question on sociological perspective? please help?

Question

how does the sociologial perspective help sociologists better understand society than individuals not exposed to this perspective? i have no clue how to go about answering this, any ideas are greatly appreciated.

Examples for the above question as well would be great!

and another question-

what do sociologists do when they engage in their sociological practice? In what ways do they help communities through their practice?

Answer 1

Hi Annie. Sociological perspectives are methods for analyzing the social world. Unlike what happens in natural sciences, in social sciences like sociology the object of study can be quite abstract and be interpreted subjectively. Sociologists use sociological perspectives, such as structural-functionalism, as basic grounds on which to begin an investigation, in which there is also a method which has to be chosen or undertaken. Individuals which are not familiar with sociological perspectives, or sociological concepts or basic rules, are at risk of carrying out serious methodological errors. For example, generalization, assumptions, drawing conclusions without empirical evidence, lack of strong theories, etc. To give you a practical example, an unprofessional investigator might try to analyze crime in a certain neighborhood, without first seeing the crime statistics for that area, or might conclude that all blacks there commit crimes, after observing three black people commiting crimes. These are very burd examples but might help you understand how hard it is to conclude or to elaborate theories in social sciences.

Sociologists, when engaging in sociological practice try to determine how a certain group or community works, how it functions, how interaction between its members is, what function actions have, as well as learn about a set of specific customs and traditions, which can be compared to other groups or societies in order to draw a certain conclusion on groups behavior or patterns. By identifying problems, they can also help the Government detect certain weaknesses in the social system, thus contributing in solving them, which may lead to a better society.

Answer 2

Sociological perspective looks for general patterns in particular individuals. There are three primary sociological perspectives: Structural-Functionalism, Conflict Theory (largely founded in Marxism) and Symbolic Interactionism, each of which providing a different idea on existence and function as a part of the whole. The richest understanding of sociology often comes from a blend of these three major perspectives.

A perspective can be broadly defined as "a way of looking at and seeing (or interpreting) something". To have a perspective, therefore, means to look at something (whatever that thing might be) in a particular way.

For sociologists, the "thing" we are looking at is the social world and, in particular, the nature of the relationships people form in their everyday lives. Thus, when we talk about "society" or "the social world" as if it were something real and alive, what we are actually referring-to is our particular perception of the range and scope of the relationships that exist between people in any given society - which, if you're interested, is the real object of study for Sociologists.

Answer 3

Actually, they do not. Of all the social sciences, sociology is most lacking in rigor and the least evolutionarily informed. To say that " society " is sui generis, is the height of hubris. The modern studies of human nature are showing everyday that the sociological perspectives are badly misinformed, and misinforming. For example; the sociological concept of incest avoidance is based on a refuted Freudian sexual concept, refuted by a sociologist called Edward Westermark. This is only one of many examples showing that sociology is disconnected,not only from reality, but even from the rest of the social science community; not to mention the scientific community. Check out Human ethology on the web.