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The three main sociological perspectives are the Symbolic Interactionism, Functionalism and the Conflict perspective. All perspectives emerge from the social conditions and to get a better understanding of social life.
Social Interactionism emerged as a popular theory in the 1960s, and it was the means of understanding the micro-processes that are associated with people regarding their association of meaning with society, identity and acting in a group. It tried to bring out the essence of social life that was formed by people acting together, interacting and being human. Social Interactionism began as a bridge between pragmatism and sociology which was George Herbert Mead. Interactionists asserted that it was the evaluation of social life that helped to judge the condition of society. (Krieken et al., 2014).
The other group, Functionalism was one that believed in the interdependence of all the members of society and that all functions ran smoothly because of the contribution of each member accordingly. It was a belief of the functionalists that society ran smooth by social consensus in which members of the society work by understanding and cohesion. Important sociologists contributing to the functionalist perspective is Emile Durkheim, who suggested that mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity are two different forms of social consensus. During the 1940s and the 1950s, this perspective gained a lot of importance in the American society.(Krieken et al., 2014).
The third important perspective is the Conflict perspective. The perspective sprung out of Karl Marx’s theories about class struggle. This perspective, rather than focusing on the positive aspects of society, presented and displayed the negatives of society and what appeared to make conflict in society. The 1960s in America was a time of economic rife and it is then that Karl Marx suggested that society’s conflict was based on money and unequal distribution of wealth led to difference in classes, races, gender, ethnicity etc. (Krieken et al., 2014).
Hence, the three sociological perspectives gave a differing yet relevant aspect of society with symbolic interactionism, functionalism and conflict perspective.
References
Krieken, et al., (2014). Sociology. 5thEd. Pearson Australia. Retrieved from https://books.google.com.pk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Zy_iBAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1 &dq=historical+development+of+functionalism,+conflict+perspective+and+interactionis t&ots=BBP8Ms4BA3&sig=Dpfyl9wR9Tnb15bJQwVrcb- 1wls#v=onepage&q=historical%20development%20of%20functionalism%2C%20conflic t%20perspective%20and%20interactionist&f=false
