SOCIOLOGY AND ITS IMPORTANCE
Through sociology, an individual is able to
MEANING OF SOCIOLOGY
Sociology is derived from the French word
"sociologie" coined by Auguste Comte. The
term is taken from the Latin word "socius"
meaning "partner or group" and the Greek
word "logos" meaning "to study." If the two
words are put together, it will mean the study
of group.
According to Hughes and Kroehler, sociology is
the scientific study of social interactions.
Sociology is concerned with people; hence, it
studies how people interact with one another
and how such interaction affects their
behaviors.
Sociology is also defined as "The systematic
study of social life and behavior, especially in
relation to social systems-how they work, how
they change, the consequences they produce
and their complex relation to people's lives.”
IMPORTANCE OF SOCIOLOGY
1. Sociology examines the relationship between
the different structures and institutions in a
society and how it contributes to the
development of individual members.
2. Sociology helps in the resolution of societal
problems which are believed to hinder society's
progress and development.
3. Sociology serves as a tool in disseminating
information on what is happening around us.
4. Through sociology, human being's culture is
greatly enhanced and cultivated. The individual
is able to adjust himself/herself to present
conditions that pave the way for new
discoveries and inventions.
5.
understand the behavior of human beings in a
society. He/She is able to examine how and why
people act the way they do.
6. Sociology is able to rationalize the existence
of social groups as a factor in social
development.
7. Sociology is an indispensable vehicle toward
world understanding. The world is divided
politically giving rise to stress and conflict.
People have failed to bring about peace.
Sociology can help us in understanding the
underlying causes and tensions of world
problems.
NATURE OF SOCIOLOGY
Sociology is a broad discipline since it analyzes
behavior that shapes society. It involves
systematic methods of investigation and the
evaluation of theories based on evidence and
reason. But studying human behavior cannot be
based directly on natural sciences, because it is
fundamentally different from studying the
world of nature.
MACROSOCIOLOGY AND MICROSOCIOLOGY
Macrosociology is a division of sociology that
analyzes social system and population on a
large scale, and often, at a high level of
abstraction. It can also be the analysis of large
collectivities (e.g., the state, social class, the
economy, culture, and society).
Microsociology, on the other hand, is
concerned with everyday human social
interactions on a small scale. It focuses on social
interaction particularly on what people do
when they come together. It deals with issues
like gender role, nature of the family, and
immigration.
Microsociology studies what people say, do,
and think as they go about their daily lives (e.g.,
several youngsters playing volleyball in the city
playground, a traffic enforcer directing the flow
of vehicles at an intersection, or students and
their professor interacting after class).
BRANCHES OF SOCIOLOGY
1. Socioeconomics - is the study of the
relationship between economic activities and
social life. Economics focuses on wealth, trade,
consumption, and behavior patterns of society.
2. Sociology of education - is a branch of
sociology that is concerned with the role and
functions of the educational system in a society.
3. Sociology of the family - studies the very
foundation of the family as an institution and
how it relates to its environment.
4. Criminology - studies the nature and causes
of crime and deviant behavior, the behavior and
activities of criminals, and the criminal justice
system.
5. Sociology of religion - is concerned with the
role of religion in society, specifically its
practices, historical backgrounds,
developments, and universal themes.
6. Industrial sociology or sociology of work -
tackles theoretical and empirical issues covers
topics such as spirituality and community, and
religion in multicultural societies.
7. Political sociology - is the study of the
relationship between society and politics.
8. Environmental sociology - is the study of the
mutual interactions among the physical
environment, social organization, and social
behavior.
RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIOLOGY WITH OTHER
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Sociology also complements other social
sciences. It uses some tools and techniques
from other social sciences and other social
sciences are also dependent on sociology.
1. Sociology and history. These disciplines
are related in the sense that history
records the past, which people have
lived. Sociologists study available
historical materials to understand social
and cultural changes.
2. Sociology and political science. Both
disciplines study the nature of the
distribution of power in a society.
Political science is concerned with
political institutions which are just part
of the social institutions covered by
Sociology.
3. Sociology and economics. Both
disciplines study the behavior of
individuals. Economic institution is one
