The differences between Macro and Micro sociology - Essay Example

The differences between Macro and Micro sociology In the world of sociology two broad concepts of analysis are defined namely Micro-sociology and Macro-sociology. The definition of these two terms lies in the word themselves. Micro sociology is the study of society at a microscopic level where everything can be ascertained in small parts. Macro sociology on the other hand is the study of the society which takes a broad view. The two seem to be quite different from each other but are yet thoroughly connected with each other. Macro sociology analyzes broad scale systems such as the economical and political systems of the country. It is seen that some sociologists argue that macro sociology is better in analyzing the key aspects of a society whereas some argue that micro sociology is the best when it comes to the analysis of the society. This essay would further revolve around these two concepts and put forward as to which ones better in studying the society (Giddens & Griffiths 2006; Emery et al). Macro sociology revolves around the analysis of the greater parts of the society and put forward as to how these factors are affecting the daily lives of people. The bigger systems in the society play a key role in deciding the flow of life. This can be clearly seen by comparing the systems that were established in the medieval period to the ones that are established in the industrialized world. These systems help to distinguish between the times that were in the previous era to that of the present era. In other words we are looking at the background of the whole situation and not the situation itself. The factors that are affecting the situation are analyzed through the basics of macro sociology. Micro sociology on the other hand is used to find out the exact details of the face to face interaction rather than the back ground. In other words only a specific situation at a specific instance is analyzed through micro sociology and not the broader concept of the whole situation. This can relate to a meeting taking place inside a huge corporation regardless of the fact as to why the meeting is really taking place. Macro sociology is the study through which the background of the whole corporation can be studied and as to how it is affecting the basics of the meeting (Giddons & Griffith 2006). This paper will focus on the views of micro and macro sociological perspectives and aims to differentiate between them. This paper also forms a conclusion on the importance of these theories and perspectives in the study of sociology. The main difference between micro and macro sociology is that Micro sociology focuses its discussions and perspectives on individual needs, wants and actions. Macro sociology, in contrast, focuses on the collaborative force of the society. The main difference between these two is the degree of their focus. Micro sociology focuses on a relatively smaller number of groups and social interactions. Macro sociology takes the broader aspects of the society into view whereas micro sociology directly views the interaction. Macro sociology is used by the functionalist and conflict theorists whereas micro sociology is used by the symbolic interactionists. The study of sociology is not limited to a single approach but the two different approached namely micro and macro are used to view the society (Mooney 2010). The Macro concept includes the whole society when proposing sociological ideas, ideals and theories. On the other hand, micro theories of sociology concentrate on characteristics, traits and needs of individuals who make the society (Katsiaficas et al., 1987). Symbolic interactionist perspective was formed by Charles Cooley, William Thomas and George Mead. According to this framework symbols form the basic component of the social life in this world. They believed that everything including relationships in life was formed by these symbols in the society. Symbols are used by every individual in this world to express feelings, relationship and coordination. In other words it is because of these symbols that individuals are able to enjoy a sophisticated life which they otherwise would not have been able to live. They believed that as symbols would change so would the environment and behavior of individuals. These symbols are a part of micro sociology as they help the sociologists to understand the basics of the sociological perspective (Henslin 2008; Giddons and Griffith 2006). Functionalist perspective was formed by Robert Merton. This perspective revolves around the different functions that every individual in the society has to carry out. These functions are divided accordingly so that the pressure on a single individual is reduced. There are two parts of a function; one which helps to benefit and other which gives a disadvantage. If government tries to sort out some problem from the society it would announce some financial benefit for individuals to do it and this would be considered as a manifest function or a function which benefits (Kornblum 2007). If this package turns out to be a disaster after its over-usage then it lies under the category of latent dysfunction or a function which gives a disadvantage. In other words the society is working in a functional manner in which everyone has to perform his/her function properly or the society would become imbalanced. This clearly shows that the society as a whole is being considered here regardless of the place that different entities carry in this world. The different functions of the society are analyzed in the subject of macro sociology along with the interaction of the functions with the normal societal values (Henslin 2008; Giddins & Griffith 2006). Lastly the Conflict theory was formed by Karl Marx. It is based upon the conflicts taking place in the society on different issues. The theory suggests that everyone living in the society has some conflict with a group or an individual. It tells that everyone in this world is competing with each other to achieve the limited resources of this world. In other words everyone is trying to achieve dominance over each other. Conflict theory can be applied to a live example of men and women as nowadays both have conflicts with each other (Strong et al., 2008). Women consider themselves as underrated because of their gender and hence they have conflicts with their opposite gender. Conflict theory is also related to the basics of macro sociology as it revolves around different types of conflicts taking place in the society. These conflicts can be directly related to the normal functions of the society and as to how they would be affecting the society (Henslin 2008). In my view both of these broad concepts separately cannot analyze the norms of the societies. It is necessary that both of these are combined together to analyze the society as they are related to each other. Individually things should be considered as they are normally considered in the studies of micro sociology whereas a broader concept of the systems should also be taken into consideration to find out the effects of the system on the society. This would help to ensure that both the entities are taken into view when analyzing the whole system. The sociology is the study of society and the use of these two broader views helps in analyzing the individualistic and collaborative issues involved in it. There is a need to keep a balance between these two perspectives in order to fully and efficiently understand the behaviors of the society. The social behaviors of individuals help in understanding the possible or prevailing practices in the society (Anderson & Taylor 2008). On the other hand, the study of the larger groups and populations help in understanding the directions of the society and help in designing and implementing strategies which may help in fixing the social practices at large. The study of any one of these perspective may end up creating wrong assumptions and conclusion about the society. The individualistic view (i.e. micro sociology) may work on a sample which may not translate the needs, practices and desires of the whole population (Blundell et al., 2003). Similarly the study of larger population may not provide much information on the individualistic perspective of people and their problems and issues. The broader view of society usually ignores some important individual or minority based issues which may encourage the feelings of hatred, inequality, unjust behaviors and discriminatory environment. Hence, the study of sociology needs to incorporate both, broader and narrower views to fully answer the needs of the society. There is a need to understand the importance of each of these parts of sociological learning and incorporate them efficiently in learning about the society. The theories of each perspectives help in effective management and application of these views. ReferencesTop of Form ANDERSEN, M. L., & TAYLOR, H. F. (2008). Sociology: understanding a diverse society. Belmont, CA, Thomson/Wadsworth. BLUNDELL, J., GRIFFITHS, J., & MCNEILL, P. (2003). Sociology AS: the complete companion (OCR). Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes. Giddens, A., & Griffiths, S. (2006). Sociology. Cambridge, UK [u.a.: Polity Press. Henslin, J. M., & Henslin, J. M. (2008). Essentials of sociology. Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing. KATSIAFICAS, G. N., KIRKPATRICK, R. G., & EMERY, M. L. (1987). Introduction to critical sociology. New York, N.Y., Irvington Publishers. Katsiaficas, G. N., Kirkpatrick, R. G., & Emery, M. L. (1987). Introduction to critical sociology. New York, N.Y: Irvington Publishers. KORNBLUM, WILLIAM. (2007). Sociology in a Changing World. Wadsworth Pub Co. MOONEY, L. A., KNOX, D., & SCHACHT, C. (2010). Understanding social problems. Belmont, Calif, Wadsworth. STRONG, B., DEVAULT, C., & COHEN, T. F. (2008). The marriage and family experience: intimate relationships in a changing society. Belmont, CA, Thomson/Wadsworth. Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Read More