Which of the 3 main theoretical approaches/ perspectives in sociology (functional, conflict, interactionist) do you think is the most useful? Why?
Be sure to discuss any weaknesses with the perspective you chose.
Respond in 1 paragraph (5 - 10 sentences)
Include your blog # - email me at malagolds@mcvts.org if you forgot your #
Of the 3 main theoretical approaches/ perspectives in sociology (functional, conflict, interactionist) I think the most useful is the conflict perspective. This perspective focuses on forces in society that encourage competition and change and people with power and how that power is implemented over those with less power. Competition over limited resources is the origin of social conflict. Once one group searches out control of resources, they institute rules and regulations that defend their well being at the cost of others. However, the most important part of the conflict perspective is that conflict drives social change and change is an inevitable feature in society. Without change a culture couldn’t grow and without conflict there wouldn’t be change. The only weakness of this perspective is it presents a simplistic view of dominant-subordinate groups or relationships. Otherwise, the most useful of the 3 main approaches in sociology is the conflict perspective.
ReplyDelete-9 (Rachel)
Out of the functions of society the conflict society is the most useful. This is the most useful out of the three because it shows how people in a society react to good and bad situations. In addition, it helps identify the functional perspective and symbolic perspective. It helps identify a functional perspective by showing how stable a society is when there is a conflict over scarcity of objects. It also helps identify a symbolic perspective by showing how much social interaction changed between certain groups when a conflict arises over valued resources. But, a weakness for this perspective is that even though it is a useful tool for viewing a society it may also be its downfall if a group abuses its power to a smaller group.
ReplyDelete#5(Parth Sojitra 3A)
I believe the best perspective used in sociology is the conflict theory. I believe this because while conflict tends to drive people apart it can also bring others tougher even though it would be because they are striving against the same enemy. While the other two theories focuses on how people positively interact with each other the conflict theory focus on both how people positively and negatively interact. Although the conflict theory runs opposite to the status quo, sometimes even pushing against it, it brings people of the same agreement tougher allowing them to share a common goal like how a group that otherwise would not interact with each other join tougher to cheer for their favorite team during a big basketball game.
ReplyDeleteThe conflict theory forces people to change and grow in society. It keeps others moving so that they can keep with the others around them that are also pushing forward.
A negative aspect of this theory is that they see it in a simple view of the relationships of people.
It is very easy to see the conflict in today’s society but along with it brings the strive to succeed. Because of the conflict in today’s world people push to do their best, striving to become something others say they cannot, and sometimes succeeding.
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Although I think that all of the perspectives are equally important and you should use all of them when talking about something from a sociologists perspective. The sociological perspective in which I believe is the best is the conflict perspective. I believe this because most of the world values competition and I feel as though there will always be a power struggle between people. There is always someone who is in competition with someone else for whatever reason. I think that it is also the most true to my life in many different ways. I think that a lot of teenagers always feel the need to be in competition with one another even when the reason is probably stupid and doesnt matter. There is always a power sturggle between countries because every country wants to be the most powerful and every country wants to be on top of everything.
ReplyDelete-2
In sociology it is important to remember that every event should be viewed in many different perspectives. There is no right or wrong perspective, but many argue which one is the best. The best way to observe society is to use the functionalist, conflict and interactionist perspectives. A combination of the three is the best way to create a non-biased accurate opinion. However, if I'm forced to choose the most useful one I would choose the conflict perspective. Conflict is a vital tool for all societies to progress. Without conflict the world would be at a stand-still. Competition between other countries and and even classmates promotes healthy progression. Both countries and people will strive to be the best to beat the competition. The struggle to be better than the competition has made our society technologically advanced our knowledge about the world and beyond its atmosphere is quite amazing. The world will only progress because everyone and every nation wants to be the best,
ReplyDelete~ 13
Out of the three theoretical perspectives, I believe that conflict theory is is the most useful. It focused less on meaning and more on the conflict that pushes society to work the way it does. It promotes competition and change. It shows how those who have power and rank control those who are lower in society. Almost every society has the struggle between power. Also, most societies have competition between gender, age groups, races, and national backgrounds. I agree that competition over scarce resources such as power and wealth is the basis of social conflict. I strongly believe that conflict leads to social changes, which are inevitable to the future of the society.
