L. Smith, Harding University
Frank S. Stanford, Blinn College
Tracy Steele, Wright State University
Rachel Stehle, Cuyahoga Community College
Amy Stone, Trinity University
John Stone, Boston University
Hephzibah V. Strmic-Pawl, Coastal Carolina University
Stephen Sweet, Ithaca College
Debra K. Taylor, Johnson County Community College
Ruth Thompson-Miller, Texas A & M University
Tim Ulrich, Seattle Pacific University
Natasha Vannoy, Logan University
Thomas L. Van Valey, Western Michigan University
Connie Veldink, Everett Community College
Dennis Veleber, Montana State University Northern
Kristie Vise, Northern Kentucky University
Chaim I. Waxman, Rutgers University
Lisa Munson Weinberg, Florida State University
Debra Welkley, California State University at Sacramento
Matthew West, Bevill State Community College
Debra Wetcher-Hendricks, Moravian College
Deborah J. White, Collin County Community College
Jake B. Wilson, University of California, Riverside
Laurie Winder, Western Washington University
Robert Wonser, College of the Canyons
Luis Zanartu, Sacramento City College
John Zipp, University of Akron
Part I Understanding Our Social World: The Scientific Study of Society
© Getty Images/LauraE
Can an individual make a difference in the world or in a community? How does your family influence your chances of gaining a college degree and a high-paying job? If you were born into a poor family, what are your chances of becoming wealthy? How does your level of education impact your likelihood of marrying—and staying married? Why are Generation Zers less likely to have sex than Generation Xers? How can sociology help you understand and be an effective member of society?
Those are some of the questions you will be able to answer as you develop a deeper understanding of our social world. Sociology is valuable because it gives us new perspectives on our personal and professional lives and because sociological insights and skills can help all of us make the world a better place. Sociology can change your life—and help you change the world.
By the time you finish reading the first two chapters, you should have an initial understanding of what sociology is, what you can gain from studying sociology, the roots of the sociological perspective, and how sociologists carry out research. We invite you to view our social world through a sociological lens and learn how you can use sociology to make a difference in your life, your community, and the world.
Chapter 1 Sociology A Unique Way to View the World
▲ Sociology involves a transformation in the way one sees the world—learning to recognize the complex connections among our intimate personal lives, large organizations, and national and global systems.
© Alexander Spatari/Moment/Getty Images
This model illustrates a core idea carried throughout the book—how your own life is shaped by your family, community, society, and world, and how you influence them in return. Understanding this model can help you to better understand your social world and to make a positive impact on it.
What Will You Learn in This Chapter?
This chapter will help you to do the following:
1.1 Explain the sociological perspective
1.2 Describe why sociology can be useful for us
1.3 Show how the social world model works, with examples
The womb is apparently the setting for some great body work. It may win the prize for the strangest place to get a back massage, but, according to a scientific article, by the 4th month of gestation, twin fetuses begin reaching for their “womb-mates,” and by 18 weeks, they spend more time touching their siblings than themselves or the walls of the uterus (Weaver 2010). Fetuses that have single-womb occupancy tend to touch the walls of the uterus a good deal to make contact with the mother. Nearly 30% of the movement of twins is directed toward their companions. Movements such as stroking the back or the head are more sustained and more precise than movements toward themselves—touching their own mouths or other facial features. As one team of scholars put it, we are “wired to be social” (Castiello et al. 2010). In short, humans are innately social creatures.
▲ Within hours of their birth in October 2010, Jackson and Audrey became highly fussy if the nurses tried to put them in separate bassinets. Shortly after birth they were both put in a warmer, and Jackson cried until he found Audrey, proceeding to intertwine his arms and legs with hers. Twins, like all humans, are hard-wired to be social and in relationships with others.
© Keith Roberts
The social world is not merely something that exists outside us. As the story of the twins illustrates, the social world is also something we carry inside. We are part of it, we reflect on it, and we are influenced by it, even when we are alone. The patterns of the social world engulf us in ways both subtle and obvious, with profound implications for how we create order and meaning in our lives. We need others—and that is where sociology enters.
Sometimes it takes a
