One of the advantages of human ecology
In sociology, theoretical perspectives are significant in explaining social phenomena and designing research. It entails creating testable proportions of society to explain different aspects of social interactions. Depending on the context, theories are formulated to challenge existing knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research processes. By integrating a theoretical framework in research, researchers focus on understanding the social relations that govern diverse communities. Kirst-Ashman (2013) asserts that communities and organizations promote a positive change, which is essential in social work practice. By examining the conceptual framework, research inquiry contributes to the advancement of social life knowledge. Recognizing these aspects, integrating theories in research is necessary for building and supporting experimental learning. Given the contributions of approaches to research, the theoretical perspectives to analyze are human ecology, socio-psychological, structural, and functionalist theories. To gain a deeper understanding of sociology, researchers must integrate arguments and empirical evidence as a necessary element of research design.
The theory of human ecology focuses on human interactions with the environment. It entails the integration of multiple disciplines to understand the relationship between natural settings and social systems. The human ecology perspectives explain various aspects of the environment by looking at human development, ecology, and general system theory. The origin of the human ecology theory can be traced to the ecological ideas of Plato and Aristotle which focused on processes of growth and development and Haeckel classical works of the relationship between environment and organismal heredity (Bubolz & Sontag, n.d.). Considering Bronfenbrenner ecological model, ecological principles are essential in understanding human social organization. Within the social systems, the family remains the most proximal environment for human development. Given its significance in social science disciplines, social workers and health professions are integrating these concepts to understand personal relations, attitudes, values and family life. Unlike behavioural theories, which are associated with the human mind, human ecology offers a range of tools for understanding the complicated relationship between human social systems and the environment. Although social work researchers employ the fundamental theories to shape the policies for solving long-term problems in communities, human ecology remains a significant approach within the environmental context.
Strength and Weakness
One of the advantages of human ecology is that it provides a theoretical and research framework to understand the influence environment in human development. This holistic approach integrates multiple influences to understand child development. Secondly, it acts as a guide in studying human social behaviour since its principles create a support system for nurturing optimal development. As ecologist attempted to develop a testable framework for examining the influence of the environment on human behavior, the perspective offers norms and rules necessary for shaping psychosocial development within communities and the wider society. Lastly, the theory integrates multiple influences in creating an operational framework for building a developmental account of human interactions.
Although human ecology theory is universally applicable and accounts for the complexity of development, it is difficult to apply in real practice because it fails to account for the complexity of human development. Moreover, it is challenging to classify the hierarchical importance of the collected data in a real-world situation. With the multifaceted environmental system, it is difficult to consider all factors of system thinking in practice. Thus, it is difficult to achieve balance and hierarchy within the ecological systems.
Socio-psychological
The socio-psychological examines the broad aspects of individual interactions with society. This theory focuses on the descriptive approach in examining the influence of interpersonal relationships on human behavior. According to Schneewind (2015), combining individual characteristics with the environment produces specific socialization outcomes. It attempts to explain the interdependence of individuals and society in shaping personality. The socio-psychological theory emphasizes on particular approaches that influence social and cognitive development. It aids in identifying the factors that influence behavior change in the social world. The method draws a wide range of fundamental aspects of the environment that affect and control human behavior. Within the field of sports, a social-psychological approach identifies the role of the social climate in predicting behavior, which is vital in understanding social behavior.
Strength and Weaknesses
An outstanding strength of social psychology theory is the use of experimental methods to manipulate variables to determine their effect on another variable. It provides precise predictions for scientific tests in understanding and guiding research. To investigate psychological phenomena, the scientific methodology provides a standardized way of gathering data, making observations analyzing, and interpreting results. Through numerous experiments, the researchers utilize the collected evidence from experimental observations to describe and measure behavior. Given the importance of the socio-psychological approach in research, practical applications provide high ecological validity since the testing environment is significant in determining human behavior. The theory emphasizes the objective measurement within an allowable range of error to link between research and human behavior. Besides, the approach is widely used in solving real-world problems in the field of social sciences to understand human interactions. Like other sociological approaches, the social psychology theory remains significant in real-world applications.
One weakness of the theory is reductionism. The framework fails to acknowledge the role of individual differences in society. This affects the scientific assumption because human behavior results from basic social processes. While many psychological experiments provide a better understanding of human behavior, making practical research ecologically valid causes controversial, inhumane, and unethical issues. With the socially sensitive nature of social work research, the theory fails to provide appropriate rules and guidelines for performing ethical and humane research studies. Also, the approach underestimates the influence of individual differences in laboratory-based studies. The field experiments from this approach are often unrepresentative of the broader population. This creates bias and invalidates the research outcomes. Therefore, it becomes difficult to generalize research findings to the broader society.
Structural Functionalism Theory
The structural-functionalism theory is one of the sociological frameworks which emphasizes the relationships between the various social institutions that make up society. It states that society is a complex system with interrelated parts that work together to keep it functioning (Lucas, 2007). Although these social institutions are designed to meet the biological and social needs of individuals, any social, environmental change affects the entire system. The origin of structural functionalism theory can be traced to the classical work of Talcott Parsons, which addresses the process of maintaining the social order (Schneewind, 2015). To prevent the disintegration of the systems, stable social structures such as family, community, and religious organizations can maintain social order. With shared values and definitive culture, it is possible to achieve social order. In a healthy society, social control and socialization are necessary to minimize conflict and maintain a dynamic equilibrium.
The first strength of the structural-functionalism theory is it utilizes an organic analogy to describe the different parts within society. The organic analogy emphasizes that social institutions toward the proper functioning of society. This contributes to the maintenance of social order. An example of the social institution that maintains social order is the family which is made up of mother, father, and child. Within society, these institutions have shared values and norms for socialization and social control. Wenzel (2001) asserts that the disruption of social systems affects the social order. The other strength of structural-functionalism theory is contributing to the maintenance of order and stability in society. From this perspective, the proper organization of social institutions is necessary for achieving balance. To overcome social changes, the organization adopts defined goals that integrate individuals into the social network to promote social order. As a micro-approach to society, social institutions such as family and education systems must function as a whole. Thus, the different parts of social institutions work together to maintain a dynamic equilibrium.
However, the structural-functional theory fails to address the impact of social change f the social systems in society. Although all aspects of society are integrated to maintain social order, the disorganization of the system affects stability. Due to the functional and dysfunctional issues of society, the theory fails to recognize the power differences of social institutions. Despite the significant contributions to the community, the method was unable to propose an effective way of dealing with individual differences.
Similarities and Differences Among the Perspectives. Theoretical perspectives are significant in explaining human interactions with the environment. As an essential framework of social sciences, they often describe social phenomena that describe and explain human behavior. These perspectives offer a theoretical paradigm for predicting human behavior in particular contexts. While human ecology and socio-psychological theory focus on individual interactions with the environment, structural functionalism theory emphasizes the role of social systems in maintaining a state of balance. For structural functionalism, social structures must function together to promote solidarity and stability. To understand society, theoretical frameworks are necessary in explaining and predicting the social world.
Reflection. Given the significant role of sociological theories in research, structural functionalism theory emphasizes the importance of social structures in shaping society. As social institutions work together to meet individual needs, exploring the interrelationship in the community remains significant. While other theories reflect social behavior, the functionalist theory gives a detailed description of society which are relevant in explaining modern societies. Although the approach tends to be limited to the social systems analytical scope, I find the concepts to be consistent and useful for the systemic analysis of evidence-based practices in modern society. Unlike other theoretical approaches, it provides valuable data to support the social order and understand inequality in society.