Sociological Analysis: Levels, Methods, and Perspectives

Levels of Sociological Analysis

There are four different levels of sociological analysis, including the meso level. The micro level focuses on "the social dynamics of intimate, face-to-face interactions" (Little et al., 2013, p. 4), the macro level focuses on "large-scale, society-wide social interactions" (Little et al., 2013, p. 4), and the global level is higher still, examining more universal sociological themes. The same event can be viewed through these different lenses, because many sociological interactions occur at both micro and macro levels, and there are often global elements to such interactions as well.

For instance, the textbook discusses the 2011 Stanley Cup riots in Vancouver. At an individual level, the event can be studied in terms of what drove any particular person to join the riot—in particular, what factors might lead someone who would not normally break the law to participate. A more macro-level analysis might examine what aspects of the culture of Vancouver, or British Columbia more broadly, would contribute to such events, given that a similar riot occurred in 1994. Conversely, one might ask what features of the way Western societies experience sport contribute to antisocial behaviour, pointing to events such as the Rocket Richard riot in Montreal in 1955 or football hooliganism in Europe.

The global perspective would take an even wider view, perhaps examining the riot through the lens of how societies interpret the concepts of law and order—particularly regarding the structuring and breaking of rules governing such concepts. That study would represent the widest possible view and would draw on a broad range of ideas, extending well beyond riots or other singular events.

Durkheim's Sociological Study of Suicide

Émile Durkheim viewed suicide through a sociological lens. He studied suicide rates in order to determine the extent to which there was a social context to suicide. He found that rates of suicide differed among different regions and different religions, and that those rates remained fairly stable over time. From this, he concluded that there was a social dimension to suicide. It is from this observation that he determined suicide was not simply an individual act to be taken in isolation from the surrounding society.

He argued instead that differences in suicide rates could be explained by the degree of social integration found in different religious communities. Groups characterized by higher anomie were more likely to have higher suicide rates. Where there were fewer social norms—particularly norms governing suicide—there was a greater likelihood of suicide occurring. The essential conclusion of his study was that social norms dictate behaviour.

Durkheim did not seek to explain the individual circumstances of any given suicide, but rather approached the phenomenon from a macro level, asking whether differences in suicide rates could be explained by differences in societies. This was the basis of his work on suicide. He had to make certain assumptions about the different religions and communities he examined, and he drew from a relatively small sample of Western cultures. Nevertheless, his studies on suicide illustrated how a sociological approach could be used to understand even the most seemingly personal of actions.

Conclusion

All three perspectives can examine a single piece of evidence about social change in Canadian society to explore its meaning—from symbolic meaning to functional meaning to the relationship between genders, or through other lenses such as race relations. This holds true for any form of social change, because social change and social institutions all carry meaning. Sociology benefits from the use of multiple perspectives to examine a singular phenomenon, learning from the different ways that phenomenon illuminates something about the society in which it occurs. By combining different perspectives, we ultimately learn more about ourselves, and can use that knowledge to compare our society with others around the world, where such phenomena may manifest in quite different ways.

References

Little, W., McGiven, R., Keirns, N., Strayer, E., Griffiths, H., Cody, S., Scaramuzzo, G., & Vyain, S. (2013). Introduction to Sociology (1st Canadian ed.). In possession of the author.