Paper Example on Sociological Theories

Question 1: Rational Theory

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Rational choice theory refers to an economic rule that argues that people have the tendency to make decisions logically and discreetly. The decision offers significant advantage due to the immense number of choices and desire to satisfy ones needs. The theory makes an assumption that every individual focuses on maximizing their benefits in all situations and hence, continually attempt to reduce the losses. It means that decisions are founded on rational reasoning, and their choices are a reflection of rationality. Therefore, the theory is based on two main assumptions: that choice of humans can be rationalized and that social aspects such as state, labor, markets, and law are outcomes of individual choices. There is a need to discuss these two assumptions in relation to Durkheims and Webers arguments.

Durkheim was popular sociologist who focused on social structures and human desires, According to him, the desire of humans are unlimited and as compared to other animals, biological needs alone cannot satisfy humans, and those who have a lot are the ones who want the most. Therefore, the desires of human can only be controlled by external forces, which include the society. It means that the society has a way of limiting human desires. When the limiting forces are nonfunctional, personal inclinations cannot be controlled, and people are free to make their choices. Durkheim describes this situation as anomie, which is a situation whereby the society experiences normlessness. The term explains an aspect of the social system whereby personal desires are not limited by common customs which results in a situation whereby people have no moral direction while pursuing personal interests. A situation where society is free of any kinds of norms is difficult to achieve since every society possess some level of normative restrictions. Also, the extent of normative restrictions varies from one community to another.

Durkheim manages to convince me that the two assumptions are wrong because social life comprises of a wide range of actions that go beyond the activities of individuals. It means that social life entails more than just the actions of individuals. In disagreeing with the assumption that human choices can be rationalized, I refer to Durkheims thought on the collectiveness of different elements of the society. I support his argument because there are numerous ways in which other people influence the behavior of one another. Humans develop expectations when they interact with one another. Hence, everybody expects other people to behave in particular ways in different situations, and distinct social settings hold a dissimilar set of normalities on how people should act. Every society has social norms, which describe the accepted code of behavior in different situations. Norms play a vital role in providing order in the community, and it is unimaginable how human society could operate without norms. Therefore, the rational choice theory makes idealistic assumptions because in some cases, the rationality of choices is impacted by the inability to carry out an evaluation of all the alternatives. It means that complex decisions face significant limitations in the case of rational decision making. Instead of only focusing on what maximized benefits, it is undeniable that humans are inclined to choose options that fall within the normative category.

The second assumption is also wrong because, from the definition, social structure describes normal and repetitive elements that arise from the constant interaction with people and include rules, practices, and institutions. Rather than choices, social structures are woven in beliefs, ideas, and actions of humans, and they develop naturally. A social structure may arise due to different needs such as labor and professionalism or may be influenced by conflicts between different groups. The rational theory suggests that social structures are socially developed through peoples choices and competitions between groups. On the other hand, Durkheim introduces the concept of the network model to describe social structures. According to his argument, all aspects of the society are interconnected, similar to the case of a human body. It means that in society, all institutions are interdependent and the interrelations are the factors that inflict limitations on the goals of every individual.

I strongly agree with his argument because every social element has its unique function. Social elements include persons who hold different social positions and make unique contributions to the wellbeing of the society. In turn, every person is controlled by norms and shared values. In some instances, social institutions such as education and religious systems play a vital role in the imparting norms and values to the people. It means that every individual acts in a nonvoluntary way, and the society has a significant role in shaping people, making them believe that there are accepted ways of behavior and living, the shared values contribute a harmonious society and adjustment in one system affects others in numerous ways. Therefore, choices cannot be rationalized because the thinking of humans is highly influenced by social beliefs, norms, and values.

Question 2: Webers Concept of Rationalization

Max Weber was the first individual to explore the concepts of rationalization of the society. Rationalization describes the practice of replacing conventional thoughts with reasoning and rationality. It comprises of a sequence of actions directed by reason, evaluation, and rational posit of individual goals. According to Weber, rationality is necessary for different social structures to operate efficiently and he describes sociology as a complex field dealing with social actions. He used rationalization to describe the organizations of social lives that facilitate accommodation of diverse individuals; nevertheless, accommodating the thoughts of each person may not be necessary.

