SOC200H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: George Herbert Mead, Michel Chossudovsky, Georg Simmel
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Research findings based only on the observation of patterns are insufficient. Theories seek to provide logical explanations of these patterns. Theories by analogy, direct researcher"s flashlight where they are most likely to observe interesting patterns of social life. Paradigm is a model or framework for observation and understanding, which shapes both what we see and how we understand it. The conflict paradigm causes us to see social behaviour one way; the interactionist paradigm causes us to see it differently. Social science paradigms represent a variety of views, each of which offers insights the others lack and ignores aspects of social life that the others reveal. Some social theorists focus their attention on society at large, or at least on large portions of it. Macrotheory is aimed at understanding the big picture of institutions, whole societies, and the interactions among societies. Karl marx"s examination of the class struggle is an example.