of the several institutions of human
society. Sociologists examine the
functioning of the economic institution
in relation with other institutions.
4. Sociology and psychology. The
concepts of status and role link the
disciplines of psychology and sociology.
Status refers to the social position
which an individual occupies, and the
behavior he/she demonstrates by virtue
of that position is called role. Status is a
bundle of rights and duties which
society gives and defines. Society
allocates statuses. The individual
occupying a particular status is trained
to exhibit his/her respective patterns of
behavior. The individual performs the
role but the way in which he/she is
 expected to behave comes from
society. Thus, the concepts of status
and role link society with the individual,
and in turn, establish a link between
psychology and sociology.
5. Sociology and anthropology. These two
disciplines can easily be distinguished
from one another. Although both
specialize in the study of society and
have contributed to the development of
theories, anthropologists have
broadened knowledge of kinship and
religion, which is important in
understanding simple society through
fieldwork, while sociologists have
advanced the survey method of data
collection.
The disciplines under the social sciences
are all autonomous in terms of scope
and sub matter. However, they are
interdependent since they all deal with
human society.
PEOPLE BEHIND THE DEVELOPMENT OF
SOCIOLOGY AS A SCIENCE
1. Auguste Comte (1789 - 1857)
 He is a French mathematician
and philosopher who proposed
a separate new science of
society. This science was known
as "Social Physics. However,
Comte discovered that Adolphe
Quetelet, a Belgian
mathematician, had made use
of the term prior to him.
 He found out that it is
necessary to invent the term
"sociologie. In 1839, he
changed it to "sociology," a
word he conceived.
 Comte divided sociology into
two areas:
a) Social static (Social structure). It is
concerned with the various parts of society and
how these parts are held together.
b) Social dynamics. It is concerned with the
analysis of change within and among the
various parts of society.
 Comte is generally considered as the
"Father of Sociology" and is best
known for his six-volume Positive
Philosophy.
 He identified three stages in
understanding society:
a) Theological Stage - It is said that society is an
expression of God's will. The human being, with
the able guidance of the church, is capable of
fulfilling the divine plan, to live in accordance
with God's will.
b) Metaphysical Stage - During this stage,
people no longer believe that society is the
work of supernatural forces. People place more
emphasis on the forces of nature rather than
God in explaining social events.
c) Scientific Stage - This approach is called
positivism, which he defined as a path to
understanding the world based on science.
2. Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)
 He is a British philosopher-scientist who
advanced the thesis that evolution
accounts for the development of social
and natural life.
 He stressed that society is similar to a
living organism with parts working
together in order to survive.
 One of the guiding principles of Spencer
is that society must adapt to its
environment to effect natural change,
which will inevitably bring progress and
perfection in society.
 Spencer is best known for his social
evolution theory.
 According to Spencer, societies
developed through a process of
"struggle" (for existence) and "fitness"
(for survival), which he referred to as
the "survival of the fittest."
 Spencer equated this process of natural
selection with progress, because only
the fittest members of society would
succeed (Turner & Beegley, 1981).
2. Karl Marx (1818 - 1883)
 He is a philosopher, economist,
and a social activist, who
stressed that history is a
continuous clash among
conflicting ideas and forces
between parts of society.
 He believed that conflict
between the haves (bourgeois)
and the have-nots (proletariat)
is necessary in order to produce
social change and a better
society.
 Marx regarded private property
and capitalism as the root
causes of poverty.
 Two of the most enduring
legacies of Karl Marx are the
theories of "Economic
Determinism" and the
"Dialectic."
a) Economic Determinism - It means that
economic relationships provide the
foundation on which all other social and
political arrangements are built.
 He believed that family structure, law,
and religion would be developed after
adapting to the economic structure.
b) The Dialectic - Marx viewed change as a
product of contradictions and conflicts
between parts of society.
 He predicted that the conflict between
the ruling class and the working class
would lead to a new economic system.
 The dialectic model maintains that
conflict is the only factor that can bring
change to a society.
 Marx hoped to encourage conflict and
ignite the revolution that would bring
about the desired change.
 The dialectic model of change suggests
that change occurs through conflict and
revolution rather than through
evolution (Brinckerhoff & White, 1988).
3. Emile Durkheim (1858-1919)
 Durkheim is French intellectual
who devoted himself in
