The Study of Social Phenomena - Essay Example

Sociologists use three principal theoretical paradigms to come up with perspectives regarding events – the structural-functional paradigm, social-conflict paradigm, and symbolic-interactive paradigm. Each of these directs the attention to questions about how society is organized and the explanation as to why certain patterns exist.

Based on John J. Macionis’ book entitled ‘Sociology’, the structural-functional paradigm is a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. This paradigm contemplates social structure and social function, the former’s influence on the social function or dysfunction, which results when a part of a social institution fails to function as predicted. The social-conflict paradigmis a framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and social change.Unlike the previous paradigm which focuses on the consequence of social structure, it emphasizes social differences, rather than social integration. Competition plays an important role in that it creates social change. Lastly, the symbolic-interaction paradigm is a framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals. It focuses on how people define reality and how they reconcile it with their experiences. It works on the assumption that structures are formed through interaction such that behavioral patterns and norms are developed, thereby providing a means of interpreting actions and speech.

The above-mentioned perspectives apply to various social structures. Using the structural-functional view, deviance is necessary because it challenges the limitations set by society and strengthens the current standard through affirmation.  One’s deviance may result in something positive for another. Take the case of a husband who does not believe that his wife should stay in the house because she is more skilled than he is. It is wiser for the husband to trade places with his wife, provided he is better at household chores than office work. Allowing this setup makes way for women's empowerment and labor productivity. On the other hand, using the conflict theory, deviant behavior by a leader creates disagreement with the followers and as an extreme result, disorder within the system. Another example is a mother the case of a working mother. This threatens the position of the father as head of the family which results in conflict.

Class stratification as viewed from the social-conflict theory results from dividing a group into subgroups competing for power. One manifestation is the separation of the bourgeoisie from the working class. Both compete for power and ownership. Functionalism may see this division as a factor that maintains balance in society. The proletariat class has to exist for the capitalists to exploit. While this continues to happen, the social and economic process does not stagnate.

Looking at humor from a symbolic-interactive perspective, it may be said that humor or comic relief is a strategy that can enhance one’s interaction with other people. Humor is used to lessen the awkwardness of a situation.  It is necessary to break the monotony and seriousness of the circumstances. This is especially effective to those who are handicapped because of the existence of stigma which causes restrained and restricted interaction between the disabled and the able. Usually, disabled persons lead lifestyles different from those who are slightly more fortunate than them. Some need to exercise regularly. Some of them walk in the park every morning while the rest of the neighborhood is asleep. According to Robert A. Stebbins in “Defusing Awkward Situations: Comic relief as an Interactive Strategy for People with Disabilities”, there are many conditions that cause the disabled to feel awkward socializing with others. Stigma is cited as one condition in that a disabled person feels restrained from socially interacting with other people.  Another condition is that some handicapped people lead different lifestyles since some of them are not able to perform usual activities such as walking and watching television.  What happens is that they eventually form a group that holds a common ground and they can form a clique, eventually separating the group.  Seen from social-conflict standpoint humor may suggest contradiction in terms of puns and irony. Although puns are intended to mean a different semantic interpretation at a secondary level, it is superficially suggestive of contradiction.  The irony which may be expressed in a humorous form may cause contradiction or conflict.

With the use of the paradigms, we are given a better and more objective understanding of social phenomena.  Social forces help shape people’s lives. Some of these contribute to one’s feeling of alienation, resulting in the emergence of groups and subgroups. Through the above-mentioned theoretical paradigms, can criticize our assumptions, and assess their truth value. We can judge the benefits and limitations that define our lives. Given that we acquire an enlightened understanding, we are empowered to become active participants in our respective societies. Finally, we can recognize individual differences and are encouraged to adapt to social changes.