formation of self, and the
influence of society in socializing individuals. Social learning theory
is commonly used by sociologists to explain deviance and crime.
Structural Strain Theory
Robert K. Merton developed the structural strain theory as
an extension of the functionalist perspective on deviance. This
theory traces the origins of deviance to the tensions that are caused
by the gap between cultural goals and the means people have
available to achieve those goals.
Rational Choice Theory
Economics plays a huge role in human behaviour. That is,
people are often motivated by money and the possibility of making a
profit, calculating the likely costs and benefits of any action before
deciding what to do. This way of thinking is called rational choice
theory.

12. Game Theory
Game theory is a theory of social interaction, which attempts to explain
the interaction people have with one another. As the name of the theory suggests,
game theory sees human interaction as just that: a game.
Sociobiology
Sociobiology is the application of evolutionary theory to social behaviour.
It is based on the premise that some behaviours are at lease partly inherited and can
be
Social Exchange Theory
One way of analyzing social interaction is through the social exchange
theory. This model interprets society as a series of interactions that are based on
estimates of rewards and punishments. According to this view, our interactions are
determined by the rewards or punishments that we receive from others and all
human relationships are formed by the use of a subjective cost-benefit analysis. The
theory has its roots in economics as well as sociology and psychology.

13. Chaos Theory
Chaos theory is a field of study in mathematics, however it has applications
in several disciplines, including sociology and other social sciences. In the social
sciences, chaos theory is the study of complex non-linear systems of social complexity.
It is not about disorder, but rather is about very complicated systems of order.
Social Phenomenology
Social phenomenology is an approach within the field of sociology that
aims to reveal what role human awareness plays in the production of social action,
social situations and social worlds. In essence, phenomenology is the belief that
society is a human construction.