Applying On Our Own to sociology - Essay Example

In order to understand sociology better, it is imperative to contrast it with other social sciences. In sociology, there are three most imperative things to study namely the structure of the society, the historical facts about the chosen society, and the type of people living in that society, and their ways of life. In the selected chapters of Henslin’s book, the sociological contexts include gender and age, the standards of gender, gender inequality, and the responsibility of mass media in social life.

Gender and age are social in that people discuss how males and females behave, and it is a tool of controlling society members. In most cases, gender refers to the state of masculinity and femininity. If a certain gender does not receive their rights, it becomes a social issues—gender inequality. Additionally, with the fast-evolving world, social media plays a big role in explaining the behaviors of human, and certain social groups (Orenstein 3-5). Micro theory (Interactionism) According to Henslin, interactionism is a theoretical perspective that highlights the symbols that a particular society uses in order to find meaning, establish views regarding the world, and the modalities of communicating to each other.

The theory discusses three fundamental symbols that people use, that is, meaning, language and thought. Firstly, according to this theory, meaning stands for the manner in which humans respond to people and things because of the assigned meanings. It is therefore vital to human behavior and sociology. Secondly, language is paramount in social contexts, as it provides the medium of negotiation among humans. The symbolic interaction experienced among humans not only gives meaning, but also enlarge communication.

Lastly, thought gives a deeper elucidation on every human’s explanation of symbols. Every human has different thoughts from the rest, which eventually builds dialogue. The women in Iran in chapter 10 of Henslin book are a good example to explain this theory. Denied some rights, these women sought to use social media to air their thoughts on gender relations. Word also spread through internet and magazines, they are demonstrating and there is glimmer of hope that things get better amid the challenges.

The spread of information is a good example of the principle of meaning. Although from different backgrounds, they are able to work together because of the meanings they assigned each other. They use language as the mode of symbolic interaction, and thought for internal dialogue before concluding on the next move (Griffin 53-55). Macro theory (functionalism) This sociological theory discusses the relationship and interdependence of every sociological perspective in the running of the society.

For instance, among the roles of the government is to provide basic services to the citizenry such as free education and healthcare services. On the other hand, the citizens must pay taxes for government services to be effective. In the same way, a social unit—a family—relies on the school for the moral and educational development of the child so that in future, they become useful members of the society. These grown human beings must be productive, generous taxpayers and law-abiding citizens in order to shore up the state.

The functionalism theory also discusses issues of crimes, dysfunctional families and their role in bringing conflict in the society. Additionally,