Theories and Paradigm in

Understanding Society

Theory:
- Is a set of ideas formulated by
reasoning from known facts to
explain something.
- The main value of theory is to
promote understanding.
- A theory suggests patterns,
connections, and relationships that
may be confirmed by new research.

Paradigm:
- According to Thomas Kuhn (1970)
defines the practices that define a
scientific discipline at certain point in
time.
- He also postulated that paradigms
are discrete and culturally based.

Divine Origin Theory:

- According to this theory, the creation of
society was due to the power of God/s,
just as he created both the animate and
inanimate objects in the world.
- Most theories in here have religious
undertones, in fact almost all of these set
of theories are attributed to any particular
religion or philosophy.
- Grand Design Theory Modern version of
creationism that was attempted to
introduced in US.

Social Evolution Theory:

- Parallel to Charles Darwins
Through Natural Selection.

Evolution

- Human society was compared to a

biological organism subject to the process
of growth, from simplicity to complexity,
from chaos to order etc.
- And social science equivalents of concepts
like variation, natural selection, and
inheritance were introduced as factors
resulting in the progress of societies.

Social Contract Theory:

- According to the Social Contract
Theory; society arouse out of the
need for survival, comfort, and
safety. The theory believed that
people existed in the state of nature
and that the state of nature is far
less conducive for civilized or
comfortable living.
- Famous proponents of the theory
include Thomas Hobbes, John Locke,
and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)

- According to Hobbes, people undergo formative
contract to subjugate themselves to the society
and government to avoid the risk brought by
the state of nature.
- State of nature is a state of anarchy, a condition
that makes life poor, nasty, brutish and short
this is because of four features of the human
condition
1. equality of need
2. scarcity
3. the essential equality of human power
4. limited altruism

John Locke (1632-1704)

- Locke believed that individuals in a
state o nature would be bound morally,
by the law of nature, not to harm each
other in their lives or possession, but
without government to defend them
against those seeking to endure or
enslave them, people would have no
security in their rights and would live
in fear.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

- Rousseau believed that the liberty was
possible only when there was direct rule
by the people as a whole in law-making,
where popular sovereignty was indivisible
and inalienable.
- He also maintained that the people often
did not know their real will, and that a
proper society will not occur until a great
leader ( the legislator) arose to change
the values and customs of the people,
likely through the strategic use of religion.

Structural-Functionalism Theory
- Structural Functionalism is a sociological
theory that looks at society and attempts
to explain the working of society by
scrutinizing its parts, the function of its
parts, and the relationship of its
structural function to each other which
composed the working of society as a
whole.
- Thus one of the key ideas in structural
functionalism is that society is made up
of groups or institutions, which are
cohesive, share common norms, and

Simple Social System Based on

Structural Functionalism:
Filipino
Family
Recreati
on

Media

School

Philippi
ne
Society

Professio
ns

Church

Peer
Groups
Others

Social Conflict Theory:

- Karl Marx, the father of modern sociology is
likewise the father of conflict theory.
- Conflict theory is sometimes called Marxism
- In general terms, sociologist believe that
people
have
innate
differential
characteristics that create the reality of
inequality. When there is inequality,
whether ascribed (biologically-linked) or
achieved (socially determined), competition
arises

Competition occurs due to:

1. Social interaction where there is a relationship
between people conflict is a natural tendency.
- conflict is necessary for growth and social change
2. Conflict and change are normal, inevitable and
ubiquitous (everywhere) in family relationships and
society.
3. Conflict is endemic
4. There is a scarcity of resources
5. Human societies consists of varying degrees of
inherently unequal elements.