Theories in Sociology
Sociologists study social events, interactions, and patterns, and they develop a theory in an attempt to explain why things work as they do. In sociology, a theory is a way to explain different aspects of social interactions and to create a testable proposition, called a hypothesis, about society . (Allan 2006)
When sociologists attempt to explain any aspect of the society they are observing, they use theories.
A theory is a set of interrelated propositions or principles designed to answer a question or explain a particular phenomenon.
Theories give us a particular set of views from a particular sociologist or group of sociologists.
Theories in sociology therefore provide us with different perspectives with which to view our social world.
A perspective is simply a way of looking at the world.
Sociologists will not all observe the world in the same way, or for the same reasons; their perspectives will be different.
Sociological theories are therefore a partial and specific way of seeing the world and will not be shared by all sociologists alike.
HOWEVER – perspectives can be grouped together under broader theories. These include:
Consenus read more
Conflict read more
Structural read more
Social action read more
Interpretivist read more
Feminism read more
Late / post-modern read more