Sociological Perspective
Using the Sociological Perspective (Peter Berger) is:
- Seeing the general in the particular
- Seeing the strange in the familiar
- Seeing society in our everyday lives
- Marginality and crisis
Why should I care about this?
Applying the sociological perspective is super useful:
- Helps us assess the truth of “common sense”
- Helps us assess both opportunities and constraints
- Empowers us to be active participants in our society
- Helps us live in a diverse world
1. Seeing the general in the particular
Seeing the general in the particular means being able to identify relationship between individual and society.
- Individual job loss = Personal trouble
- Many people lose their jobs at the same time = Social Issue
An individual losing their job is at a personal scale, but if you notice that there are many layoffs, you can see that there is a larger problem at hand.
2. Seeing the strange in the familiar
Study everyday behaviour (Norm) to see how society shapes our lives – what we think and do.
So instead of blindly doing things, question why you do the things you do. Think critically.
3. Seeing society in our everyday lives
Emile Durkheim was studying who was more likely to commit Suicide:
- More likely: males, Protestants, wealthy, unmarried.
- Less likely: females, Jews or Catholics, poor, married.
He realized that Social integration may be a way to protect us from Suicide.
4. Marginality and crisis
Why are certain individuals in our society Marginalized? Sociology can help us understand that.
We investigate issues such as social Exclusion and unemployment.