Final answer:
Sociology experiences a division between microsociologists, studying individual interactions, and macrosociologists, focusing on societal structures. Micro-level analyses might explore conversational rules among small groups, while macro-level studies could investigate global trends, such as language changes on social media. These approaches are guided by theories like symbolic interactionism for micro-level and structural functionalism for macro-level research.
Step-by-step explanation:
A split in the discipline of sociology exists between microsociologists, who study face-to-face encounters and individual interactions, and macrosociologists, who are concerned with larger societal and structural levels of analyses. Microsociologists focus on the nuanced, daily social interactions between individuals or within small groups. This could include studies on how teenagers communicate with one another or how employees interact in a corporate setting. In contrast, macrosociologists examine broader social dynamics and large-scale social structures that affect populations, such as national institutions, economic systems, and long-term changes in social processes. An example of macro-level research might be analyzing the effects of social media on global communication patterns or investigating systemic inequality within a society.
Sociologists utilize various theoretical frameworks to guide their research. For example, the symbolic interactionism theory is applied on a micro level to understand the symbols and meanings individuals create and use during interactions. On the other hand, theories like structural functionalism or conflict theory look at society on a macro level, trying to understand its larger functioning or the causes of societal conflicts respectively. An important aspect of sociology is recognizing that individual behaviors and societal structures are deeply connected, an idea which is iterated in the concept of figuration as proposed by German sociologist Norbert Elias.