Core Sociological Theories on Society and Social Change

Functionalism

Functionalism views society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability.

Auguste Comte's Three Stages of Society

According to Auguste Comte, every society passes through three stages of development based on a consensus of ideas:

• Theological Stage: Society is explained through religion and the supernatural.
• Metaphysical Stage: This transitional stage challenges religious views with a focus on abstract philosophical ideas.
• Positive Stage: Society is understood through scientific observation, evidence, and laws.

The Four Functional Sub-Systems

Every social system consists of four functional sub-systems that address society's needs:

• Economic: Solves the problem of physical survival by producing and distributing resources.
• Cultural: Provides shared norms and values, making people feel they have things in common.
• Political: Finds ways of governing and controlling people to maintain order.
• Family: Raises children to become well-integrated members of society.

Marxism

Developed by Karl Marx, this theory focuses on social conflict, particularly the struggle between the capitalist class and the working class.

Core Marxist Concepts

• Work: Considered the most important human activity.
• Relations of Production: The social structure of work, including roles like owner, manager, and wage laborer. The workplace is a key area of conflict.
• Means of Production: The resources (land, factories, technology) used to create wealth, which are owned by the ruling class.
• Forces of Production: How raw materials, labor power, and machinery are organized in the productive process.
• Socialization: The process by which the interests of the ruling class are presented as the interests of everyone.
• Ruling Class: The group that holds both political and economic power.

Feminist Theory

Feminist theory is a critical perspective that examines gender inequality and the social, economic, and political structures that perpetuate it.

Strands of Feminism

• Liberal Feminism: Argues that gender inequality arises from sexual discrimination and seeks to achieve equality through legal and social reforms.
• Marxist Feminism: Links female oppression, exploitation, and discrimination to class inequality, arguing that men exploit women's market position.
• Radical Feminism: Asserts that patriarchy is the primary cause of women's oppression, highlighting issues like lower pay, lower status, and unpaid domestic work.

The Action Approach

This micro-sociological perspective proposes that the social world is built on a daily basis by humans, who are in turn shaped by it.

Key Principles

• Society is produced and reproduced through the daily routines and individual and collective behaviors of people.
• Society does not exist as a physical entity but as a mental construct in the minds of its members.
• People perceive social forces as having an effect on them, which limits and controls their behavior, leading to social order and stability.
• This suggests that social order is more of a psychological phenomenon than a structural one.

Perspectives on Social Change

Marxism and Social Change

Social change is driven by conflict between the contradictory interests inherent in capitalist forms of economic production. Competition leads to conflict on both a micro and macro level.

• Micro-level: Workers may strike for better pay and conditions.
• Macro-level: Widespread conflict can lead to significant political and economic change, potentially overthrowing the system.

Functionalism and Social Change

Change occurs through structural differentiation. Changes within one sub-system (e.g., the economy) cause adaptive changes in the others. Over time, some institutions may lose functions while others gain new ones to maintain social equilibrium.

Feminism and Social Change

• Liberal Feminism: Change can be created through the legal system. Anti-discrimination laws can reduce gender inequality.
• Marxist Feminism: Links gender inequality to economic inequality and the development of patriarchal ideas. Change requires improving the economic position of women.
• Radical Feminism: Argues that male domination is the root of inequality. Change requires overthrowing the ruling "sex class" to establish a matriarchal society based on equality and mutual respect.

The Action Approach and Social Change

Change originates at the micro-level with individuals and spreads to the macro-level.

• Micro-level: Change begins with shifting attitudes and behaviors, such as changing views on gender roles.
• Macro-level: These individual changes influence the role of institutions in the broader process of social change.

Summary: Drivers of Social Change

• Functionalism: Social change results from the cooperation and adaptation of institutions.
• Marxism: Social change is driven by conflict arising from changing economic relationships.
• Feminism: Social change is the process of achieving equality between genders.
• Action Approach: Social change stems from individuals changing their habits and interactions.