What is the difference between the general perspectives? How does the work of Ritzer attempt to overcome this problem?
Micro theories examine the processes of face-to-face contact among individuals and personal points-of-view in society; whereas, the macro theories deal with large-scale social events of society - meaning things that have public concern.
The theories that are apart of the micro-level are symbolic interactionism, dramaturgy, ethnomethodology, and exchange theory. Symbolic interaction is an individual-based theory that uses constructed symbols, such as language and gestures, to which people give meaning in their everyday interactions. Dramaturgy, best stated by Goffman (1959), is what actors portray on a the theatrical stage is similar to the way people act in society. Ethnomethodology is basic common-sense used in for general situations in everyday life (Ritzer, 77). Exchange theory is a given relationship is found to be attractive whereas the rewards tend to outweigh punishment (Blau, 1964).
Structural functionalism and conflict theory are two types of macro-theories. Structural functionalism (Perrucci, 1983) has three main ideas: 1) society is a system containing interdependent and interacting parts bound together in time and space, 2) shared values among members of the system are social “glue” that helps hold it together, 3) and systems have a need for stability and therefor attempt the parts working together harmoniously. Conflict theory is the belief that society contains basic inequalities in wealth, power, and prestige (Coser, 1967; Dahrendorf, 1959).
Ritzer, like many other sociologists, wants to disintegrate the split between the micro and macro sociology. Ritzer attempts to do this by “adding on” to Gurvitch’s insights . Ritzer views the micro-macro issue, not by subjective-objective continuum, but the phenomena as subjective or objective; therefore, concluding that there are four major levels of analysis (See Table I) that are a product of dialectical interrelationships (Ritzer, 1996).
Table I - Ritzer’s Major Levels of Social Analysis
MACROSCOPIC
I. Macro-objective
Examples - society, law, bureaucracy, architecture, technology, and language
II. Macro-subjective
Examples- culture, norms, and values
III. Micro-objective
Examples - patterns of behavior, action, and interaction
IV. Micro-subjective
Examples - perceptions, beliefs; the various facets of the social construction of reality
MICROSCOPIC
In row 1, the macro-objective, involves the large-scale basic standards and “material realities” (Ritzer, 359) by which the general populous abides by; whereas as the macro-subjective is the large-scale intangible ideals such as norms and values which shape our everyday lives. In row 2, the micro theories also have the objective and subjective consistencies but on a smaller scale.
Sonia Sotamayor has all the experience needed to be the Supreme Court judge. She has over achieved all the requirement and experience to be on the Supreme Court. CTV news states that she has lived an “American dream”. Which make her life story even more interesting than the next person. She has been actively involved in mainstream politics since the moment her career started. Sonia Sotamayor was born with next to nothing and now she has everything a person could ask for. She is also well known to the citizen of United States. Sotomayor is a Puerto Rican descent born in the Bronx. She lived in the public housing project. “When she was nine years old her father died. Her mother raised Sotomayor while working as a nurse. After her father's death, Sotomayor reportedly turned to books for solace, and she says it was her love of Nancy Drew books that ultimately led her to the law” (Pitney). She went to Princeton on a scholarship and there she won a highly prestigious award and later she attended Yale law school winning a prestigious award on journalism. Sotomayor law career started as an Assistant District Attorney in M...
Te first theory is Constructivism. Constructivism is known that human are meaning makers. We are not neutral with respect to the world. We actively interpret the world and make meaning of something. By interpreting images to mean something we compel and impose its meaningful use. As humans we look at three cause such a physical causes, psychological causes and spirtual cuases. The second thoery is on Development. While we evolve in mental complexity through out lives we have adaptive balances or stages of mental complexity. Starting at infacy to late adulthood. There are six order of conciousness which are zero to five. We will be discussing only he stages two through four. We make meaning different depending of which order of conciousness we are in. The two places of grow are slow or very slow. One will never move backwards. The last thoery is Holding Enviroment which consist of three components. The three components are confirmation,contradiction and continuty. Confirmation is described as holding on, support and encourgement. It appeals to our yearning for belonging. Contradiction is described as letting go, challenege and setting limits. It appeals to our yearning for agency,acheivement and autonomy. Continuty is described as staying out, remaining in place and being there. It appeals to our need for stability and predictability. '' A healthy holding enviroemnt provides an ingenious blen of support and challene and attends to the relationship between a persons mental capacity and the demands placed upon her by the cultural curriculum '' (Kegan;
...hese theories presents a point of view based on differing classification of sociological concepts, they all focus on the role of the decisions of the individual resulting in how society functions and evolves.
