Blahism: Sociological Perspectives and Theories

A sociologist might view the uneven representation in the military as a means to maintain Americans’ perception of our heroes. The majority of people in the military come from under privileged families and neighborhoods; and they are looking for an escape. These are the people normally shunned by mainstream society, yet are dying everyday for our country. A sociologist may say that society shaped Americans’ decisions to join the military by glamorizing the service. Many are drawn to the stability that the military promises; with good pay, education, and health benefits. The military has good job security, and can be a lifetime career. For many people the good outweighs the bad. You may get shot in Iraq or Afghanistan, but you may get shot on the street at home, too. So you might as well get as many benefits out of the situation as possible.

From a symbolic-interaction approach, a sociologist might explain suicide rates by looking at how people interact with each other. The amount of people in a state, and the constantly changing dynamics of social interaction may determine a pattern in the action of people committing suicide. A structural-functional approach may lead a sociologist to explore the idea that suicide rates depend mostly on society’s ongoing perception of what is right and wrong. In largely populated cities there is a wider range of belief systems. In smaller populations there is a narrower range of beliefs; so it is easier for an individual who is different from the main crowd to feel like they have done something wrong or unforgivable. From a social-conflict approach a sociologist may determine that high or low suicide rates are a result of inequality in society. A sociologist may view high suicide rates in less populated states as a conflict that can be used as an opportunity to change society.

In my opinion, the structural-function approach best explains the data. It is easy for me to understand that people in large populations are more accepting of other peoples’ differences. People in small populations tend to do a lot of “group-thinking” and are more accepting of people who are like the group.