Chapter 1

Taking a New Look at a Familiar World

Sociology• Sociology is the systematic

study of human societies.• Everyday social life is the

product of a complex interplay between societal forces and personal characteristics.

• Sociology examines the interpersonal, historical, cultural, organizational, and global environments that individuals inhabit.

Sociology vs. the Individual

• Individualistic explanations– We tend to look at

internal qualities to explain experiences.

• Sociological explanations– We try to look at

external factors that shape individual choices and opportunities.

Thinking Sociologically• Looking at “individual

problems” • Example: the break-up of

a relationship, loss of a job, or credit-card debt– What are some of the

possible individual causes of these events?

– Now, examine this within a societal context. What are some other possible explanations?

Contrasting Fields• Biologists and

psychologists focus on processes within the individual– Biology: focuses on innate

characteristics (genetics, bio-chemical explanations)

– Psychology: focuses on personal characteristics (the mind)

• Sociologists study what goes on among people as individuals, groups, and societies– Sociology: focuses on a systematic

study of human interaction (people as a part of the larger society)

Thinking Sociologically

• How might research on alcohol use differ among these three disciplines?– Biology– Psychology– Sociology

The Sociological Imagination C. Wright Mills (1916–1962)

• The ability to see the impact of massive cultural and historical processes on our private lives

• The ability to recognize that the solutions to many of our most serious social problems lie not in changing the personal situations and characteristics of individual people but in changing the social institutions and roles available to them

SuicideÉmile Durkheim (1858–1917)

• Classic sociological work titled Suicide, published in 1897

• Compared statistics and historical data across different groups – If suicide is an act based

in individual explanations, rates would be fairly constant across time and place.

– However, this is not the case.

Different Types of Suicide• Fatalistic—when people

see no possible way to improve their oppressive circumstances

• Anomic—when a person’s life has been suddenly disrupted by a major social event

• Egoistic—when a person belongs to a group that has weak ties

• Altruistic—when a person’s ties to the community are too strong

Fatalistic Suicide

• When people feel horribly oppressed in their social situation

• When people perceive no possible way to improve their lives

• Examples: inmates in prison, slaves

Egoistic Suicide• When people’s ties to

their social networks are weak or deemphasized

• When people feel alienated from social networks

• When there may be too much emphasis on individualism

• Current U.S. society has weaker ties and suicide rates have risen as Durkheim predicted

Altruistic Suicide

• When ties to one’s community are too strong, individuality may be overshadowed

• In circumstances where community or family needs are considered far superior to needs of individual

• Examples may be found in “greedy” group sects

Anomic Suicide

• When conditions around which people organize their lives dramatically change (economic depressions, wars, famines etc.)

• May result in sense of hopelessness and despair

Suicide Rates Among Young African Americans

• Potential individual-based influences– Growing sense of

hopelessness– Reluctance to open up

about mental health issues• Broader social factors

– More and more black families moving into middle class

– Increased pressure to succeed in white-dominated professions

Thinking Sociologically

• Suicide rates among young African Americans have dropped over the last few years

Can you think of a sociological reason to

account for this trend?

Summary

• Everyday social life is the product of a complex interplay between societal forces and personal characteristics.

• To explain why people are the way they are (or do the things they do), we must understand the interpersonal, historical, cultural, organizational, and global environments they inhabit.

• To understand either individuals or society, we must understand both (C. W. Mills, 1959).