Sociology is the study of society and the interactions that occur within society itself. There are numerous methods of analyzing societies and the way the function, nonetheless, most methods fall in micro and macro level theories. Micro level theories allow sociologist to study smaller relationships such as individual or compact groups of people. On the other hand, macro level studies permit for larger scale investigations to take place. With both of these theories there are three theoretical perspectives used in sociology. Micro level theories include symbolic interactionism which focuses in interactions done with language and gestures and the means which allow such interactions to take place. Macro level theories include structural functionalism
are the three major paradigms that function in today’s society. Functionalist, and conflict paradigms are macro-sociological paradigms. Symbolic interaction is a micro-sociological paradigm. Functionalist paradigm focuses on the integration of society, while social conflict focuses on the issue of division among society. Symbolic interaction works on communication and social change as a consequence. The three paradigms are completely different from each other in a social point of view. The macro-sociological paradigms view America as an inequality state. The social conflict paradigm fits today’s society.
In the macro to micro category, each sociological theory concentrated on one major problem of society and then went on to explain what would have to be done within individuals in order to achieve social progress. Durkheim's focus was upon the division of labor being the primary cause of social problems (Berger 123). For Du Bois, the concentration was on racial issues; "I have faith in the power of freedom and democracy to lead these peoples to higher levels of... progress. I see race, not class, as the fundamental cause of the problems societies have faced over the centuries" (Berger 120). Falling also into the macro to micro category were Lenin and B. Webb. Lenin focuses on the exploitation of the working class as a whole, while Webb concentrated on criminal behavior connected to poverty and poor people as an entire group. The sociologists in this category tended towards focusing on the society as a whole, with the occasional correlation to the individual as the focal point; each theorist was concentrated on groups of individuals more so than the individual. Durkheim's idea was that suicide was more of a reflection of the society within which the individual lives, than it was a reflection of the individual. Durkheim did research linking suicides and communities. He found that "organic societies - those characterized by weak links between people and the breakdown of a sense of community" had higher rates than communities that were lin...
The book displays two social concepts, conflict theory and structural-functionalism. Conflict theory is defined as “a theory propounded by Karl Marx that claims society is in a state of perpetual conflict due to competition
Micro level perspectives is the study of small scale structures and processes in society. It says explanations of social life and social structures are to be found at the individual level or in social interaction. George Mead said that objects and events have no meaning in themselves. Rather, people give them meaning through daily interaction. For example gray hair is a sign of wisdom in one. People give meanings to objects then base their actions on these meanings like some people will refuse to wear a hearing aid becuase it symbolizes decrepitude and weakness.
Off the five developmental theories, I would like to describe and explain two grand theories, Cognitive theory and Behaviorism.
The structural-functionalist perspective looks at society as a complex system composed of various parts much like a living organism. Each aspect of society contributes to society's functioning as a whole. Social institutions play a key role in keeping a society stable. All societies need certain things to survive (Newman 2010).
In Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, there are five systems that ultimately influence an individual. The first system is the microsystem, which consists of the people who have direct contact to an individual. In my own life, my immediate family consists of my mother and I. I am an only child to my mother and since my mother and my father have been separated since I was a baby, he has not been part of my microsystem. In addition, I am also a student at CCP. I have a network of friends whom I keep in close contact with. The people that I encounter at home, school, and work have direct contact with me and thus, they are part of my microsystem.
The sociology of everyday life focuses on studying people in their natural context, ie. the everyday social world. Social interactions is viewed as a fundamental aspect of understanding society and how social reality is constructed. The scrutiny of our social world in micro-sociology reveals that our everyday routines and social interactions produce an appearance of stability and continuity in our social life, when in fact, our social reality is profoundly fragile. This essay explores two different forms of sociological analysis, Symbolic Interactionism and Dramaturgy, through the arguments presented by George Herbert Mead and Erving Goffman respectively, and are both equally influential in their contributions to micro-sociology. Both sociologists
Sociology can best be described as the study of everything in the world. The main purpose of this essay is to explain the science of sociology in great detail and what it generally focuses on.
Structural Functionalism is defined as “how each part of society functions together to contribute to the whole” (Nathan Keirns). A society is a system that is interconnected with one another. Each social institutions contribute an important part to the society; each part influences and is influenced by another part. In Structural Functionalism there are two parts: functional and dysfunctional, as a social process called Manifest function and Latent function. Manifest function can be
This Approach was developed by J. P. Dunlop of Harvard University in 1958. This approach, involves individuals who a part of a continuing independent social system. The behavior, actions, and roles of individuals are based on the culture within. There are three elements the systematic approach, they are; input, process and output. Society and institutions within this society creates the system which influences the process, which then determines the outcome or response of the individuals. This theory is based on the idea that individuals are shaped by society and societal factors (Humanresource.com).