The Importance Of Social Theory

Social theory is a set of propositions that seek to explain and understand the world. There exists a degree of differentiation among social theory as it is applied within a society; the individual vis-à-vis society and vice versa. As a result, social theory is an expansionary endeavour, being updated as new areas of study are explored. Moreover, due to the subjective nature of social theory, revisions of past theories are a common occurrence as new contexts emerge. Theory is consumed by three primary directives. First, understanding the behaviour of individuals. Second, investigating why a society remains static. Third, attempting to explain why society changes. In light of this, social theory encompasses a broad range of phenomenon from economic

Part of the force driving the creation of new social theory is discontent with previous theory (Förster 2013, 202; Ritzer 1985, 89). For example, the impetus for ‘Conversation analysis’ was overt dissatisfaction with the theoretical models prevalent in post-World War two sociology (Förster 2013, 201). This propagates the creation of new theories in an attempt to compete within the sociological academy (Ritzer 1985, 90; Manza et al. 2018, 27). However, there is the danger that crafting a new theory for every phenomenon results in the obfuscation of the social reality of society (Turner and Boyns 2001, 376; Ritzer 1985, 89). As new theorists emerge, they may exhibit dissatisfaction with prior theory, which in turn moves them to create new

For example, the ideas of Marx have undergone a re-interpretation to accommodate their failed predictions (Manza 2018, 51). Moreover, the ‘Sociological Imagination’ has been updated for contemporary consumption (Brewer 2004, 317). Moreover, any topic in society can be taken as the motivation for creating new social theories (Manza et al. 2018, 50). For example, differential outcomes between men and can be blamed on ‘patriarchy,’ a theory of oppression (Manza et al. 2018, 53). Modernizing old theories is important to prevent their wholesale