Sociologists argue that society has a significant influence on the behavior that an individual displays in adulthood. Therefore, the way an individual behaves in public reflects the actions of people in the groups where they belong. From this view, it is undeniable that sociologists believe community members have a significant impact on the behavior, attitude, and feelings of an individual. In an attempt of studying the effects of community on individual’s thoughts and feelings, sociologist focuses on conducting scientific research. They provide adequate responses to such questions by using sociological paradigms such as functionalism, conflict theory, and internationalism theory. In collecting data, sociologists use tools such as identifying the focus group and use questionnaires, observations, scales, and interviews. In other occasions, sociologists have to collect first-hand information by participating in the group to understand the social context of that particular society. Sociological imaginations also play an essential role in understanding the relationship between the community and the individual. Based on research conducted by sociologists, there is a significant relationship between society and individuals.
Theories used by sociologists to understand relationship between society and individuals
Sociologists use a functionalist approach in understanding the way community or groups affect the behavior, personality, and attitudes of an individual. In the case of the functionalist theory, people believe that community members influence the behavior of individuals through institutions such as family, education, and workplace and religious settings (Keirns et al., 2013). The idea of this theory is that society exists as an isolated aspect from the individual and determines what people need to follow through the socialization process. Functionalism theory borrows ideas from the fact that an organization consists of different institutions that work together to ensure that the community succeeds in meeting the set objectives. Functionalists create the concept of collectiveness meaning that people of a particular community have shared languages, values, and symbols. In effect, an individual brought up in the setting have to display the characteristics of that community. When researching an individual, sociologists examine beyond the individual levels by focusing on understanding moral values and beliefs of the society members. Based on the findings, sociologists judge an individual’s behavior, attitudes, and feelings.
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However, some sociologists show that individuals play an essential role in shaping human behavior, attitudes, and values. Sociologists use the inter-actionist paradigm to understand the manner in which the society and individuals create social values and beliefs (Keirns et al., 2013). This theory indicates that the interaction of people leads to the creation of shared values, norms, and beliefs that govern the functioning of people in a society. As a result, people exchange language and ideas and agree on particular symbols that can be applied in communicating with people in society. Each community has some symbols and objects that send a specific message to all members of society. Sociologists who focus on understanding the relationship between culture and individuals believe that people can realize community by studying the behavior of individuals. For example, sociologists Talcott Parsons argue that at no incidence will the society be more powerful than the individuals (Burrell & Morgan, 2017). From this view, it can be argued that individuals create a culture and the behavior of a person can be a representative of what is expected to be found in the community level.
Additionally, sociologists use conflict theory in understanding the manner in which society shapes the behavior of an individual. The idea of conflict theory is that community comprises of people in different social classes and there is a presence of competition as each person tries to move from a lower stratum to higher strata by acquiring the limited resources (Spielman et al., 2014). In effect, sociologists believe that the level of conflict in a community determines an individual’s behavior especially when acquiring resources. Therefore, if an individual is born in a society where stratification does not occur, there is a high probability that such a person will not show aggressive behavior in acquiring resources. According to Spielman et al., 2014) psychologists have the perception that it is possible to judge an individual’s behavior, argument, and attitude based on the action depicted by society.
Tools and concepts used by sociologists to understand the relationship between individuals and society
In an attempt of explaining how society affects individuals and how individuals impact society, sociologists formulate questions based on social aspects (Denzin, 2017). People have symbols that govern their interactions. For example, every community has norms, languages, and values that show the way people share ideas. Sociologists may be interested in examining the extent to which an individual follows the rules and values designed in a social setting. In the social structure, communities have status and roles designed to be performed by people in society. In this case, sociologists may formulate questions in need of understanding how community influences the manner in which people achieve social status. However, expressing the questions needs application sociological imagination which enables sociologists to critically evaluate the functioning of a society and come up with the essential problem that needs to be addressed.
Despite the use of sociological imagination in formulating a research question related to the way in which society influences individuals’ behavior, socialists need to collect and analyze data on that particular issue. In this case, a sociologist can apply various mechanisms such as interview, personal observation, and questionnaires (Denzin, 2017). In the case of surveys, researchers need to formulate several questions related to that particular issue and present to individuals. Sociologists use both open-ended and closed questions in and closed questions when designing questionnaires. The variety questions used indicate that the information provided represents some actual information. However, survey questions may pose some limitations in acquiring the intended data because the nature of the problems may compel people to give the expected information.
In other occasions, sociologists may decide to use personal observations or conduct interviews among people in the target society (Burrell & Morgan, 2017). Interviews and observations call for a need of ensuring that the sociologist is physically present in the target audience. A personal view is an essential approach for sociologists because they provide access to first-hand information about the society. However, this approach has some shortcomings in that researchers may end up misinterpreting some information especially when using the symbolic interaction theory approach. In the case of an interview, sociologists focus on understanding the way individuals believe that society played an essential role in shaping their behavior. Despite the objective of this tool, there is a possibility that respondents may end up providing answers that favor the needs of the researcher.
Personal observation, questionnaires, and individuals can be applied in the American society where sociologist would like to explore the attitudes that whites Americans have on African Americans. From the sociological view, there has been an argument that black Americans experience a high rate of discrimination from the whites. However, some people think that they are not racists, but they engage racism without their consent. This information indicates that the whites engage in racisms practices because they live in a society where people embrace racism. Acquiring this information requires sociologists to be actively involved in this society to gain first-hand knowledge. Alternatively, people can interview both white and African Americans and identify the level of social influence on the perception of people from different cultures.
Sociologists believe that society has a significant influence on human behavior and attitude and also individuals play an essential role in creating a community. In an attempt of understanding the manner in which the group influences the expression of a person, sociologists use several theories such as functionalism, social interaction, and conflict theory. Functionalism and conflict theorists believe that society plays an essential role in shaping individual behavior. However, conflict theory argues that individuals create a community and what is practiced at a societal level originates from an individual. In examining the relationship between culture and individuals, sociologists identify questions from social aspects and use questionnaires, interviews, and personal observations to collect and analyze data. An example where sociologists can apply these tools and concepts is in explaining the level of racism in American society.
References
Spielman R., Dumper K., Jenkins W., Lacombe A., Lovett M., & Perimmutter M., (2014). Introduction to Psychology. Retrieved from: https://d3bxy9euw4e147.cloudfront.net/oscms-prodcms/media/documents/Psychology-OP_cNrqlqM.pdf
Keirns, N. J., Strayer, E., Griffiths, H., Cody-Rydzewski, S., Scaramuzzo, G., Sadler, T., & Jones, F. (2013). Introduction to Sociology . OpenStax College, Rice University.
Burrell, G., & Morgan, G. (2017). Sociological paradigms and organisational analysis: Elements of the sociology of corporate life . Routledge.
Denzin, N. K. (2017). The research act: A theoretical introduction to sociological methods . Routledge.
