Contemporary Sociological Theory

An Integrated Multi-Level Approach

By: Doyle Paul Johnson

Write A Review

Hardcover | 28 May 2008

At a Glance

Hardcover
652 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.5 x 15.5 x 3.81

Hardcover

$139.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $34.94 with

Ships in 5 to 7 business days

The overall organizing framework employed in this textbook is based primarily on the distinctions among different levels of social reality. Theorists routinely distinguish between micro and macro levels of analysis. The micro level involves a focus on human agency and choice and the dynamics of personal relationships and small-scale social systems of various types, particularly those involving face-to-face encounters. The macro level, in contrast, is concerned with larger-scale social systems, typically at the level of total societies.

In addition to micro and macro levels, various intermediate (or "meso") levels of analysis may also be identified. This book is distinctive as a theory text in giving explicit attention to organizations, communities, markets, and socioeconomic classes as meso-level social formations that can be identified between the micro level of face-to-face relations and the macro-level institutional structures of the overall society.

Contemporary Sociological Theory is divided into three sections: the first section introduces contemporary sociological theory and includes the historical development, the early European sources, and the development of American sociology. Section two presents the various major theoretical perspectives that have long been considered the core of contemporary sociological theory and includes the three levels of social interaction - macro, micro and meso. The last section covers contemporary perspectives that reflect multiple levels of analysis such as feminist theory, structuration theory and systems theory, the sociobiological perspective and cultural systems.

With its unique focus on multiple levels of analysis, this graduate-level text will be of interest to sociologists and those they teach.

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.

Defective items

If there is a problem with any of the items received for your order then the Booktopia Customer Care team is ready to assist you.

For more info please visit our Help Centre.

You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Sociology & Anthropology Sociology

