THE
UTILITY OF SOCIAL THEORY
Theory: A general statement
about how some parts of the world fit together and how they work. (James Henslin, 2003)
·
"Our theories determine what we measure" (Albert Einstein,
quoted in Senge, 1990, p. 175).
·
“The Importance we attach to
theories that teach the laws of phenomena, and give us the power of prevision,
is chiefly due to the fact that they alone can regulate our otherwise blind
action upon the external world.” (Auguste
Comte, 1851)
Things to
consider about social theories:
·
Social theories suggest a
system that contains cause and effect relationships.
·
Utilizing the perspectives
of many social theories provide a variety of explanations of social phenomena.
·
Social theories embody
ideologies and ideologies shape society:
Ideologies “provide the rationale for particular forms of action. They
can justify the status quo or demand revolution. They unite as well as divide us and is a powerful (cultural)
human-made force within societies.” (Text, p.88)
·
Social theories are
inherently limited. “Theory is an
imperfect generalization caught up by a pre-disposition.” (James Froude)
Research
method: A procedure sociologists use to collect data
and that is guided by the research question and hypothesis.
Research
being "value-free":
·
Technical and
moral senses must be developed within researchers in order to be aware of constructive
and destructive consequences of their investigations.
·
The research
subjects we chose and the methods used show the values of the researcher(s).
Any single perspective has a biased outlook.
Research and the strategy it is conducted in supports or undermines the
status quo.
·
"Sociology
is the most general of the social sciences, or, to put it less politely, the
least defined" (Abbott, 2001).
Sociology is flexible in that a subject can be analyzed from many perspectives.
·
Sustainable development
implements solutions that provide multiple benefits. The solutions are designed by considering the widest possible
variety of perspectives.
Research
designs with a social agenda:
·
Critical social researchers (influenced
by Marx) confront the injustices in society by transforming social
relationships.
·
Feminist research seeks to
correct the male-oriented perspective of the social sciences, focusing more on
interconnected human relations.
·
Action researchers seek to
satisfy community needs.
·
Conflict managers claim to
be “neutral.” Are the consequences of
their work neutral?
·
Researchers should reveal
their biases and be careful about generalizations.