Chapter 1 Sociology Study Guide

Sociology is the scientific study of social behavior and human groups. Sociology's focus is on social relationships; how those relationships influence people's behavior; and how societies, the sum total of those relationships, develop and change.

A leading sociologist, C. Wright Mills described critical thinking as the sociological imagination. Sociological imagination is an awareness of the relationship between an individual and the wider society, both today and in the past (Mills [1959] 2000a). This awareness allows all of us (not just sociologists) to comprehend the links between our immediate, personal social settings and the remote, impersonal social world that surrounds and helps to shape us. A key element in the sociological imagination is the ability to view one's own society as an outsider would, rather than only from the perspective of personal experiences and cultural biases. The sociological imagination allows us to go beyond personal experiences and observations to understand broader public issues. C. Wright Mills advocated using the sociological imagination to view divorce not as simply an individual's personal problem but rather as a societal concern. The sociological imagination is an empowering tool. It allows us to look beyond a limited understanding of human behavior to see the world and its people in a new way and through a broader lens than we might otherwise use.

The term science refers to the body of knowledge obtained by methods based on systematic observation. Just like other scientific disciplines, sociology involves the organized, systematic study of phenomena (in this case, human behavior) in order to enhance understanding.

In sociology, a theory is a set of statements that seeks to explain problems, actions, or behavior. An effective theory may have both explanatory and predictive power. It can help us to see the relationships among seemingly isolated phenomena, as well as to understand how one type of change in an environment leads to other changes.

Durkheim developed a highly original theory about the relationship between suicide and social factors. He was not concerned with the personalities of individual suicide victims, but rather with suicide rates and how they varied from country to country. Durkheim went much deeper into his study on suicide and he refused to accept unproved explanations regarding suicide, including the beliefs that inherited tendencies or cosmic forces caused such deaths. Instead, Durkheim focused on social factors, such as the cohesiveness or lack of cohesiveness of religious, social, and occupational groups. Durkheim concluded that the suicide rates of society reflected the extent to which people were and were not integrated into the group life of the society.

A. Comte Auguste Comte's (credited with being the most influential of the philosophers of the early 1800s) major contribution(s) to sociology: Comte believed that a theoretical science of society and a systematic investigation of behavior were needed to improve society. He coined the term sociology to apply to the science of human behavior. B. Spencer Herbert Spencer hoped to understand society better. Spencer drew on Charles Darwin's study On The Origin of Species, and applied the concept of evolution of the species to societies in order to explain how they change, or evolve over time. Spencer suggested that since societies are bound to change eventually, one need not be highly critical of present social arrangements or work actively for social change. C. Durkheim Emile Durkheim made many pioneering contributions to sociology, including his important theoretical work on suicide. Durkheim insisted that behavior must be understood within a larger social context, not just individualistic terms. He developed a fundamental thesis to help explain all forms of society. D. Weber Max Weber developed a key conceptual tool called the ideal type, which is a construct or model for evaluating specific cases. E. Marx Karl Marx F. Cooley Charles Horton Cooley G. Merton Robert Merton