Other Editions and Formats

Paperback

Published: 29th October 2010

View Product

This product is categorised by

Non-Fiction Sociology & Anthropology Sociology

Setting the Stage	p. 1
Introduction: From Implicit to Explicit Theories	p. 3
Everyday Life Theories and Facts of Life	p. 3
Moving from Implicit to Explicit Theories	p. 5
Multiple Levels of Social Reality and Contrasting Theoretical Perspectives	p. 8
Agency and Structure	p. 12
National Variations in the Origins of Sociological Theory	p. 13
Postrevolutionary French Positivism	p. 14
German Historicism	p. 14
English-Scottish Laissez-Faire Political Economy and British Utilitarianism	p. 15
American Pragmatism and Micro-Level Interaction	p. 17
Summary	p. 19
Classical Stage European Sources of Sociological Theory	p. 23
Social and Intellectual Background	p. 24
Science, Social Evolution, and the Dream of a More Rational Society	p. 25
Confronting the Nonrational Dimensions of Social Life	p. 27
Dominant Figures in the Establishment of Sociology	p. 29
Emile Durkheim: Sociology as the Science of Social Integration	p. 29
Karl Marx: Human Needs, Class Conflict, and Social Change	p. 32
Max Weber: Social Action as the Foundation of Society	p. 34
Georg Simmel: Interaction Processes	p. 39
Other Important Pioneers	p. 42
Harriet Martineau: Discovering the Discrepancy Between Morals and Manners	p. 42
Alexis de Tocqueville: An Analysis of American Democracy	p. 44
Vilfredo Pareto: Logical Versus Nonlogical Action	p. 44
Ferdinand Tonnies: Contrasting Community and Society	p. 46
Marianne Weber: Exposing the Subordination of Women at Home and Work	p. 46
Summary	p. 49
Development of American Sociology: A Brief Historical Overview	p. 53
Chicago School Beginnings: Social Interaction and Social Reform	p. 54
George Herbert Mead and Social Behaviorism	p. 54
Jane Addams: Applying Sociology Through Social Work and Social Reform	p. 59
W. I. Thomas and the "Definition of the Situation"	p. 61
Robert Ezra Park: Observing and Analyzing the Social Life of the City	p. 62
Other Significant Pioneers in Early American Sociology	p. 64
Charles Horton Cooley: Primary Groups and the Looking-Glass Self	p. 64
W. E. B. Du Bois: African Americans' Double Consciousness "Within the Veil"	p. 65
Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Sexual Relations Related to Home and Work	p. 69
Development of Functional Theory for Analyzing Society's Institutional Structures	p. 73
Talcott Parsons and the Development of Structural/Functional Theory	p. 75
Alternative Perspectives Within Functionalism	p. 76
Merton's Middle-Range Functionalism	p. 76
Coser's Conflict Functionalism	p. 76
Alternatives to Functionalism	p. 76
Blumer and Symbolic Interactionism	p. 76
Mills and Critical Sociology	p. 76
Homans and Exchange Behaviorism	p. 77
Summary	p. 77
Formal Theory Construction: Developing Sociological Theory as Part of a Scientific Enterprise	p. 81
Linking Theoretical Analysis and Empirical Research	p. 82
Objective Versus Subjective Dimensions of Social Reality	p. 83
Prediction versus Interpretation	p. 85
Strategies of Formal Theory Construction	p. 86
Concepts and Variables	p. 87
Classification Systems	p. 89
Propositions	p. 90
Causes and Consequences	p. 92
Interdependent Relations	p. 93
Thresholds and Limits	p. 94
The Challenge of Causal Explanation	p. 96
Theory: A Set of Propositions	p. 98
The Challenge of Multiple Paradigms: Underlying Assumptions, Beliefs, and Values that Influence Theory Construction	p. 100
Summary	p. 103
Moving from Micro to Meso to Macro Levels	p. 107
Symbolic Interaction: Constructing the Social World-and its Participants' Identities	p. 109
Symbolic Interaction-Process Versus Structure	p. 110
Roles and Identities	p. 114
Staging Performances: The Dramaturgic Approach to Interaction	p. 120
Teams and Audiences	p. 122
The Precariousness of the Social World	p. 123
Interaction Challenges of the Stigmatized	p. 125
The Context of Interaction	p. 126
Language, Social Reality, and the Cultural World	p. 129
Summary	p. 133
Phenomenological Sociology and Ethnomethodology: The Everyday Life World of Common Sense	p. 137
Phenomenological Sociology: Alfred Schutz's Contributions	p. 138
Personal Versus Intersubjective Consciousness	p. 139
Meanings, Motives, and Accounts	p. 141
Mutual Understanding in Personal Versus Impersonal Relations	p. 143
Contemporaries, Predecessors, and Successors	p. 145
Phenomenological Perspective on Sociological Knowledge	p. 146
Ethnomethodology	p. 148
Reciprocity of Perspectives	p. 149
Context and Meaning	p. 152
The Social Construction of Reality: Berger and Luckmann	p. 155
Mutual Interdependence of Social Institutions and Subjective Consciousness	p. 156
Cultural Homelessness in the Modern and Late Modern World	p. 159
Summary	p. 160
Social Exchange and Rational Choice at the Micro Level: Looking Out for #1	p. 165
Historical Background: Individualistic Versus Collectivist Theories of Social Exchange	p. 167
A Behavioral Approach to Elementary Exchanges	p. 169
Behavioral Dynamics of Groups	p. 169
Psychological Foundations of Social Relations	p. 170
Applications of Exchange Theory to Elementary Social Behavior	p. 173
