Sociology

Sociologists are guided by one or more theoretical paradigms. A theoretical paradigm provides a basic image of society that guides thinking and research. There are three principal theoretical paradigms used by sociologists. Two in which I will address. Each one focuses the researcher's attention on particular types of questions about how society is organized, and on different explanations about why certain patterns are found in society.
The structural-functional paradigm is a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together for stability. The two basic components of this paradigm are social structure and social function. Early sociologists using this perspective included Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, and Emile Durkheim. As sociology developed in the United States, Robert Merton further developed the thinking of these early scientists. Merton differentiated between manifest functions, or conseque...