Social Science as a Study of Society

Social Science
- A branch of science devoted to the scientific study of societies and the relationships
among individuals within those societies
- The term social science thus embrace all those subjects which deals with the
relationship of man to society
- The study of society and the manner in which people behave and influence the world
around us it
- Goal is to answer questions and problems about society and human condition on how to
improve
- MAN, molecule of society, is the subject of social science

All about Society - MAN is the main focused

Natural Phenomena - Society - Social Phenomena
Individual - Man - Collective
- Realities: differences of individual
- To understand ourselves by reflection to be part of society
- Indivdualism(-) - focusing only in ourselves
- Individuality(+) - recognizing ourselves

Distingush Social Science from Natural Science and the Humanities

- The Social Sciences’ main concern is to deal with aspects of the human condition.
- Natural Sciences’ main concern is to explain natural and environmental phenomena.
- Humanities main concern is more on the philosophical side which aims to answer and
interpret big questions like “what is the meaning of life

Natural Science
- Deals with description, prediction and understanding of natural phenomena based on
observational and empirical evidence
Branches
Life Science/ Biological Science
- Studies life of all forms (past and present)
Physical Science (physics, astronomy, earth science and chemistry)
- Systematic study of inorganic world

Social Science Natural Science

300 years later 16 and 17th century

Deals with human beings Deals with object

spontaneous , unpredictable and exactness , controlled variables and

uncontrollable - human emotions and predictability
behavior
 Experiential data Experimental data

Involves alternative methods of observation Typical method of science is doing repetitive

and interaction and conventional

Open system Closed system

- Both of them can be classified as a science
- Both use a systematic way of explaining a certain theory
- Scientific method (social scientist use this method in understanding certain social
behavior)

Humanities
- Refers to the study of the ways in which the human experience is processed and
documented
- Encompasses the field of philosophy, literature, religion, art, music, history and language

Social Science Humanities

analyze , explain and possibly predicts and Better appreciate the meaning and purpose
produce new knowledge of factual of the the human experience both broadly in
nature of human condition

Generate and produce new knowledge or

factual information

Influenced and developed after french and 15th century

industrial revolution

Deals with more scientific approach Involve more scientific approach

Involves application od an empirical rational More philosophical and concerned with

and objective methodology to present facts heritage and question of what makes us
human
- Both of them are closely related to each other because these two fields deal with
“humans and their culture”

Structural Functionalism
 - Perspective which describes society as social system that has a social structure of its
own, made up of different parts which are interconnected adn work together in harmony
to achieve balance or social equilinirum

Structuralism
- Term used that believes that its a must the human should be part of something big
- Humans should be interrelated with others

Social Institutions
- Government/Polity - setting goals & laws, social control and defense
- Economy - production and distribution of goods and services
- Education - transmitting requisite skills and knowledge and socialization
- Religion - social cohesion and control
- Family - socialization, regulation of sexual activity
- Science - technolgy and medicine

Functional Dysfunctional

Means that elements of the society do their Disrupt the balance in society, social
specific tasks or jobs to contribute instituitons fails to fulfill their functions or
break down

Manifest Function Latent Function

Consequence or effect that are intended and Consequences that are unintended or hidden
recognized by the norm

Notable Structural Functionalist

- Emile Durkheim
- Robert Merton
- Talcott Parsons

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths
- General consensus about values and norms of society - wealth is good, murder is bad
(accepting their roles in society)
- Made up of integrated parts tied together (something wrong with one, affects the other)
- Seek stability and avoid conflict
- Uses macro level analysis in examining issues or problems in society
Weaknesses
- Not see anything wrong with inequality based on class, gender or race
- Not open to social change
- Not looking at the cause (root) of social problem
Marxism (Conflict Theory)
 - World is full of conflict
- Karl Marx’s classical works - father of marxism
- States that society is composed of different groups with their interest to protect each
group competing for power and resources
- Focuses on class relations and social conflict - promotes social inequality

Social inequality
- Income, properties, capital are distributed unequally - divides people into categories
- Economic inequality - central in writing of Marx

Historical dialectical materialism

- Need to know the history of men means of subsistence
- Basis of history - the existence of human, how human beings survive - means of
subsistence
Base of history is the mode of production
- Force of production - means (material and technological)
- Relation of production - (intercourse/relation of men) who own what? Who has power
over whom
Dialects is composed of the thesis and the corresponding antithesis leads to higher synthesis
- Thesis - old mode of production
- Antithesis - means a better life
- Synthesis - a new mode of production

