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How do sociologists study the impact of society on individual thoughts, feelings, and behavior? What “tools” or concepts do they employ to...

Sociologists study the effect of society on individual thoughts, feelings, and behavior and the effect of individuals on society through the scientific method. To study a question, sociologists apply a theory, such as functionalism (which looks at the balance of different forces in society); conflict theory (which looks at change and conflict within society); and interactionalism (which looks at the way in which social interactions change society). They then identify a question, study relevant research on that question, and collect and study the data. To collect data, they use surveys (such as questionnaires, scales, and other forms) and observations. Sometimes, they use participant observations and join a group to study it from within and understand social phenomena firsthand. The data they collect then affect their theories and questions in a cyclical and iterative process. In addition, sociologists use their sociological imagination, as C. Wright Mills called it. This is the ability to see society and how it affects individuals from an outsider's perspective. 

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