Origins of Sociological Theory

The field of sociology itself-and sociological theory by extension-is relatively new. Both date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The drastic social changes of that period, such as industrialization, urbanization, and the rise of democratic states caused particularly Western thinkers to become aware of society. The oldest sociological theories deal with broad historical processes relating to these changes. Since then, sociological theories have come to encompass most aspects of society, including communities, organizations and relationships. The basic insight of sociology is that human behaviour is largely shaped by the groups to which people belong and by the social interaction that takes place within those groups. The main focus of sociology is the group, not the individual. This compendium offers selections that present special propositions, specific concepts, or examples of substantive theorizing rather than discussions of integrated systems. The present attempt is made to describe the different aspects of sociological theory generally being explained by the social scientists and it is hoped that it will be of great use for all those concerned with sociology.