SOCIOLOGY - MEANING AND DEFINITION

 

MEANING (WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?)

The word Sociology is derived from the Latin word

‘SOCIETIES’ Meaning ‘SOCIETY’

and the Greek word

‘LOGOS’ Meaning ‘STUDY OR SCIENCE’.

Auguste Comte, a French social thinker, is traditionally known as the ‘Father of Sociology’ coined the term ‘Sociology’ in 1839.

Herbert Spencer developed his systematic study of society and adopted the word "sociology" in his works. With the contributions of Spencer and others it (sociology) became the permanent name of the new science.

Sociology is not only a distinct science with subject matter of its own but it has also acquired that high status which entitles it to be called the “MOTHER OF ALL SOCIAL SCIENCES”. Sociology has a distinct position among other social sciences.

Sociology is the youngest of all the Social Sciences.

It has own perspective and its own system of explanation of human behavior. 

Prof. Ginsberg accordingly defines it “as the study of society, which is of the web or tissue of human inter-actions and inter-relations.” In other words, Sociology is the study of man’s behavior in groups or of the inter-action among human beings, of social relationships and the processes by which human group activity takes place.

Sociology has produced a great deal of valuable information’s about SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS family, property, church and State; about social traditions, about social processes, about social classes, about changes in social habits, customs and fashions; about social control, about crime and suicide. None of these topics is adequately treated elsewhere.

Sociology, no doubt, borrows” its subject matter from other social sciences, but it gives this subject matter completely a new form. Sociology adopts completely different system of explanation of subject matter. Sociology borrows raw materials, applies a technique and creates what is called society and a distinct discipline to study its structure and processes.

Sociology is a science with its own subject matter, ‘social life as a whole’ and deals with more general principles underlying all social phenomena. Social phenomena is the subject matter of sociology. The basic social phenomena, the unit for sociological analysis is commonly identified as interaction between two or more human beings. Where there is interaction, the participants are said to be in social relationship. Human interaction and interrelation become the subject matter of sociology.

When relationships endure, they form social groups. The social group is commonly recognized to be one of the major; subjects of sociological study. The social group is a system, that is a structure consisting of parts which, without losing their identity and individuality, constitute a whole transcending the parts.

The individuals who form the social group stand in patterned relationship, so that to each person is ascribed a definite social position called ‘ status’. Social groups often from hierarchies within society. This phenomena is called stratification. Today social stratification is a field of intensive research in sociology.

Another basic area of study in sociology consists of the social ‘Processes’. Among the social processes, cooperation is basic in social life. Other social processes in sociological study are conflict, competition, assimilation, accommodation, communication, socialization etc.

Sociology also gives emphasis on study of culture, which is usually taken to be the sum total of relatively stable and standardized ways of thinking and acting operative in a given society.

Sociology has been concerned with the development and functions of basic social institutions such as family and kinship, religion, property, political, educational and economic institutions.

Sociology has its own methodology for research.

Some sociologists take a ‘Macroscopic’ (broad view) and large scale phenomena such as the working of entire societies or worldwide trends (modernization), historical phenomena etc. Other Sociologists study small-scale social phenomena such as the behaviour of the individuals and small groups, for example family relationships. Such studies are called ‘micro-sociology’.

The application of sociological perspective to different fields of human relationships has given birth to many branches of sociology  - important branches are rural sociology, urban sociology, sociology of crime, sociology of education, political sociology, sociology of religion, industrial sociology, historical sociology, sociology of art etc.

time to time new fields of enquiry in sociology is emerging out and there is no doubt that this trend in sociology will continue.

SOCIOLOGY HAS BEEN DEFINED IN A NUMBER OF WAYS BY DIFFERENT SOCIOLOGISTS. NO SINGLE DEFINITION HAS YET BEEN ACCEPTED AS COMPLETELY SATISFACTORY. IN FACT, THERE ARE LOT OF DEFINITIONS OF SOCIOLOGY AS THERE ARE SOCIOLOGISTS. FOR OUR PURPOSE OF STUDY A FEW DEFINITIONS MAY BE CITED HERE.

Definition of Sociology:

To understand more fully what Sociology is about it shall be in the fitness of things to study some of the definitions given by some sociologists

Some of the definitions of Sociology are as follows:

1. ‘Sociology is the science of society or of social phenomena -L.F. Ward

2. The subject-matter of sociology is the inter-action of human minds’. -L.T. Hobhouse

3 ‘Sociology is the study of human inter-action and inter­relation their conditions and consequences’. -M. Ginsberg

4. Sociology is the science that deals with social groups; their internal forms or modes of organisation, the processes that tend to maintain or change these forms of organisation and relations between groups’. -H.M. Johnson

5. ‘Sociology is a special social science concentrating on inter-human behaviour, on processes of sociation, on association and dissociation as such.’ -Von Wiese

6. ‘Sociology is the study of the relationships between man and his human environment.’ -H.P. Fairchild

7. ‘Sociology may be defined as a body of scientific knowledge about human relationships.’ -J. F. Cuber

8. ‘Sociology is a body of learning about society. It is a description of ways to make society better. It is social ethics, a social philosophy. Generally, however, it is defined as a science of society.’ -W. F. Ogbum

9. ‘Sociology asks what happens to men and by what rules they behave, not in so far as they unfold their understandable individual existences in their totalities, but in so far as they form groups and are determined by their group existence because of inter-action.’ -Simmel

10. ‘Sociology is the science of collective behaviour’. -R. E. Park and F. W. Burgess

11. ‘General sociology is on the whole the theory of human living together.’ -Ferdinand Tonnies

12. ‘Sociology is a body of related generalizations about human social behaviour arrived at by scientific method.’ -Lundberg, G. A.

13. ‘Sociology in its broadest sense may be said to be the study of interactions arising from the association of living beings.’

14. ‘Sociology deals with the behaviour of men in groups.’ – Kimball Young

We find the following views:
(a) Sociology is a science of society.
(b) Sociology is a science of social relationships.
(c) Sociology is the study of social life.
(d) Sociology is the study of human behaviour in groups.
(e) Sociology is the study of social action.
(f) Sociology is the study of forms of social relationships.
(g) Sociology is the study of social groups or social systems.

However, the common idea underlying them all is that Sociology is concerned with human relationships. Its emphasis is on the ‘social’ aspect of these relationships. Maclver has clarified that whatever topic may be included in the subject-matter of sociology, its real subject-matter is social relationships.

The basis of social inter-action or social processes is social relationships. It is on account of such relationships that there is human inter-action. Therefore, if we include social processes or any other matter within the subject-matter of sociology, their study can be carried only in the context of social relationships.

Man becomes a social animal only when he enters into social relationships. The different aspects of social life, viz., political or economic are but the expressions of social relationships.

Therefore in studying sociology we are in fact studying social relationships in one form or the other. Its subject-matter is society rather than the individual though the individual cannot be left utterly out of account.
In studying social relationships, the sociologists attempt to discover the evolution of society, its systems and structures, the development of social institutions and their functions, the customs and rules regulating social relationships, the groups and communities formed by man throughout history, the nature and interdependence of these groups lice family, case, economic groups, religious groups etc., and the phenomenon of social change.