The Relationship between the Individual and Society from a Structural Perspective - Assignment Example

College: SOCIOLOGY Introduction: Sociology is basically studying and understanding human societies, and how these societies are classified. It is a discipline that helps in understanding the groups, individuals, and institutions and how they relate to make up the society. The social actions of different groups are justified here by understanding their cause of action, and the effect of the actions to the society. The discipline therefore, tries to explain the influence of evolution and other biological processes, on social behaviour and organization of the society. However this science has a lot of relations with other disciplines of the society, which share a common interests and great history, as well as widespread research (Marsh 1.) 1. The Sociological Perspective. What it is. This is an ideology which explains that, individuals carry culture and the whole society, and that this tends to appear as a reality that surpasses individuals. This sociological perspective helps us look or see things at a certain angle. It also helps us learn how to cope with different behaviours, characters and societal norms because we understand them better from sociology. (K. Thomson 442) For instance, Durkheim studied the case of suicide in order to help us understand what a sociological perspective is. His argument was that, those who try to commit suicide and succeed, are the dead, and you cannot study it by asking individuals. He also argued that those who attempt it without success do that with an intention of calling for help. From this study, Durkheim helps us understand the acts of those people who do not commit suicide to die, and that they do it purposely with an aim of creating a certain attention to people (Thomson 444) The idea of sociological perspective is the act of trying to foresee things in a sociological manner or point of view. Having known that sociology involves the study of the society and human nature and how they relate, we therefore tend to justify it from that understanding. 2. Discussing the relationship between the individual and society from a structural perspective. Structural perspective is an ideology which tries to explain that human beings are more or less machines which have to follow the norms laid down by others and adhere to the other people's expectations in society. A society is made of individuals, and all that which is around them, each society has its laid down rules of governance, in other words norms, which regulate the behavior and interactions of individuals in the society. They have different expectations from each other in the society, and nobody can therefore go against the norms (Marsh. 3) The relationship between a society and individuals can be best explained by understanding how structural perspective and interactionist perspectives work: Social structural factors like social class, status and social psychology, affect personalities in the society. Interaction on the other hand is affected by culture and the structure of the larger society. The two are therefore related to each other. This is why we see that man is born free but always chained. The society chains men because it has to dictate on what men should do. (Marsh 43) The 'natural' idea of society has been destroyed and the society has become sort of a prison for human beings. This was conducted by Rousseau; a social scientist. This is because the individual society is underpinned because of the common morality they have. The individuals are governed therefore by societal expectation that, when you do something, it affects others in some way, and the society will also be affected. The basic agencies are; culture and society, and family and community. They work together in one way or the other. For instance, from a sociological view, language is very important in socialization. It carries with it culture and its shared meanings. It is through language that we tend to use the societal reality. Durkheim said that facts are explained using other social facts in the society, not by biological or psychological facts. He said that, by virtue of being connected to those small groups around us, means that we are connected to the larger society. He said that the society is held together by solidarity which was brought about by conformity and likeness. He said that it was interdependence holding even complex societies, because they had large division of labour in productive and even economic areas like agriculture. Durkheim therefore concluded that society gives rise to individuals, but the individual is over shun by societal characteristics. There were many things to bring people together in the society, but modernity has made the issue very difficult. We can therefore say that individuals are machines which are controlled by the society (Thompson K. Tunstall J. 441 - 445) 3. Three Roles of the family according to functionalist theory. Functionalism is all about the society, its structure and how it works. Functionalist theory explains that being unequal in the society is the best thing for it gives people morale to work harder in order to achieve what they don't have or the reward. It is centered in the fact that, people behave the way the do in a society, because that corresponds to the societal values. The family reproduces the society. It does socialize the children and teach the cultural expectations of the society. The family is also supposed to nurture the children, provide the basic needs for the children until they become independent members of the society. It is also supposed to protect the children, and teach them on how to be respectable members of the society. This can be by introducing them to churches and schools for moral teachings. (Marsh, 39-43) Critical examining of the problems of a family in the society The society believes that the family will socialize the children. However it might instead be abusing the children, it might also luck proper guidance hence, producing criminals in the society. There is nothing to be done when the society is unfair, but change can always be initiated and finally fairness acquired. It is thought to be the basic social institution, but sometimes it turns out to be not (Maryanska, Turner 79 - 81) Works Cited J. Macionnis and K. Plunner. Sociology - A global introduction, London Prentice Hall, 1998. Jardanova Lisdmilla. Sexual Visions, University of Wisconsin Press, 1989. ISBN 0299122948 Maryanska Alexandra and Turner Jonathan. Functionalism, Benjamin Publishing Company 1979. ISBN 0805393382 Marsh, I. et al. Sociology Makign Sense of Society, Prentice Hall, 2000 ISBN 043545658X Thompson K. AND Tunstall J; Sociological Perspectives - Durkheim on the future of religion (eds), 1971. ISBN 0415028604 Read More