History Sociology

How did sociology begin?Sociology emerged in the middle of the nineteen century in EuropeThree factors led to the development of sociology 1.Industrial evolution !.Travel ".Success of #atural SciencesIndustrial evolutionEurope was changing from agriculture to factory production$asses of people moved to the cities in search of wor%In cities people met anonymity& crowding& filth& and povertyIndustrial evolution challenged the traditional order an opened the door for democratic changes Social changes undermined the traditional e'planations of human e'istence TravelThe Europeans had been successful in obtaining colonies Their colonial empires e'posed them to radically different culturesStartled by these contrasting ways of life& they began to as% (uestions why cultures differedSuccess in natural sciences #ewton)s laws e'plained the movement of everything visible in the universe *from planets to buildings+It seemed logical to discover the laws underlying social phenomena The ,ather of SociologyAuguste Comte (1798-1857) The new social science that -omte sought to establish was first called social physics social physics but he coined the word sociology, sociology, a hybrid term compounded of .atin and /ree% parts -omte first used the term sociology in print in 10"0 The ,ather of Sociology 1ugust -omte)s philosophy based on his conclusion that an intellectual discipline progresses only to the degree that it is grounded in facts and e'perience& i.e.& rests on information about which one can reasonably ma%e positive statements2ositivism See%s to describe only what 3obviously4 is& what one can really be positive about& that is& sense data. 1 strict positivist& seeing a blac% sheep on a meadow could not say& 3There is a blac% sheep.4 He could only say& 3I see a sheep& one side of which isblac%.41ugust -omte -omte hoped that sociologists would use scientific methods to gain %nowledge of the social worldThen they would advise people about how life ought to be livedThis would the cure from social chaos Emile 5ur%heim *106071819+:hat hold society together? To answer this (uestion 5ur%heim compared premodern and modern societies$echanical Solidarity e'isted in primitive societies. 2eople in premodern community were ali%e and functioned as 3simple machine4-ollectivism dominated over individualism. 1ll the people shared the same beliefs and values. 5ur%heim used term 3-ollective -onsciousness4 toreflect the shared ideas& values& and goals;rganic Solidarity1s the division of labor in society became more comple'& people became more different and& thus& more dependent on one another ;rganic Solidarity& then& describes the proper functioning of a variety of parts& or organs of the society. 5ur%heim and sociology5ur%heim believed that if he could show that the most individual of acts& which had previously been attributed to psychological causes& had social causes& then he would validate the power < worth of Sociology 3Suicide4 *1089+:hether suicide the most private act or it is instigated by the structure of the society?5ur%heim carefully e'amined the available data on rates of suicide among various social groups If suicide is purely an act of individuals desperation one would not e'pect to find any changes in the rates from year to year or society to society5ur%heim=s $ethodHe traveled around ,rance and e'amined death certificates of suicides 5ur%heim collected data on social bac%ground of suicide victims& e.g. demographic information including age& religion& class& >ob& wor% history& income& wealth& gender& etc. Then 5ur%heim grouped people according to suicide rates and each social factor3Suicide4 *1089+ 5ur%heim discovered that suicide rates in all the countries tended to be higher?1.1mong widowed& single& and divorced people than among married people!.1mong people without children than amongparents". 1mong 2rotestants than among -atholics :hat ma%e these groups of people different?Two ma>or functions of societyIntegration is the degree to which collective sentiments *%nowledge& beliefs& values+ are shared by members is society Regulation is the degree of e'ternal constraint on people& i.e. the common norms people live under 5ur%heim)s four types of suicideSuicide5ur%heim argued that when group& family& or communities ties are weak& people feel disconnected and alone-atholic -hurch emphasi@es salvation through community and binds members to the church through elaborate doctrine and ritual2rotestantism emphasi@es individual salvation and responsibility *this individualism e'plained the differences in suicide rate+ Suicide5ur%heim also felt that suicide can become li%ely when the ties to one)s community is too strongeligious cults re(uire their members to re>ect their ties to outside people and live by the values and customs of their new communityThe lin% between suicide and religious ties Egoistic suicideToo little social integrationThose individuals who were not sufficiently bound to social groups *and therefore well7defined values& traditions& norms& and goals+ were left with little social support or guidance& and therefore tended to commit suicide on an increased basis1n e'ample 5ur%heim discovered was that of unmarried people& particularly males& who& with less to bind and connect them to stable social norms and goals& committed suicide at higher rates than unmarried people. Altruistic suicide Too much integrationSelf sacrifice was the defining trait& where individuals were so integrated into social groups that they lost sight of their individuality and became willing to sacrifice themselvesThe most common