Elementary Social Exchanges and the Emergence of Power Structures: Peter Blau's Micro-Level Exchange Theory	p. 175
Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Rewards	p. 177
Dilemmas of Attraction	p. 178
How Power Structures Develop from Imbalanced Exchanges	p. 179
Acquiring Power or Avoiding Subordination Through Strategic Exchanges	p. 180
Individual Interests and Group Dynamics	p. 182
Individual Interests, Rights, and Resources: James Coleman's Perspective on Exchanges Between Rational Actors	p. 185
The Risk of Perverse Effects	p. 188
Summary	p. 191
Networking and Belonging: Opportunity Structures, Rational Choice Exchanges, and the Sociology of Emotions	p. 195
Opportunities and Limitations: Peter Blau's Structural Approach	p. 196
Networks, Groups, and Personal Relationships	p. 201
Network Analysis	p. 201
Exchange Processes in Networks, Groups, and Personal Relationships	p. 204
Social Bonding and the Sociology of Emotions	p. 206
Gender Differences in Emotional Bonding Versus Pursuit of Self-Interests	p. 209
Emotional Labor in Organizational Settings	p. 214
Cyberspace Markets, Networks, and Personal Relationships	p. 218
Summary	p. 220
From Micro-Level Exchanges to Meso- and Macro-Level Structures	p. 223
Emergence of Macro Structures from Imbalanced Exchanges	p. 224
Micro-Level Competition for Status and Power	p. 224
Stabilization of Power Structures Through Norms and Values	p. 226
From Power Structures to Meso and Macro Structures	p. 227
Legitimation Versus Opposition of Power Structures	p. 230
Institutionalization in Macro-Structures	p. 232
Social Capital and Corporate Actors from a Rational Choice Perspective	p. 235
Normative and Legal Regulation of People's Behavior	p. 236
Promoting Normative Conformity and Deterring Deviance	p. 239
Social Capital and Public Goods	p. 241
Establishment of Corporate Actors and Authority Relations	p. 242
Corporate Actors Versus Natural Persons	p. 247
Summary	p. 248
Meso-Level Structures: Communities and Organizations	p. 253
Communities: Actual, Potential, and Ideal	p. 255
Geographical Communities	p. 257
Ecology and Community in Urban Environments	p. 258
Communities of Shared Interests and Values and Socioemotional Bonds	p. 265
Formal Organizations and Individual Versus Collective Goals	p. 267
Primary Beneficiaries of Organizational Goals	p. 269
Organizational Control and Compliance Structures	p. 270
Bureaucrats Versus Professionals in Organizational Settings	p. 271
Formal Organizations as Open Systems	p. 272
Variations in Interdependence	p. 273
Variations in Boundary Permeability	p. 274
Organizational Relations	p. 276
Summary	p. 277
Meso-Level Structures: Markets and Socioeconomic Classes	p. 281
Markets and Individual Versus Collective Interests	p. 283
Economic Market Instability and Government Regulation	p. 284
Economic Versus Socioemotional Markets	p. 285
Socioeconomic Classes	p. 288
Economic Resources as the Foundation for Socioeconomic Stratification	p. 288
Economic Classes in American Society	p. 290
Education, Socioeconomic Status Groups, and Lifestyle	p. 293
Occupational Authority Structures and Socioeconomic Class Cultures	p. 295
Reproduction of Class Cultures: Material Conditions and Symbolic Definitions	p. 300
Summary	p. 306
Integration and Social Order at the Macro Level: Parsons' Structural-Functional Perspective	p. 309
From Social Action to Social Systems: Introducing Parsons' Structural/Functional Theory	p. 310
The Voluntaristic Theory of Social Action	p. 312
The Pattern Variables: Variations in Subjective Orientations	p. 313
The Strategy of Structural-Functional Analysis	p. 317
Functional Requirements and Institutional Structures of Societies	p. 318
The AGIL Framework	p. 320
Subsystem (Institutional) Interchanges	p. 325
Hierarchy of Cultural Control	p. 327
Structural Differentiation in the Evolution of Modern Society	p. 328
Human Life, Social Action, and Ultimate Reality	p. 333
Summary	p. 335
Middle-Range Functionalism and Neofunctionalism	p. 339
Robert Merton and Middle-Range Functionalism	p. 341
Middle-Range Functional Analysis	p. 341
Latent Dysfunctions, Social Problems, and Social Change	p. 344
Examples of Middle-Range Functional Theories	p. 347
Social Structure and Anomie	p. 347
The Bureaucratic Personality	p. 348
Reference Group Theory	p. 348
From Functionalism to Neofunctionalism	p. 349
Social Action and Social Order: Jeffrey Alexander's Multidimensional Perspective	p. 350
Social Action and Social Order: Environmental Versus Normative Influences	p. 351
Alexander's Critique of Earlier Theories	p. 355
Contrasting Dimensions of Action in Richard Munch's Neofunctional Perspective	p. 359
AGIL Dimensions of Action	p. 359
Contrasting Theoretical Perspectives Related to the AGIL Framework	p. 361
Summary	p. 364
Conflict and Competition: Analytical Conflict Theories at the Macro Level	p. 367
Functional Analysis of Conflict: Lewis Coser's Contributions	p. 368
Conflict Between Groups and In-Group Solidarity	p. 369
Conflict and Group Solidarity	p. 370
Realistic Versus Unrealistic Conflict	p. 371
Conflict as a Stimulus for Cooperation Between Groups	p. 372