ReplyDelete~3
The three theorectical perspectives of sociology are functional, conflict, and interactionalist. All three perspectives together can give us a better look on our society and others as well. Since everyone who has posted on the blog so far think that conflict is the best, I'll be the odd one out who thinks the interactionalist is very useful. Without knowing how we act towards one another how would we function? Interactionalists are interested in how people respond with one another in everyday situations. If we didn't know that saying "hello" is just a common thing, we could of interpreted that greeting as maybe offensive or rude. Also they are interested in symbolism, with what we attach to certain symbols or even people. I think the physical gestures are very important to know because shaking someone's hand in a different country could start a fight or be disrespectful if we didn't study to see their meanings. They raise a good point of "mate selection" because what do we really look for in a mate? What did the earlier generation look for before money and social status got in the way? I know most people don't just look for super attractive people who are super rich, but then there's people in the public eye. Tons of people go out or even marry people just to get more money or recongnized more often. I think we may have to rethink how we act towards one another with all the bullying and such around us today. The social networking doesn't make it any easier for a teen in society and can eveen make it harder for them. We have to keep studying interactions etween people so we can fully understand ourselves and our functions before we look to learn more.
ReplyDelete~~ #8
Out of the three main sociological perspectives (functional, conflict,and interactionist), the most useful one, in my opinion, is the functional point of view. With the functional point of view, one can fully see how all the different parts of society have an overall effect. One compares the manifest function, what was meant to happen, with the latent function, which is what ended up happening. The functionalist perspective also deals with dysfunctions, which are the negative effects of our decisions. This is important to society, for when a society makes a decision, they can look at what happened when a similar decision was made, and choose whether or not to continue on that course. However, as with all perspectives, the functional perspective has weaknesses. It defends all current social arrangements, no matter how problematic. They say that the latent dysfunctions weren't foreseen, and merely mistakes. Also a problem with the functionalist perspective is that, with all the different parts being looked at, from manifest functions to latent dysfunctions, it is difficult to see the society as a whole, instead of merely parts.
ReplyDelete~10
Out of the 3 main theoretical approaches in sociology, interactionist is the most useful. It is important because it involves the observation of symbolism and the means of communication people use every day. It uses the idea that people act according to "their interpretation of the world". They associate symbols with meanings and act on the way they see and interprete them. This helps people understand why it is that people do what they do. It proves that different people do different things and react in completely different ways. It is important for society to know why people do the things they do and try to understand the things that drive people to do so, even if they are "unacceptable." For example, alot of parents will argue and disagree with the use of "behind spanking" as a form of discipline. However some people (primarily old-fashioned) see it as a useful way of discipline.
ReplyDelete~14
Out of the 3 main perspectives in sociology (functional, conflict, interactionist)I think that the functional perspective is the most important one. I feel this way because I feel that society is like a machine or the human body. In order to have society, or a whole thing, it must be made of parts that allow it to function properly. I agree that everything has a function, regardless whether it is a disfunction or not. Dysfunctions are a much needed part of our society. All elements in society have a manifest function, and a latent function which help us recognize the purpose things have in society, whether they were supposed to have that purpose or not. The main weaknesses of the functional perspective are the dysfunctions. Though they are much needed in society, in my opinion, they are unfavorable and troublesome. Society would be a much better place without crime, drugs, wars, and violence.
ReplyDelete~12
In sociology, there are 3 main perspectives; the functional, the conflict, and the interactionist. I believe that out of all 3 of these, none of them is better than the others. All three of the perspectives are in existence for a reason, therefore all of them are equally important. Using all 3 helps to view something from every point and every aspect. There is no right or wrong perspective. A sociologist is better off viewing an event from all different perspectives. This is why a combination of the 3 perspectives is the best choice.
ReplyDelete~6
I think by nature humans are selfish and stubborn. I identify with the conflict view that most. There is always a power struggle, always. I do like some of the functional views as well. The world defiantly functions like a body, one thing leads to another which triggers another, and so on. It relates to conflict because it's almost like a driving force forward.
ReplyDelete- Stephanie
I believe that, society and the nature of humans is dependent on conflict and interactions. Mainly because human nature is always in conflict from the times of the Romans even to this modern day. Also interaction is a main part. Everyone communicates and most people communicate with someone else and are always in contact. In conclusion I believe that conflict an interactions is the nature of humans and their surrounding peers.
ReplyDeleteKirill
The three perspectives of sociology (Functionalist, conflict, and interactionist) all have their own pros and cons, and each serves a different purpose. Humans are too complex a creature to pick one perspective to analyze their actions and reactions with. Through reading previous blog responses, conflict theory seems to be the most popular. I agree that there is a constant power struggle between humans, and that everyone is always trying to compete for money/power/popularity, etc. However I do have to say that it is important to think about why people are always competing against each other, and why people seem to always desire materialistic things. It is important to think about how everyday activities effect people's minds and bodies, and to analyze how simple social interactions can influence a person's view of their peers/superiors. For me, this makes the interactionist perspective the most applicable.
ReplyDelete-15