cases of altruistic suicide occurred among members of the military. Altruistic suicideSati is a Hindi custom in India in which widow was burnt to ashes on her dead husband)s pyre *altruistic suicide)This is a voluntary act in which the woman decides to end her life with her husband after his death :hen a parent dies while pushing their child out of the way of a car Altruistic suicide1808 four young Aorean sisters *ranging from B to 1" + attempted to %ill themselves by ingesting rat poisonThe sisters were not depressed rather they felt obligated to sacrifice their personal well7being to the success of their family)s male heir *their "7year7old brother+2arents were poor and could not afford the education for the brother:ithin the traditional Aorean culture& female children are much less important than male childrenThus& suicide pact of these young girls was tied to the social system of which they were a partAnomic suicide *Too little regulation+1. Acute economic anomie suicide2. Chronic economic anomie suicide3. Acute domestic anomie suicide4. Chronic domestic anomie suicideAnomic suicide *Too little regulation+Acute economic anomie? sporadic decreases in the ability of traditional institutions *such as religion& pre7industrial social systems+ to regulateChronic economic anomie: long term dimunition of social regulation. Acute domestic anomie: sudden changes on the microsocial level resulted in an inability to adapt and therefore higher suicide rates. Chronic domestic anomie: arriage has traditionally served to overregulate the lives of !omen by further restricting their already limited opportunities and goals. "nmarried !omen# therefore# do not e$perience chronic domestic anomie nearly as often as do unmarried men. %atalistic suicide Too much regulationE'amples?1. slaves!.prisoners". overwor%ed college studentsC. 1merican middle class wor%ing men6. 1merican middle class house wivesB. School 1ge suicidesD%illers?*I cannot stand the harassment by the in7crowd& because I am different+:hat is the profile of a suicidal person?$en commit suicide more than women * :omen ma%e more attempts at suicide& but men succeed more often + The young& mid teens to mid twenties < the middle aged& late CEs < 6Es are the most suicidal age groups 2rotestants more than -atholics or Fews to commit suicide 2eople of all -lasses have about the same rates of suicide& e'cept for the e'treme rich < poor Those who have been recently .aid7;ff more li%ely to commit suicide If you are male& middle7age& 2rotestant& laid7off& :atch7outG Sociological value of 3&uicide'Social forces that affect human behavior The role of sociology to e'pose and understand these actions as the foundations of societal structure. In other words& &uicide is a vital wor% because it is the first effective combination of sociological theory and empiricism to e'plain a social phenomenonSocial ,acts 3Social ,acts consist of manners of acting& thin%ing and feeling e'ternal to the individual& which are invested with a coercive power by virtue of which they e'ercise control over him4Hndoubtedly when one conforms to them of hisDher own free will& this coercion is not felt or felt hardly at all& since it is unnecessary. Sociology in /ermany,erdinand Tonnies *1066718"B+.i%e 5ur%heim he compared premodern and modern societiesTonnies wished to understand how social relationships between people differed in the two types of societiesTonnies on social relationships There are two basic categories of social relationships Emotion7based relationships& (emeinschaft /oal7driven social relationships& (esellschaftEmotion7based relationships& (emeinschaft2eople enter into this sort of relationships for emotional or affective reasons E'ample? family relationships& friendship/oal7driven social relationships& (esellschaft(esellschaft e'ists in the realm of business& travel& or sciencesE$ample: wor%er7boss $odern societyIn your own life you e'perience both sorts of relationshipsfriend7friend wife7husbanddoctor7patientretailer7customerSocial structure *type of the relationship+ influences our behaviorTonnies on social relationshipsIn modern societies there are more relationships (esellschaft than in premodern societies2eople did not change& society changed $odern society forces people live and wor% with less emotional attachments:e leave emotional relationships only for people close to us Tonnies) contribution to sociology3 )he type of the relationship determines the rules of the relationship' Some rules elationships can be either (esellschaft or (emeinschaftelationships might change from (esellschaft to (emeinschaft or from (emeinschaft to (esellschaft 2articular relationship can have some elements of (emeinschaft and some elements of (esellschaft2ossible answers */roup 6& /roup B+Some of the rules of (emeinschaft? spend time together& showDreturn affection& be honest& give gifts& etcSome of the rules of (esellschaft? receiving gifts& using car *other resources+& social status among peers /enerally& the ban%er7client relationship is (esellschaft. ,rom watching television advertisements for ban%s& one might conclude that the ban%er7client relationship is supposed to be (emeinschaftQuestion 1? :hy would ban%s promote their services as (emeinschaft*Question 2? :hat& if any& danger is there in thin%ing of your relationship with ban%er as (emeinschaft*2ossible answers1ccording to Tonnies&3 )he type of the relationship determines the rules of the relationship' Emotion7based relationships are beneficial for the ban%er-lients feel obliged to behave well *trust to the ban%er& do not rob& pay credits in time+