Authority Relations and Conflicting Interests: Ralf Dahrendorf's Contributions	p. 373
Conflict Group Formation	p. 375
Intensity and Violence of Conflict	p. 377
Consequences of Conflict	p. 378
Conflict Model Versus Functional Model	p. 380
Stratification and Conflict in Interpersonal and Institutional Settings: Randall Collins' Theoretical Synthesis	p. 380
Interaction Rituals and Social Stratification	p. 383
Occupation, Authority Relations, and Socioeconomic Status	p. 384
Applications of the Model	p. 386
World Systems Theory and International Exploitation: Immanuel Wallerstein's Contributions	p. 387
Summary	p. 392
Critical Theory: Social System Requirements Versus Human Needs	p. 397
C. Wright Mills: The Sociological Imagination and Critical Analysis	p. 399
Historical Development of the American Power Structure	p. 400
Mass Media and Mass Society	p. 402
The American Power Structure and the "Iron Law of Oligarchy"	p. 403
Theoretical Developments Within Marxism	p. 404
Development of American Critical Theory	p. 407
Lifeworld Versus System: The Critical Perspective of Jurgen Habermas	p. 409
The Legitimation Crisis in the Political Organization of Capitalism	p. 409
Alternative Forms of Communication and Rationality	p. 412
Knowledge and Power in Michel Foucault's Perspective	p. 415
Surveillance and Social Control	p. 417
Professional Expertise and Social Control	p. 418
Summary	p. 422
Exploring Multi-Level Theoretical Perspectives	p. 427
Feminist Theory at Multiple Levels: Analytical and Critical	p. 429
Feminist Critique of Sociology: Dorothy Smith's Standpoint Theory	p. 431
Exploring Differences Among Women in Multiple Hierarchies of Domination in Patricia Hill Collins' Perspective	p. 434
Micro-Level Analyses of Gender Differences	p. 436
Biological Sex and Gender Differences	p. 437
Male-Female Differences in Socioemotional Bonds with Parents	p. 439
Matters of Life and Death	p. 440
Wives Versus Husbands in Family Life	p. 441
Macro-Level Critique of Male Domination	p. 443
Institutional Differentiation and the Organized Control of Violence	p. 444
Evolutionary Progress from a Feminist Functionalist Perspective	p. 446
Explaining Gender Inequality: Janet Saltzman Chafetz's Theory of Gender Stratification	p. 447
Mechanisms of Macro-Level Domination Through Impersonal Texts	p. 451
Summary	p. 454
Human Agency, the Structuration Process, and Social Systems: Linking Micro, Meso, and Macro Levels of Analysis	p. 459
Structuration Theory: Reproduction and Transformation of the Social World	p. 460
Agency	p. 462
Social Structures and Systems	p. 465
Sociological Analysis and Public Discourse	p. 468
The Dynamics of Open Systems	p. 469
Walter Buckley's "Morphogenic Process" Model of Social Systems	p. 470
Variations in Social System Dynamics	p. 473
Feedback Cycles in Goal-Oriented Systems	p. 474
Morphogenesis, Morphostasis, and Entropy	p. 476
From Unorganized to Organized Complexity: Niklas Luhmann's Perspective on the Self-Creation of Social Systems	p. 477
Self-Organization and Boundary Formation	p. 478
Social Systems Versus Psychic Systems	p. 479
Managing Complexity	p. 482
Interaction Versus Organization Versus Society as Systems	p. 484
Summary	p. 487
The Sociobiological Perspective: Biological Versus Cultural Influences on Human Behavior	p. 491
The Historical Background of Social Darwinism	p. 492
Exploring the Biological and Genetic Foundations of Social Behavior	p. 495
Sex Roles and Reproductive Behavior	p. 498
Parenting Behavior	p. 502
Altruism and Cooperation Within Groups	p. 506
Competition and Conflict	p. 508
Status Competition and Dominance Hierarchies Within Groups	p. 509
War and Peace in Intergroup Relations	p. 511
Religion and Sociobiological Evolution	p. 512
Sociobiology and Cultural Evolution	p. 515
Summary	p. 516
The Dynamics of Cultural Systems	p. 519
Cultural Learning and Human Survival	p. 520
Cultural Morphogenesis: Consistencies and Contradictions in Knowledge and Beliefs in Margaret Archer's Perspective	p. 521
Civilized Behavior, Centralization of Power, and Functional Interdependence in Norbert Elias's Theory	p. 526
Self-Control and Civilized Manners	p. 527
Political Centralization and Expansion of Functional Interdependence	p. 529
The Struggle Between Good and Evil: Jeffrey Alexander's Cultural Sociology	p. 535
Summary	p. 539
Postmodern Social and Cultural Fragmentation	p. 543
Postmodernity or Late Modernity?	p. 544
Skepticism Regarding Knowledge and Authority	p. 548
Globalization and its Impact on Nation-States and Local Settings	p. 550
Mass Media and the Representation Versus the Simulation of Reality	p. 553
Popular Culture and Experiments in Identity Construction	p. 556
Enchanted Consumption as a Source of Identity and Status	p. 558
Sociology of the Body: Body Shaping and Decorating as Expressive Reactions to Individual Anonymity	p. 560
Summary	p. 563
Conclusion	p. 567
Preliminary Stage Setting	p. 567
From Micro to Meso to Macro Levels	p. 569
Toward Theoretical Integration: Strategies and Challenges	p. 578
Glossary	p. 585
References	p. 601
Index	p. 615
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Contemporary Sociological Theory

