Skip to main content

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. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is 'efficate' a word in English?

I routinely hear the word "efficate" being used. For example, "The most powerful way to efficate a change in the system is to participate." I do not find entries for this word in common English dictionaries, but I do not have an unabridged dictionary. I have checked the OED (I'm not sure if it is considered unabridged), and it has no entry for "efficate". It does have an entry for "efficiate", which is used in the same way. Wordnik has an entry for "efficate" with over 1800 hits, thus providing some evidence for the frequency of use. I personally like the word and find the meaning very clear and obvious when others use it. If it's not currently an "officially documented" word, perhaps its continued use will result in it being better documented.
Post a Comment
Read more