What Is Sociology

What is Sociology?
 Sociology is a subject that looks at the workings of society

 However Sociologists are members of society as well and they have
opinions of their own
 Sociologists come from different class backgrounds, different genders,
different ethnic groups, different regions and they are of different ages
 Class, gender, ethnicity, age and region affect the way we see society
so different people have different views depending on their social
background
To illustrate these differences complete the exercise below:
Situation: Tony Blair is very concerned about ‘yob culture’. He is unhappy

about youths in ‘hoodies’ because they are difficult to identify. How might
others in society view the problem of yob culture?
A middle class bank manager

living in a country village
A female in her early twenties
living in a suburban area
A fourteen year old boy from a
new housing estate
An Asian family with young
children living in an inner city
area
A pensioner who does not leave
her house very often
Update Glossary
As you can see a persons background has a significant effect on their point of
view and Sociologists are no different so the personal view of one Sociologist
is likely to be different from that of another.
Sociology therefore needed to define itself as a subject. This means that it

cannot be just a set of opinions because we have seen that different people
have different opinions because they have different backgrounds. What has
developed is the Sociological Approach.
Here are some aspects of the approach:
1. Socialisation. Sociologists argue that human beings learn their

behaviour from their environment. Socialisation is the process by which
we learn to become who we are. It is also the process by which we
learn to fit in to the culture of which we are part
Exercise
Look back at your own life and try to work out how you have become the
person you are. Note down the people and things that have influenced you.
What are your main characteristics? Why have you chosen the friends you
have? What influences have your family had upon you? What things do you
like and why?
Wild Children
2. Culture. Every society has its own culture and each culture is
different. We all have to learn to become a part of that culture. Culture
is about many things some that we are taught formally such as good
manners (or not) and some things we learn but are not taught such as
body language. Few people formally learn about body language but we
all understand it even though we may not know that we do. An
example of this is the idea of a speaking distance between people. In
South America the accepted speaking distance is closer than it is in
Britain. If you went to South America and talked with the people there
you would find yourself feeling uncomfortably close.
Practical Exercises
You can test some of the features of culture for yourself
 Phone your friends and say ‘I called earlier but you were out’. Note
how many times they explain where they had been. This is a social
convention. You wouldn’t directly ask where they had been and they
would rarely not tell you where they were so in effect your statement
becomes a question that you would not have asked.
 Try the speaking distance test. Note that your friends and family will
let you close but others will unconsciously back away if you get too
close.
 Note what happens when you look people directly in the eye. This is
not done in normal circumstances so it can make people feel
uncomfortable. Small children will look you in the eye without feeling
self-conscious which shows that this is learned behaviour. Looking
people in the eye is very powerful and can convey a range of
messages such as anger, attraction, threats, creepiness, bad manners
and others.
3. Norms and Values. These are the things we learn and choose to be
a part of ourselves. Norms refer to things we tend to agree on. They
refer to what we call normal behaviour. As we grow we internalise
these norms until they become an unconscious part of our behaviour.
Values refer to the things we value about our culture and these are the
things make into beliefs. For example we may have strong family
values. This means we value our families above other things and would
give up much for them. Some argue that family values are in decline
and that leads to higher levels of divorce. From this it can be argued
that values are the glue that holds families together.
Exercise
Make two lists for norms and values. Identify 5 norms and 5 values of your
own based on your own experiences
Norms Values
Social Control
When people don’t conform to the rules of society then they may be either:
 Formally punished through the legal system

 Subjected to sanctions in the education system
 Punished by parents in the home
 Disapproved of by friends
 Disapproved of by others
Social control can be formal or informal. Which of the above are formal and
which are informal. Give a reason for each answer in the table below:
Legal
Education
Parents
Friends
Others
A good understanding of social control is essential to the understanding of

Sociology. It is the means by which society functions correctly. If people
displayed extremes of behaviour what would be the effect on wider society?
Answer this question in relation to the school environment using examples.
Answer:
Social Roles
We all have roles to play in society and society functions around those roles.
Therefore we need to be socialised in order satisfy the needs of those roles.
When roles are not carried out wider society can be affected. Consider the
following roles and list the positive benefits of the role and the negative
effects if the role is not carried out to social expectations
Role Positive Negative

Parent
Son or daughter
Teacher
Office manager
Shopkeeper
Question: if a role is a part you play what might a role model be?
Answer:
Role Conflict
People may have numerous roles in their lives. These roles may relate to
work, family and social life. Conflicts can occur when expectations are placed
upon us which cause problems in keeping up with different roles. For example
a working mother may have role conflict between her work and her family.
Think of three situations in life where role conflict may occur:
Situation Explanation
Stereotypes
Stereotypes affect our understanding of society. We tend to group people
together and build an image that applies to them all. For example the media
tends to be negative about asylum seekers presenting an image of a group of
scroungers who get anything they want from our welfare system. The other
side of this story is that Britain has a very low birth rate and we need migrant
workers to fill the jobs we have available. Without these workers our
economy would suffer.
Sociologists always challenge stereotypes. Use the table below to identify the
major stereotypes of the specified groups and in the third column provide
evidence of a challenge to those stereotypes
Group Stereotype Challenge

Youths in ‘hoodies’
Afro-Caribbean males
Married women
Overview
 Sociology looks at how we become what we are (socialisation &

culture)
 Sociology does not deal in opinion. It uses a methodical approach to
find the reality behind the stereotypes (methodology)
 Sociology looks at different groups in society and analyses why some
are successful and some are not
 This is called the Sociological approach because it differs from
opinions. It looks for social reality rather than a biased view
How does Sociology Work?
Sociology uses methodology to find out about social ‘realities’. You will use
the full range of methods in your project work. The main three methods are
as follows:
Questionnaires To question groups of people about specific issues. The

data can be imported into tables for analysis
Interviews This gives the Sociologist more detail than questionnaires
as they may get answers to questions they never would
have thought of asking
Observation This is when Sociologists enter social groups in order to
observe their behaviour first hand
You will learn the details of methodology as you progress through the course

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What is Sociology?

 Sociology is a subject that looks at the workings of society

To illustrate these differences complete the exercise below:

Situation: Tony Blair is very concerned about ‘yob culture’. He is unhappy

A middle class bank manager

Sociology therefore needed to define itself as a subject. This means that it

Here are some aspects of the approach:

1. Socialisation. Sociologists argue that human beings learn their

You can test some of the features of culture for yourself

 Formally punished through the legal system

A good understanding of social control is essential to the understanding of

Role Positive Negative

Think of three situations in life where role conflict may occur:

Group Stereotype Challenge

 Sociology looks at how we become what we are (socialisation &

How does Sociology Work?

Questionnaires To question groups of people about specific issues. The

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