Sociology an overview
Sociology-an overviewSociology is the study of people and thier relationships and behavior in groups. Sociology studies how and why people of certain groups possess certain characteristics. Sociologists feel that human behavior possesses truths that can be discovered. They also study defferent types of groups stemming from the largest, a society, to smaller groups such as religions and cultures. To make these discoveries, sociologists develop theories. These theories are generalizations that include two mahor classifications, Large or Grand theories and small or partial theories. These theories are developed to explain different types of behavior in derrenct settings. large theories ty to explain group behavior as a whole, and small theories only try to explain parts of behavior.
Sociology is a science because it uses theories to try and make discoveries. But unlike many science disciplines, sociology does not have universal meanings for freqiently used terms. This being true, we can still make general definitions for key concepts in sociology. Socialization can be explained the formation of a person's attitudes, bekiefs, behavior, etc. through the influence of their environment. Roles are exactly that. The roles that people are assumend to play. Where people work or what they do in their free time are all roles. Roles are also expectations. Norms define what behavior should or should not be. Norms are behaviors that are excepted in groups as right or wrong. Sanctions are actions taken so that the norms are not disrupted. For example, in the classroom students are praised for positive behavior that follows the class rules and are reprimanded for behavior that contradicts these rules. Values are things that are important to a group. These values are usually broad ideas such as justice. But there can also be specific balues. Individual, cultural, and societal values are formed through groups. Social movement is a result of collective behavior. collective behavior is the defietion for a large amount fo people that aren't necessarily a group just because they do not have group characteristics such as family interaction or organiztion. Social movement is when a people behave collectively to resist change. Finally, institutions are like a group of people working tohethey to achieve a goal, sort of like a heirarchy. The each have roles to act out that goal.