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Richard King
Instructor: Katie Lookholder
Sociology 001 - Section #32395
January 21st, 2016
Three Paradigms of Sociology
Sociology is the study of the social relationships between individuals, groups and society
at large and how society evolves and changes due to these interdependent relationships. Social
imagination is the ability observe and study these relationships by taking ourselves out of the
equation and understanding how social dynamics, growth and change work and affect society by
looking at it from an outside perspective. There are three basic ways of studying sociology from
different angles. The three paradigms can seem contradictory at first but can be used together to
gain a fuller and deeper understanding of how human interaction relates to and affects society.
These there paradigms are: Structural Functional or Functionalist Perspective, Social
Conflict or Conflict Perspective and Symbolic Interaction or Interactionist Perspective.
Lets take a closer look at each of these paradigms.
Structural Functional or Functionalist Perspective is the idea that society
maintains an equilibrium through interconnected parts and that each part must be beneficial to
the whole in order to thrive. This aspect of sociology was made popular by Emile Durkheim and
others and points out that every social institution, be it family, school, work, etc., provides a vital
function to serve the greater needs of society. For example: school serves to enrich and create a
viable future for the individual while also serving to better society and further our progress in the
world by providing us all with educated adults who can lead society into the future.
Social Conflict or Conflict Perspective is an idea put forth by Karl Marx
and involves the thought that different classes and groups of society, rather than existing to

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support each other as seen in the functionalist perspective, they are competing for power and
control of resources. Society then becomes divided between the rich and the working class while
the ruling class manipulate and keep the working class under control. An example of this might
be seen in the current situation in Flint Michigan where lead contamination in the water supply
has affected mostly the poor underclass masses and the issue had been largely ignored for quite
some time. There are those who feel that, if this situation was happening in an upper-class area, it
would have been remedied immediately.
Symbolic Interaction or Interactionist Perspective is more of a microsociological way of studying society. This is a way of looking at how society is affected by small
groups and individuals. Individuals use symbols, signs, and other nonverbal communication to
change society from the bottom up. Society then becomes the product of actions taken by small
groups and individuals. An example of this might be the Occupy Wallstreet movement in which
small packets of individuals protested wealth inequality by gathering together and carrying signs
and effigies to express their desire to change society to better reflect their concerns. This
movement grew very quickly and indeed captured international attention and began a national
conversation on the topic as well as a presidential candidate, whose platform is based mostly on
solving this issue, rising quickly in the poles.
These three paradigms are the crux of sociology and, although they seem
to be incompatible, they are actually complimentary in this field of study and serve to provide a
very thorough look at our society from differing viewpoints to create a more complete view of
the world we live in.