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Sociological theory vs. social theory

Kenneth Allan[1] proposed the distinction between sociological theory and social theory. In Allan's usage, sociological theory consists of abstract and testable propositions about society.[1] It often heavily relies on the scientific method, which aims for objectivity, and attempts to avoid passing value judgments. In contrast, social theory, according to Allan, focuses on commentary and critique of modern society rather than explanation.[1] Social theory is often closer to Continental philosophy; thus, it is less concerned with objectivity and derivation of testable propositions, and more likely to pass normative judgments.[2]

From a sociological theorists point of view, Robert K. Merton, believed that sociological theory deals with social mechanisms. He believed these mechanisms were essential in exemplifying the middle ground between social law and descriptions. Merton believes these social mechanisms are "social processes having designated consequences for designated parts of the social structure" (Merton 1968:43-44).[3]


Prominent sociological theorists include Talcott Parsons, Robert K. Merton, Randall Collins, James Samuel Coleman, Peter Blau, Niklas Luhmann, Marshal McLuhan, Immanuel Wallerstein, George Homans, Harrison White, Theda Skocpol, Gerhard Lenski, Pierre van den Berghe and Jonathan H. Turner.[2] Prominent social theorists include: Jürgen Habermas, Anthony Giddens, Michel Foucault, Dorothy Smith, Roberto Unger, Alfred Schütz, Jeffrey Alexander, and Jacques Derrida.[2] There are also prominent scholars who could be seen as being in-between social and sociological theories, such as Harold Garfinkel, Herbert Blumer, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Pierre Bourdieu and Erving Goffman.[2]


Symbolic interactionism

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Main articles: Symbolic interactionism, Dramaturgy (sociology), Interpretive sociology, and Phenomenological sociology

Symbolic interaction, often associated with interactionism, phenomenological sociology, dramaturgy, and interpretivism, is a sociological tradition that places emphasis on subjective meanings and the empirical unfolding of social processes, generally accessed through analysis.[4] These processes have a common idea that people are necessary to perform these acts and it is necessary for them to do so for society to keep progressing. This phenomena was first theorized by George Herbert Mead who describes it as the outcome of collaborative joint action. The approach focuses on creating a framework for building a theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals. Society is nothing more than the shared reality that people construct as they interact with one another. This approach sees people interacting in countless settings using symbolic communications to accomplish the tasks at hand. Therefore, society is a complex, ever-changing mosaic of subjective meanings.[5] Some critics of this approach argue that it only looks at what is happening in a particular social situation, and disregards the effects that culture, race or gender (i.e. social-historical structures) may have in that situation.[6] Some important sociologists associated with this approach include George Herbert Mead, Erving Goffman, George Homans and Peter Blau. Those are the more historical sociological supporters of the theory, some new contributors to the theory are Howard Becker, Gary Alan Fine, David Altheide, Robert Prus, Peter Hall, David Maines, and a few others.[7] It is also in this tradition that the radical-empirical approach of Ethnomethodology emerges from the work of Harold Garfinkel.

Grounded theory is a systematic methodology in the social sciences involving the generation of theory from data.[8] This theories goal is to discover data and analyze it through comparative analysis, while this theory has a direct goal it can be very flexible in the means to get there by using different techniques to analyze the data set. Grounded theory is a largely qualitative research method that is constantly debated about between supporters of the theory as well as people who oppose the theory.[7]



  1. ^ a b c Kenneth Allan (24 March 2006). Contemporary social and sociological theory: visualizing social worlds. Pine Forge Press. pp. 10–. ISBN 978-1-4129-1362-1. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d Sanderson, SK (2006). "Reforming theoretical work in sociology: A modest proposal". Perspectives (1360-3108), 28(2), p. 1.
  3. ^ Hedstrom, Peter, Richard, Swedberg (1998). Social Mechanisms An Analytical Approach to Social Theory. Stockholm University: Cambridge University Press. p. 6. ISBN 9780521596879.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Macionis, John J. (2012). Sociology 14th Edition. Boston: Pearson. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-205-11671-3
  5. ^ Gerber, John J. Macionis, Linda M. Sociology (7th Canadian ed. ed.). Toronto: Pearson Canada. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-13-700161-3.
  6. ^ John J. Macionis, Linda M. Gerber, Sociology, Seventh Canadian Edition, Pearson Canada
  7. ^ a b Salvini, Andrea. “The Methodological Convergences between Symbolic Interactionism and Constructivist Grounded Theory.” Przeglad Socjologii Jakosciowej, vol. 15, no. 3, Aug. 2019, pp. 10–29. EBSCOhost, doi:10.18778/1733-8069.153.02
  8. ^ Template:"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-05-15. Retrieved 2012-02-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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