An Integrated Multi-Level Approach

At a Glance

Hardcover

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

Other Editions and Formats

Paperback

More in Sociology & Anthropology

A Brief History of the End of the F*cking World

The hilarious and fascinating new book from the international bestselling author of HUMANS

We Have Never Been Woke

The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite

Death by Comfort

How modern life is killing us and what we can do about it

The Modern Guide To Sex

Learn everything you've ever wanted to know about sex in this expert practical and inclusive guide for readers of Emily Na

Staring at the Sun

Overcoming the Dread of Death

Decolonizing Methodologies

3rd Edition - Research and Indigenous Peoples

Thematic Analysis

A Practical Guide to Understanding and Doing

Nexus

A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI

Snake Talk

How the world's ancient serpent stories can guide us

Great Australian Volunteer Surf Life Saving Stories

Great Australian Stories

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

How to Free Yourself and your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter

The Knowledge Gene

The incredible story of the supergene that gives us human creativity

Bush Food

Aboriginal Food & Herbal Medicine

Factfulness

Ten Reasons We're Wrong About The World - And Why Things Are Better Than You Think

Great Australian Outback Trucking Stories

Great Australian Stories

Homo Deus

A Brief History of Tomorrow

The ADHD Effect on Marriage: Understand and Rebuild Your Relationship in Six Steps

The Fourth Turning

An American Prophecy: What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America's Next Rendezvous with Destiny

Consent Laid Bare

Sex, Entitlement & the Distortion of Desire

Sand Talk

How Indigenous thinking can save the world

Women Who Run With The Wolves

Contacting the Power of the Wild Woman

The Anthropocene Reviewed

The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller

Polysecure

Attachment, Trauma and Consensual Non-monogamy

21 Lessons for the 21st Century

'Truly mind-expanding... Ultra-topical' Guardian

This product is categorised by