The social world model presented in each chapter illustrates the interplay of micro-, meso-, and macro-level forces related to that chapter’s sociological content. Figure 1.3 shows how this micro-to-macro model should be seen as a continuum.
▼ Figure 1.3 The Micro-to-Macro Continuum
The Social World Model and This Book
The social world engulfs each of us from the moment of our birth until we die. Throughout our lives, each of us is part of a set of social relationships that provides guidelines for how we interact with others and how we see ourselves. This does not mean that human behavior is strictly determined by our links to the social world. Humans are more than mere puppets whose behavior is programmed by social structure. It does mean, however, that the individual and the larger social world influence each other. We are influenced by, and we have influence on, our social environment. The social world is a human creation, and we can and do change that which we create. It influences our behaviors, and we influence our social world. In this sense, social units are constantly emerging and changing in the course of human action and interaction.
The difficulty for most of us is that we are so caught up in our daily concerns that we fail to see and understand the social forces at work in our personal lives. What we need are conceptual and methodological tools to help us gain a more complete and accurate perspective on the social world. The ideas, theories, methods, and levels of analysis employed by sociologists are the very tools that will help give us that perspective. To use an analogy, each different lens of a camera gives the photographer a unique view of the world. Wide-angle lenses, close-up lenses, telephoto lenses, and special filters each serve a purpose in creating a distinctive picture or frame of the world. No one lens provides the complete picture. Yet the combination of images produced by various lenses allows us to examine in detail aspects of the world we might ordinarily overlook. That is what the sociological perspective gives us: a unique set of lenses to see the social world around us with deeper understanding. In seeing the social world from a sociological perspective, we are better able to understand who we are as social beings.
Throughout this book, we use the social world model as the framework for understanding the social units, processes, and surrounding environment. We look at each social unit and process. We take the unit out, examine it, and then return it to its place in the interconnected social world model so that you can comprehend the whole social world and its parts, like putting a puzzle together. Look for the model at the beginning of every chapter. We also explain the micro-, meso-, and macro-level dimensions of issues throughout the text. Test your understanding of these concepts by identifying the levels of analysis in the following Engaging Sociology.
Engaging Sociology
Micro-Meso-Macro: An Application Exercise
Imagine there has been a major economic downturn (recession) in your local community. Identify three possible events at each level (micro, meso, and macro) that might contribute to the economic troubles in your town.
The micro (local community) level:
1 _________________________________________________
2 ________________________________________________
3 ________________________________________________
The meso (intermediate—state, organizational, or ethnic subculture) level:
1 ________________________________________________
2 ________________________________________________
3 ________________________________________________
The macro (national/global) level:
1 ________________________________________________
2 ________________________________________________
3 ________________________________________________
Our next chapter asks the following: When we say we know something about society, how is it that we know? What is considered evidence in sociology, and what lens (theory) do we use to interpret the data? We now turn to how we gather data to help us develop hypotheses, test theories, and understand the social world.
What Have We Learned?
How can sociology help you see new aspects of your life and change society? Throughout this book you will find ideas and examples that will help answer these questions. You will learn how to view the social world through a sociological lens and use the sociological imagination. Understanding how the social world works from the micro through the meso to the macro level helps us interact more effectively in it. Using the sociological imagination enables us to see how individual troubles can be rooted in social issues and are best addressed with an understanding of the meso and macro level. This knowledge enables us to be better family members, workers, citizens, and members of the global community.
We live in a complex social world with many layers of interaction. If we really want to understand our own lives, we need to comprehend the levels of analysis that affect our lives and the connections between those levels. To do so wisely, we need both objective lenses for viewing this complex social world and accurate, valid information (facts) about the society. As the science of society, sociology can provide both tested empirical data and a broad, analytical perspective, as you will learn in the next chapter. Here is a summary of points from Chapter 1.
Key Points
Humans are, at our very core, social animals—more akin to pack or herd animals than to individualistic cats.
Sociology is based on scientific findings, making it more predictable and reliable than opinions or commonsense beliefs in a particular culture.
A core idea in sociology is the sociological imagination. It requires that we see how our individual lives and personal troubles are shaped by historical and structural events that go beyond our everyday lives. It also prods us to see how we can influence our society.
Sociology is a social science and, therefore, uses the tools of the sciences to establish credible evidence to understand our social world. As a science, sociology is scientific and objective rather than value laden.
Sociology has practical applications, including those that are essential for the job market.
Sociology focuses on social units or groups, on social structures such as institutions, on social processes that give a social unit its dynamic character, and on their social environments.
The social world model is the organizing theme of this book. Using the sociological imagination, we can understand our social world best by clarifying the interconnections among micro, meso, and macro levels of the social world. Each chapter of this book focuses on one major topic in sociology using society at these three levels of analysis.
Discussion Questions
1 Think of a problem that impacts you personally (e.g., the high cost of tuition, unemployment, or divorce) and explain how you would make sense of it differently if you viewed it as (a) only a personal problem or (b) influenced by a public issue. How do possible solutions to the problem differ depending on