understanding the stability of
society and the importance of
social participation for
individual happiness.
 The lasting legacy of Durkheim
is a theory that examines the
positive contributions of social
patterns. This and his other
works allow us to see the
importance of both order and
change in society.
 One of Durkheim's major
concerns was the balance
between regulation and
freedom.
 According to his classic study
entitled, Suicide, when society
 over-regulates and there is less
freedom, "fatalistic suicide"
occurs. It happens when human
behavior is so confined by social
institutions that people cannot
exercise their independence.
When there is too much
freedom and less regulation,
"anomic suicide" happens. That
is, when society's influence no
longer checks individual
passions (Durkheim, 1951).
6. Max Weber (1864 - 1920)
 Weber is a German economist,
historian, and philosopher. He
believed that to understand the
behavior of a person, people
have to understand the
meaning of the individual
attributes of that behavior.
Weber's work was the basis for
"Verstehen sociology," which
emphasizes the subjective
meaning of human actions.
"Verstehen" is a German word
meaning "understanding."
 Weber was more interested in
analyzing the meaning of a
social pattern than in looking
for universal laws of human
behavior (Martindale, 1978).
 Weber also made mention of
value-free sociology, an idea
that is concerned with
establishing what is and what is
not to be. This approach is
generally advocated by modern
sociologists.
UNDERSTANDING SOCIETY (YOU COPIED IT
FROM THE BOARD! )
COMMUNITIES
Community denotes a group of people
occupying a definite territory, living together
with families, and the neighborhood.
ELEMENTS OF COMMUNITY
1. People - The very basic component of society
is the people. Without this component, society
will not exist.
2. Territory - When people live together in
clusters, they eventually declare themselves as
belonging to that particular territory. Territory,
therefore, pertains to a definite area occupied
by people.
3. Interaction - Interaction refers to the day-to-
day encounter with the other members of the
community. With the presence of interaction,
society improves generally.
4. Common values - In every society, there
exists a common standard of proper behavior.
Common norms and values shared by each
member promote closer ties to members. Living
together promotes sharing of sentiments and
goals.
BASIC SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS
1. Family
 The primary agent of
socialization
 It is the environment into
which the child is born and
in which his/her earliest
experiences with other
people occur.
 2. Religious Institutions
 Religion is defined as a
unified system of beliefs
and practices related to
sacred things, uniting into a
single moral community all
those who adhere to those
beliefs and practices.
3. Economic and Political Institutions
 Economic institutions were
organized as a means to
allocate scarce resources
while governmental
institutions developed out
of the need to maintain
order and to exercise
controls which were meant
to protect the individual
members.
4. Educational Institutions
 Educational system is
regarded as the primary
institution for shaping and
molding the minds and
behavior of the members of
society.
RURAL COMMUNITY
MEANING OF RURAL COMMUNITY
The term “rural community” is usually
associated with the barrio. The barrio is the
rural community where people earn their
livelihood through agriculture, fishing, and
home-based or cottage industries.
CHARACTERISTICS OF RURAL COMMUNITY
The basic characteristics of rural community are
as follows:
1. It is relatively small. It is a small group
consisting of one or more houses with relatively
few families living on scattered farmsteads.
2. People are homogenous biologically, socially,
and culturally. There is a low division of labor
since the economic structure is built around
agriculture and meeting the needs of the farm
population.
3. It has a high degree of self-sufficiency, group
identity, and group unity.
4. People have mutual relationships with one
another.
5. There is the presence of a dominant activity.
PHILIPPINE RURAL COMMUNITY
 The Philippines is composed
of 17 administrative
regions, 81 provinces, 140
cities, 1,494 municipalities,
and 42,027 barangays.
 The total rural population is
estimated to be higher than
the total urban population.
 The Philippines is thus
predominantly rural or a
land of barrios. These
barrios are considered as
the backbone of the nation.
Rightfully, it may be so, as it
is the rural communities
which provide the urban
areas with food and raw
materials needed for the
industries.
URBAN COMMUNITY

MEANING OF URBAN COMMUNITY

 An urban community is one in which a

significant number of the population
are not engaged in the gathering or
production of food.
 In the social science, the word “urban”
is used to mean a quality of life that is
typically found in cities.

GLOBAL COMMUNITY

MEANING OF GLOBAL COMMUNITY

 The term “global community” has been

defined as “people or nations of the
world considered as closely connected
by modern telecommunications and as
being economically, socially, and
politically interdependent.”