Notes:
Sociological Perspective: the process of understanding and explaining how individuals and groups interact within society (HP).
Social Structures: the distinctive and stable arrangements of social patterns that form the society as a whole (HP).
Social Problems: societal conditions that harm segments of society (HP).
Sociological Imagination: the ability to see the details of our own lives in the context of larger social structures as opposed to merely personal choices or personal troubles (HP).
Social Change: the forces that change society’s organization and social structures (HP).
Marx’s view was motivated by a desire to change and improve the social conditions for the oppressed members of society.
Durkheim was more interested in explaining the rapid social changes occurring within Europe and the accompanying impacts on society.
Mead was not interested in the plight of the oppressed and how society functioned but was keenly interested in how social interactions played a role in the development of individuals.