Social Phenomena Essay -- Functionalist and Interactionist Perspective

Over time, three main theories have developed to explain social phenomena. While each theory has significant differences, there are points of each one that can help shed light on how society works. While some theories attempt to explain our social reality based on how each part of a society works together, other theories focus on the conflicts in the society, or the interaction between individuals in a society (Kendall, 23). The three classic theories of sociology include the functionalist perspective, conflict perspective, and symbolic interactionist perspective. The functionalist perspective aims to explain sociological phenomena based on the belief that our society is a balanced system that depends on each part of the group to work together in order to survive. Most people in the group share that same morals and ethics. This varies greatly from the perspective of conflict theorists, who believe that each part of society is constantly in a struggle. One of the key figures in developing the conflict perspective was C. Wright Mills. He believed that crucial decisions in the United States are mainly made by people in private, known as the â€Å"power elite† (Kendall, 26). This means that decisions made in this country are typically made by top bureaucrats and politicians. The conflict perspective does not say that society is a system that is based on the functions of each part like the functionalist perspective states; rather, each part is constantly in a â€Å"power struggle† (Kendall, 25). Both of these perspectives focus on the larger aspect of society, also known as macrolevel analysis. The symbolic interactionist perspective is based on microlevel analysis, which means that it focuses on smaller groups and individuals instead of larg... ...uing questions and insights for the future. Our interactions with others play a large role in developing our society. The symbolic perspective does not believe in reality as we believe it; rather we create our own values through interaction with others. It also helps shed light on how new cultures and customs become accepted into a society. For instance, the pià ±ata was once used in China, and it is now something used during celebrations in various cultures (Kendall, 85). This shows how one society can adopt the symbols of another and take them as their own. When we combine these perspectives and focus on our interactions with one another, what function we each play in the society, and take into account the power struggles that occur, we gain a better understanding of society as a whole. Each of these theories helps explain different aspects of our social reality.