SOCIOLOGY

“Sociology” has been defined in

number of ways by various
sociologists.
Sociology is the “Scientific study
of society” (Lee-M.A)
Sociology is the “Scientific study
of human behaviour” (Thio Alea)

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Sociology is the “Study of

Societies” (Sumner Graham)
Sociology is the “Study of
Relationships” (Simmel)
Sociology is the scientific study
of “Social Life” (Nomkof Ogbarn)
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According to some other

definitions Sociology is a
“science of”

•Social Phenomenon (Gidding Henery)

•Institutions (Durkheim)
•Social Action (Weber)
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•Social process (small)

•Collective behavior (Park)
•Social Organization and Social
Change (Kovalevsky)

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The review and analysis of the

above definitions reveal that
the core of sociology is the
“human behaviour” or
“interaction”.

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•It is the interactional behavior
that lies at the roots of
development of relationships
among people.
•It is the relationship that is the
back-bone of formation of groups
and societies that constitute the
subject matter of Sociology.
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So Sociology is what the human

behaviour is.

“Interactional behavior builds

the relationship that form
groups and societies”

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It is important to understand
the following terms:

• Human Behaviour
• Interaction
• Human Relationships
• Group
• Society
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Human Behaviour:
•It is any activity of man resulting
from any internal or external
stimuli to satisfy his needs.

•To satisfy his social needs,

individual’s behaviour is that he
interacts with others.
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•Man’s this “Interactional

behaviour” is the central core
of “Sociology”
•The interaction takes place
among the individuals the
“unit” of study of sociology is
the “Interacting Individuals”.
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Interaction:
•Interaction means to act on
one another.

•In men, it is an action of

communication and meeting
with each other.
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•Interaction is a social process
between two or more persons
which “influences the state of
mind of individuals”.

•It is always reciprocal in nature

and is also called a stimulus
response condition among the
individuals.
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All means of communications

are the ways of interaction with
others e.g.
Direct face-to-face talk
communication on telephone or
even through letter writing etc.

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Human Relationships:
•Human Relationships are the
“connection ties” between the
individuals developed as a
result of interaction.
•Man is a social animal who
cannot live alone.
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•He seeks company of others from
the early days to the last day of his
life.
•For this craving necessity,
individuals interact each other.
•This is observed that whenever
individuals interacts, they develop
some sort of relationships with one
another.
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Group:
•When two or more people interact,
they form group.

•Group can be small, large,

temporary, stable, of common or
varieties of interests e.g. family,
class mates, friends etc. are the
groups.
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Society:
•Society is a large group of people
living together with some
permanence in their relationship
owing to the commonness in their
interest, history and purposes.”

•The group satisfies the needs of

its members.
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• In development of relationship,
people act one way or the other in
different social situations.
• Primary concern of a sociologist is
to study

1. “how” and “why” people act

differently in the same situation.
2.“How” and “why” they act similarly
in the different situation.
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PATTERNS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

This curiosity has brought two

assumptions about the human
behaviour

•Human behaviour follows the

pattern of “natural phenomenon”.

•Human behaviour is patterned

according to his group living.
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PATTERNS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
“Human behaviour follows the pattern of
“natural phenomenon”.

Example:
•Getting up with the sunrise
•Taking breakfast
•Doing the routine works to earn living
during the day
•Go for rest as the sunsets, are some
predictable human behaviours in
various natural situations.
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PATTERNS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
“Human behaviour is patterned
according to his group living”

•Individual is the same but his

behaviour differs with different
situations.
•The same person acts differently at
home, in school, at job, at birthday-
party and death occasions, according
to the demand of the situation.
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