Weber was inspired by the desire to know why the West had developed whereas other regions of the globe had not. He argues that other regions had the necessary resources required for development but had not made effective utilization. He proposed that development cannot occur unless people are willing to set aside their conventional ways of thinking. Therefore, rationalization eliminated the traditional ideals and constant pursuit for wealth facilitate the rationalization of society. Weber utilized the term iron cage of rationality to explain trends in the society that encourage bureaucratic rationalism. He claims that it prevents the people from realizing universal freedom and leads to the development of a confined system. His argument suggests that bureaucracies are important as they facilitate achievement of organizational goals and specialized division of labor, promotions, and rankings and all aspect of bureaucracy. Therefore, rationalization involves an instance where religious and traditional aspects lose their significance in the society as a result of the domination of scientific advancement and calculation. There is a need to compare Webers rationalization concept to Marxs ideology of alienation.

As compared to Weber, Marxs theory criticizes capitalism. Marx uses the theory of alienation to describe the human activities that lie behind the presumed forces that dominate the society. He argues that regardless of how much the aspects of the society appear natural; they are results of human activities. Therefore, he dismisses the argument that social institutions are natural and presents supports that they are linked to history. He proves that the modern world results from the activities that began in the past, which playing a vital role in shaping what we see today. Even though he contends that the society had a great way of influencing individuals, he states that people made efforts to transform their society. Unlike Weber who argues that all regions across the world had the necessary factors for development, Marx argues that the need to work to satisfy personal needs was the only dominant thing in different societies. Just like other animals, it is required that humans work on nature to meet their needs; nevertheless, humans have conscious. The exploitation of natural resources changes people and the natural world as well. In the underdeveloped regions, these people still lack effective ways of exploiting the natural resources to facilitate surplus production that will prevent hunger and disease issues.

According to his argument, capitalism is alienating; meaning that, what is familiar tends to appear unfamiliar and disjointed. It means that if the concept of labor in a capitalist society hinders the recognition of our species, then labor in alienating. Labor alienates people from humanity in a capitalist society because as more people compete for jobs, wages tend to fall and only capitalism end up benefiting from the situation. Therefore, increased specialization makes workers poor and less focused on work. Therefore, the division of workers supports downgrading of the value of workers, and alienation dominates. It presents material damage and distances people from one another. Humans are liberated beings and have the capacity to change many aspects of the society through cooperation. Therefore, they ought to view another as partners particularly in a world dominated by capitalist classes who exploit the rest of the population. However, under a capitalist economy, people view one another as competing rivals.

In an opinion, Webers argument is more accurate that of Marx because Marxs argument is incredibly simplistic and ignores the majority of economic aspects. Nevertheless, Marxs argument is valid because different aspects of his concept are similar with those of Weber. For instance, both contend that the modern methods of exploiting nature have changed humans and facilitated extensive domination over nature. However, Weber opposes Marxs argument that alienation is a phase the liberation of humans. Marx argues that a capitalist system exploits workers and they have lost control of their wishes. Weber claims that the loss of control is an inevitable outcome of a rational economy. I support Marxs argument because Marx does not explain ways in which, the conventional work system can be replaced. His arguments are extremely simplistic and do not seem applicable in a real world. Moreover, he does not provide adequate support on why the capitalist system should be regarded as unfair. I support Webers argument that specialization enhances productivity because different individuals are assigned to specific tasks. The central authority is a system of specialization empowers effective management and allows for following standard operating procedures.

Question 4: Symbolic interactionist theory

Symbolic interactionist theory explores the how humans relate to the society. The primary assumption of the theory is that understanding of human actions can only occur from an exchange of important communications and signs which make humans the actors as compared to subjects being acted upon. The fundamental principles of the concept include; human behavior reflects the meaning they associate with different objects. The meanings originate from interactions in the society and rely on the interactions people hold with one another. The major principles of this theory include thought, meaning, and language.

The term symbolic interactionism was first introduced by Herbert Blumer, who was a student to Mead and the major focus is, in theory, is on the term meaning. The term describes reactions concerning the action and consequences involved. Also, it depends on the consensual reaction among the users, and if people who use it agree, then the meaning gets clearer. On the other hand, the mini...