Final answer:
The contemporary approach in sociology focuses on three main perspectives: functionalism, symbolic interactionism, and conflict theory. These paradigms help to understand society's structures, interactions, and power dynamics.
Step-by-step explanation:
The contemporary approach in sociology considers various theories to understand and analyze society. Understanding these theories provides a framework for explaining social behaviors and structures.
Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology
There are three primary theoretical perspectives:
- Functionalism: This perspective views society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. Functions of each part of society are examined in terms of the contributions to societal equilibrium.
- Symbolic Interactionism: This approach focuses on the symbols and details of everyday life, analyzing how individuals interact and assign meanings to objects, events, and behaviors. Critics argue it's too narrow in focus, while proponents value this detailed scrutiny.
- Conflict Theory: This perspective sees social life as a competition, and focuses on the distribution of resources, power, and inequality. It is driven by the idea that social order is maintained by domination and power, rather than consensus and conformity.
Over time, these perspectives have evolved. Structural-functionalism was more prevalent post-World War II, but faced criticism during the 1960s and 1970s for not adequately explaining rapid social changes. New approaches emerged, influenced by significant social movements such as the women's movement and the Civil Rights movement.
For a closer examination of social movements and the economic disparity they may address, a sociologist would likely use a Symbolic Interactionism approach. This method would involve analyzing the interactions within the movement to understand the dynamics at play.
Overall, these theoretical perspectives form the foundation of modern sociological analysis. They help us interpret the past and present social worlds, as well as predict future changes.