THE ORIGINS OF

SOCIOLOGY
 What is Sociology?
 Sociology: Scientific study of social
behavior in human groups
 Focus on:
 How relationships influence people’s attitudes
and behavior
 How societies develop and change
 The Sociological
Imagination
C. Wrigth Mills describes sociological imagination as:

 An awareness of the the ability to view one’s

relationship between an society as an outsider
individual and the wider would, without one’s
society, and… limited experiences and
cultural biases
 What is Sociology?
 Sociology is the systematic study of
human society and social interaction
using both theoretical perspectives and
research methods in the examination of
social life
 What is Sociology?
 Sociology is the systematic study of
human society and social interaction
using both theoretical perspectives and
research methods in the examination of
social life
 Sociology and Common
Sense
 Common sense assumptions are
usually based on very limited
observation.
 Moreover, the premises on which
common sense assumptions are
seldom examined.
 Sociology and Common
Sense
 Sociology seeks to:
• use a broad range of carefully selected observations; and
• theoretically understand and explain those observations.

 While sociological research might confirm

common sense observation, its broader base
and theoretical rational provide a stronger
basis for conclusions.
 Sociology and Common
Sense
 Sociologists do not accept something as fact because
“everyone knows it”
 Each piece of information must be tested,
recorded, and analyzed
Women tend to be chatty

Military marriages more likely to end

in separation or divorce
 Sociology as a Science
 The definition of sociology uses the
phrase “scientific study.” Many people
do not consider the social
or soft sciences—such as sociology and
psychology—to be “true”
or hard sciences—such as chemistry
and physics.
 Sociology as a Science
 The word science comes from the
Latin scire meaning “to know,” and for
centuries “science” referred to virtually
any academic discipline, including
theology, languages, and literature.
 Sociology as a Science
 Only in the last hundred years or so
has science come to mean a field of
study that relies on specific research
values and methods
 Sociology and Science
 Science is “...a body
of systematically
arranged knowledge
that shows the
operation of general
laws.”
 As a science,
sociology employs
the scientific method
Sociology and the Social
Sciences
 The Natural Science VS.
Social Science
Natural Sciences Social Sciences
 attempt to  examine human
comprehend, explain, relationships
and predict events in  Attempt to objectively
our natural understand the social
environment. world.
 Sociology and the Social
Sciences
Political Science
 has traditionally
focused on two main
areas: political
philosophy and
actual forms of
government, with
special emphasis on
how the two are
related.
 Sociology and the Social
Sciences
Anthropology
 Is the study of the origin,
evolution and
contemporary diversity of
human beings as both
biological and cultural
organisms, from our
emergence million of
years ago to our
flourishing in the present
 Sociology and the Social
Sciences
Psychology
 Is the study of the origin,
evolution and
contemporary diversity of
human beings as both
biological and cultural
organisms, from our
emergence million of
years ago to our
flourishing in the present
 Sociology and the Social
Sciences
Economics
 It studies the
production,
distribution and
consumption of
goods and services.
SOCIOLOGY has many similarities to
OTHER SOCIAL SCIENCES:
 Like political scientists, sociologists study how
people govern one another, specially the
impact of various form of government on
people’s lives

 Like economists, sociologists are concerned

with what happens with the goods and
services of society, but sociologists place their
focus on the social consequences of
production and distribution
SOCIOLOGY has many similarities to
OTHER SOCIAL SCIENCES:
 Like anthropologists, sociologists study
culture, and have a particular interest in the
social consequences of material goods, group
structure, and belief system, as well as in
how people communicate with one another.

 Like psychologists, sociologists are also

concern with how people adjust to the
difficulties of life.
 SOCIOLOGIST DIFFERENT from
other SOCIAL SCIENCES
 Unlike political scientists and economists,
sociologists do not concentrate on a single
institution

 Unlike anthropologists, sociologists focus

primarily on industrialized societies while
many anthropologists remained focused on
trival societies.
 SOCIOLOGIST DIFFERENT from
other SOCIAL SCIENCES
 Unlike psychologists, sociologists stress
factors external to the individual to determine
what influences people.
 What is Sociological
Theory?
 Theory
 Set of statements that seeks to explain
problems, actions, or behavior

 Effective theories have explanatory and

predictive power

 Theories are never a final statement about

human behavior
 The Development of
Psychology
 Philosophers/religious authorities of
ancient and medieval societies made
observations of human behavior

 European theorists in the 19th century

made pioneering contributions to the
development of the science of human
behavior
 The Development of
Psychology
 Transformation of Society
 Industrial Revolution
 movement from a rural society to an
urban, industrialized society
 new ways of living
 new social problems resulting from
mass migration to cities from rural
areas
 poverty, crime, exploitation of workers
 The Development of
Psychology

 Summary
 Sociology was a response to the social
chaos in Europe resulting from the French
and Industrial Revolutions
 The Origins of Sociology

August Comte (1798-1857)

( French Sociologist)

Considered the Founder of Modern Sociology

Coined the phrase: Sociology (1838)
Described Sociology as having three stages:
Theological
Metaphysical
Scientific
 The Origins of Sociology

August Comte (1798-1857)

( French Sociologist)

Responsible for coining the term “sociology”

Set out to develop the “science of man” that
would be based on empirical observation
Focused on two aspects of society:
•Social Statics—forces which produce order and stability
•Social Dynamics—forces which contribute to social
change
 The Origins of Sociology

