SCOPE OF SOCIOLOGY

Scope Of Sociology

• Two schools of thought with different

viewpoints regarding scope and subject
matter of sociology-
• formal school
• synthetic school.
 Formal School of Sociology

• According to formal school sociology was

conceived to be a social science with a
specifically defined field.
• Main advocates:
• George Simmel, Ferdinand Tonnies,
• Max Weber
• Alfred Vierkandt and Leopord Von Wiese
 Formal school…..
• Formal school argued in favor of giving sociology a
definite subject matter to make it a distinct discipline.
• It emphasized upon the study of forms of social
relationships and regarded sociology as independent.
• Simmel :- sociology is a specific social science which
describes, classifies, analyses and delineates the forms
of social relationships
• In other words social interactions should be classified
into various forms or types and analysed.
 Formal school
• Vierkandt :- sociology should be concerned with
ultimate forms of mental or psychic relationship
which knit the people together in a society
• Von Wiese :- there are two kinds of fundamental
social processes in human society.
• Firstly the associative process concerning contact,
approach, adaptation etc
• secondly, disassociate processes like competition
and conflict.
• Apart from these two processes a mixed form of
the associative and disassociative also exists.
 Formal school
• Tonnies :- divided societies into two categories
namely Gemeinschaft (community) and
Gesellschaft (association) on the basis of
degree of intimacy among the members of the
society.
• He has on the basis of forms of relationship
tried to differentiate between community and
society.
 Formal school
• Max Weber:- the aim of sociology is to
interpret or understand social behaviour.
• But social behavior does not cover the whole
field of human relations. Indeed not all human
interactions are social.
• Sociology is concerned with the analysis and
classification of types of social relationships.
 Criticism of formal School

• 1.It has emphasized on merely abstract forms

and neglected the concrete contents of social
life. Abstract forms separated from concrete
relations cannot be studied.
• Ginsberg says that a study of social
relationships would remain barren if it is
conducted in the abstract without the full
knowledge of the terms to which in concrete
life they relate.
 Criticism of formal School………
• 2. Sociology doesn't alone study the forms of
social relationship. Political science,
International law also studies forms of social
relationship.
• The conception of pure sociology is not
practical as no social science can be studied in
isolation from other social sciences.
• 3. Narrowed down the scope of sociology
 Synthetic School of Sociology

• Advocates: Durkheim, Hobhouse and Sorokin

• Synthetic school wanted sociology to be

synthesis of the social sciences and thus
wanted to widen the scope of sociology
 Synthetic School……
• Durkheim:- sociology has three principal divisions:
• Social morphology
• social physiology
• General sociology.
• Social morphology :- concerned with geographical or
territorial basis of life of people such as population, its size,
density and distribution etc.
• This can be done at two levels -analysis of size and quality
of population which affects the quality of social relationship
and social groups.
• Secondly the study of social structure or description of the
main forms of social groups and institutions with their
classification.
 Synthetic School……
• Social physiology:- different branches of
namely sociology of religion, of morals, of law
and of economic institutions, of language etc.
• General sociology:- the philosophical part of
sociology
• main aim is to formulate general social laws.
 Synthetic School……
• Ginsberg:- four main tasks of sociology
• 1.social morphology:-deals with the quantity
& quality of population

• 2.Social control:- studies formal & informal

controls(laws,court, customs, traditions)
 Synthetic School……
• 3. Social processes:- studies different modes
of interaction-cooperation, conflict,
competitions, accommodation etc.

• 4.Social pathology:- studies social

maladjustments, problems,disturbances
• Poverty, beggary, unemployment, prostitution
etc.
 Synthetic School……
• Hobhouse perceived sociology as a science
which has the whole social life of man as its
sphere. Its relations with the other social
sciences are considered to be one of mutual
exchange and mutual stimulation.
• Karl Mannheim divides sociology into two
main sections-systematic and general
sociology and historical sociology
 Conclusion

• Thus on the basis of viewpoints of different sociologists we can get

a general outline of the scope of sociology.
• Firstly the analysis of various institutions, associations and social
groups which are results of social relationships.

• Secondly the links among different parts of society should be

studied.. Thus social structure should be given adequate
importance in subject matter of sociology.

• Thirdly sociology addresses itself to the factors which contribute to

social stability and social change.

• Fourthly sociology should also explain the trend of the changing

pattern and the aftermath of the changes in the society.
 Major Fields and Branches
• 1.Sociological Theory:-study of concepts,
principles and generalisations
• 2.Historical sociology:- past social institutions,
origin and present
• 3.Sociology of family:- origin, growth,
functions, types & problems of family
• 4.Human ecology and demography:- birth &
death rates,migration etc.
 Special branches
• 1. Educational sociology:-role of education,
literacy rates, role of students & teachers
• 2. Sociology of religion:- types, systems of
beliefs, magic, superstitions
• 3.Economic sociology:- poverty, policies
• 4.Cultural sociology:- different culture
• 5. Social psychology:- behaviour of individuals
in society
 Branches….
• 6. Sociology of stratification:- hierarchical
divisions of society
• 7.Medical sociology:- the relationship between
social factors and health, and with the application
of sociological theory and research techniques
• 8.Social psychiatry:- a branch of psychiatry that
focuses on the interpersonal and cultural context
of mental disorder and mental wellbeing.
 Branches…….
• 9. Sociology of sex/ gender:- gender issues
• 10. political sociology:- study of the relations
between state, society and citizens.
• 11. Military sociology:- military recruiting,
race and gender representation in the military,
military families, military social organization,
war and peace, and the military as welfare.
• 12. Industrial sociology:- human relations in
industries/ production
• Thank you