Synthesis is COMMUNISM
- Proletariat must revolt against capitalist to have a utopian society
- Everyone has equal access to resources - classless society - no more inequalities in the
society

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths
- Always in conflict with a battle over power to control the norms, values, and resources of
society - control in power - power elite
- Conflict and power differentials always present in society
- Major contribution to societal transformation and social change
- Uses macro-level of analysis in examining issues or problems
Weaknesses
- Focus of the perspective was based on class inequality
- Little focus on social stability and shared value - social order illusion and seldom
- Lost scientific objectivity cause sociologist are encouraged to be activist for social
change

Symbolic Interactionism
 - Emphasize that human behavior is influenced
- That is created and maintained through symbolic interaction
Notable Symbolic Interactionist
- George Herbert Mead
- Charles Cooley
- Erving Goffman

Herbert Blumer
- Coined the term - refers to the peculiar and distinctive character

Characteristics of this approach

- Human interaction
- Interpretation or definition rather than mere reaction
- Response based on the meaning
- Use of symbols
- Interpretation between stimulus and response

Blumer’s view
- Human society - consists of acting units and acting people and all activity in society
spring from such acting units
The interchangeability model
- Self-definition - objects(material goods) - subjects(people)

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths
- People are above all else, symbol users
- Respond to others actions based on their understanding of the meaning of particular
situation
- Society and social groups within it are processes whereby people negotiated social
interaction.
- Considers the social environment in which learning takes place.
- Recognizes that perceptions of reality are variable and changing
- Uses micro-level analysis in examining issues and problems
- Gives insight into small-scale human interactions
- underscore - relationship between the meaning of a symbol and a person’s behavior
- Sees human as active, creative - who Constructs their social world, not as passive,
conforming objects of socialization
Weaknesses
- Due to micro-level - critics have stated limitations as larger social issue imposed in
society
- Focus on small-scale, relatively trivial,
- Over-emphasis on “the individual” (little sense of social structure)
- Too much focus on individuals (and their “common sense”, subjective, interpretations) –
Doesn’t explain how or why societies change.
- Not explained question about social order and change - social structures don’t explain
- How structures affect an individual’s perception, meaning, and interpretation
- Power relationship (where it comes from)
- Symbols may be interpreted differently or incorrectly
- Can be difficult to quantify things in symbolic interactionism
- Overestimates power of the individual - ignoring the extent of human inhabit

Psychoanalysis
- Defined as a set of psychological theories and the therapeutic techniques
 - Core idea at the center of psychoanalysis is the belief all people possess unconscious
thoughts, feelings, desires adn memories

Father of Psychoanalysis
- Sigmund Freud - jewish background, yet avowed atheist - medical background - private
pratice in nervous and brain disorder

Freud’s Model of Personality Structure

Unconscious
- No immediate access to and cannot bring it into consciousness
- Repressed feelings, habits, thoughts, desires and reactions
Preconscious
- Thoughts of which you could bring into consciousness fairly easily if you wanted to
Conscious
- Contains those thought of which you are currently aware
- Logic and reasoning

Freud’s Iceberg Theory

ID
- Oldest and most primitive
- Biological foundations of personality;
- Persons drives and instincts
- Based of the Pleasure Principle (I want it now)
Superego
- Ideal - corresponds to ones conscience -
- Operate on Moral principle - strives for perfection not pleasure
- What is right or wrong (Nice people dont do that)
Ego
- Executive/mediator - mediate/balance
- Resolves conflict between ID & superego- center of reason, reality-testing and common
sense -
- Governed by Reality principle (Maybe i can find the compromise)

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths
- Offers in depth perspective that emphasizes on exploring the origins of psychopathology
- Focus on development considerations
- Notion of unconscious begin to explain behavior that we are aware of
- Focus on relationship (object relations)
- Universality of defence mechanisms and use across theories
Weaknesses
- Only provide piece of the pie (rejecting biological, cultural and social consideration)
- Appraoch lacks a theory of intervention (not enough focus on technique)
- Exclusive focus on past lead to analysis paralysis
- Too many patients (perhaps psychotic borderline) are not considered approriate