August Comte (1798-1857)

(French Sociologist)

 Favored positivism — a way of

understanding based on science
 Strongly influenced the academic
discipline of Sociology in the United States
 The Origins of Sociology

August Comte (1798-1857)

(French Sociologist)

The term sociology comes from:

Latin – socius (friend or associate)
Greek – logos (word)
---------------------------
“words about human associations”
 The Origins of Sociology

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)

(English Sociologist)
Sometimes called the second founder of sociology
Authored the first sociology text, Principles of
Sociology
Most well known for proposing a doctrine called
“Social Darwinism”
•Suggested that people who could not compete were
poorly adapted to the environment and inferior
•This is an idea commonly called survival of the fittest
 The Origins of Sociology

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)

(English Sociologist)

Studied “evolutionary” change in society

social realism
used an organic analogy that compared society to a living
organism made up of interdependent parts.
Spencer was convinced that societies evolve from lower
(“barbarian”) to higher (“civilized”) forms
The Origins of Sociology

society like a living organism

=
 The Origins of Sociology

Karl Marx (1818-1883)

(German Sociologist)

 Marx is the father of conflict theory

 Saw human history in a continual state of conflict
between two major classes:
•Bourgeoisie—owners of the means of production
(capitalists)
•Proletariat—the workers
Considered as one of the thinkers of the modern times.
 The Origins of Sociology

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)

( French Sociologist)
 Durkheim moved sociology fully into the realm of an
empirical science
 Most well known empirical study is called Suicide, where
he looks at the social causes of suicide
 Generally regarded as the founder of functionalist theory
 The Origins of Sociology

Max Weber (1864-1920)

( German Sociologist)

 Much of Weber’s work was a critique or clarification of

Marx
 His most famous work, The Protestant Ethic and the
Spirit of Capitalism directly challenged Marx’s ideas on
the role of religion in society
 Weber was also interested in bureaucracies and the
process of rationalization in society
 The Origins of Sociology

Max Weber (1864-1920)

 Weber said "To fully comprehend behavior, we must

learn the subjective meanings people attach to their
actions- how they themselves view and explain their
behavior”

 In other words people should use Verstehen the

German word for "understanding"
 The Origins of Sociology

Harriet Martineau (1864-1920)

(British Sociologist)

Authored one of the earliest analyses of culture and

life in the United States entitled Theory and Practice
of Society in America
Translated Comte’s Positive Philosophy into English
 The Origins of Sociology

Harriet Martineau (1864-1920)

(British Sociologist)

 She spokes out in favour of the rights of women’s, the

emancipation of the slaves, and religious

 She emphasized the impact that the economy, law,

trade, and population could have own the social
problems of contemporary society
 The Origins of Sociology

Harriet Martineau (1864-1920)

(British Sociologist)

Her’ views, intellectuals and scholars should not

simply offer observations of social conditions;
they should act upon their convictions in a
manner that will benefit society
 Development of Psychology
in the Philippines
 The development of Sociology in the
Philippines can be divided into three
categories
 (1) when in it regarded as a Social
Philosophy,
 (2) when it is regarded as a welfare or
problem oriented, and
 (3) when it is geared more towards
scientific orientation
 Development of Psychology
in the Philippines
 SERAFIN M. MACARAIG, the first Filipino to
acquire a doctorate degree in Sociology and
Published a book entitled An Introduction to
Sociology in 1938.
 FR. VALENTIN MARIN introduced sociology in the
Philippines, with the opening of criminology program
in the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas in
1950’s.
 CONRADO BENITEZ and LUIS RIVERA were
among the first teachers of sociology in the
Philippines.
 Development of Psychology
in the Philippines
 In 1957, the COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
RESEARCH COUNCIL (CDRC) was created
to conduct and support social science
researchers.
 In 1960, Fr. Frank Lynch, SJ, founded the
Institute of the Philippine Culture at the
Ateneo De Manila University.
 Development of Psychology
in the Philippines

 Serafin N. Macaraig- attempted to

introduce the scientific view of Sociology but
it became a failure since he was using a
substandard theory in courses and teachers
orientation.
 Development of Psychology
in the Philippines

 Gelia Castillo, a Filipino Sociologist integrated

empirical studies into development problem areas
where policy makers, researchers, teachers and
students can concentrate their efforts.
 In 1970’s witnessed the thriving of
phenomenological sociology and Marxism
sociology.
 In 1970’s- 1980’s saw the thrust of theoretical and
methodological tends Participatory research
emerged,
 Development of Psychology
in the Philippines
 The 1990’s witnessed the collaboration of the
Ugnayan Pang agham Tao and Philippine Sociological
Study in holding seminars, convention, and
conducting empirical researches on social issues.
They also held teaching to increase competence in
the teaching of sociology
 Development of Psychology
in the Philippines

 This had made the people aware of the

importance of sociological facts in the
decision-making process.
 In the Philippines at recent, more studies had
been undergone to give a future solution to
the recent wars in the Mindanao.
 THE IMPORTANCE OF
SOCIOLOGY
 Sociology is important because its study allows us to
obtain information about society and the different
aspects of life in a factual manner
 The most important functions of sociology, however
is when superstitions and misinformation's are
replaced by accurate knowledge about human
behavior.