4.2 Theoretical Perspectives on Society

By the end of this section, you should be able to:

  • Describe Durkheim’s functionalist view of society
  • Summarize the conflict theorist view of society
  • Explain Marx’s concepts of class and alienation
  • Identify how symbolic interactionists understand society
A photo of Warren Buffett.
Figure 4.5 Warren Buffett’s ideas about taxation and spending habits of the very wealthy are controversial, particularly since they raise questions about America’s embedded system of class structure and social power. The three major sociological paradigms differ in their perspectives on these issues. (Credit: Medill DC/flickr)

While many sociologists have contributed to research on society and social interaction, three thinkers form the base of modern-day perspectives. Émile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber developed different theoretical approaches to help us understand the way societies function.

This lesson has no exercises.

The content of this course has been taken from the free Sociology textbook by Openstax