PARADIGM SOSIOLOGIS
Like scientists in all disciplines, sociologists develop theories based on
paradigms, broad assumptions about how the world works. This paradigm guides
the way social scientists develop theories, conduct research, and evaluate
evidence. An important work in understanding paradigms is Thomas Kuhn's book
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1970).
Kuhn was able to show that scientific assumptions are made from different
times. Paradigms include assumptions about how different parts of the world are
connected, they guide responses to perceived situations and solutions to each
problem identified. An example from the field of medicine illustrates this concept
(Weiss and Lonnquist 1994, 19-40). Early theories about the causes of disease
were based on supernatural things. The ancients believed illness was caused by
gods or witchcraft. Based on this theory, their treatment often involves rituals
designed to remove evil spirits from the body such as bloodshed (draining blood
from the body) or a procedure called trephination in which a hole is made in the
skull using a sharp stone.
Hippocrates (460-377 BC) popularized the theoretical paradigm that
disease is a natural process. He developed the humoral theory of disease which
explains disease as an imbalance of four humors (hot, cold, dry, and wet) in the
body. Based on his theory, treatments are designed to rebalance this humor for
example by cooling a person with a heat-related illness. This premise remained
the dominant theory for centuries.
The germ theory of disease that guides the current medical paradigm was
not developed until the French chemist Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) turned his
attention to human disease in the late 1800s. After his research, treatments began
to focus on fighting bacteria. Sometimes all of these treatments work, regardless
of whether the evil spirits are actually released, the humor is rebalanced, the
germs are killed, or some other mechanism is the true cause of recovery. The
results, however, tend to be interpreted according to the paradigm prevailing at
the time. At this time, when a person is healed from illness, then we are no longer
saying that the evil spirit has left the person's body, because we practically no
longer believe that the evil spirit really exists. However, it must be admitted
openly, there is still a group of people who believe that exorcism (in the Christian
tradition) or rukyah (in the Islamic tradition) is really beneficial in providing
healing for people who are considered sick.
In sociology, theoretical paradigms differ in how much society or what
aspect of society they focus on at one time. In other words, the paradigm differs
about how "big" their view of society is. The macro perspective is the "big"
perspective that looks at social processes throughout society. Social theorists who
take a macro perspective examine the interconnectedness of large-scale social
structures and their interconnectedness. For example, the economy, government,
and the healthcare system. They see how these aspects of society fit together and
any problems or pressures in this mutual relationship. They are also interested in
why and how society changes as a result of these relationships.
In contrast, the micro perspective focuses on individual interaction
patterns. Social theorists who take a micro perspective focus on the everyday
interactions we have at the individual level. They are interested in why and how
individuals relate to each other, how our everyday interactions with each other
are shaped by the larger society, and how these everyday interactions can, in turn,
shape the larger society.
