SOCIAL THEORY: DEFINITION, CHARACTERISTICS AND EXAMPLES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The social theory is the science which studies the phenomena related to human activity and society. The term typically refers to frameworks or paradigms of analysis that are used to study specific elements of human activity.

Unlike sociology, which is responsible for studying society in general, social theory focuses mainly on why humans move in the world the way they do, and on the elements that have led to them. led to do so: norms, social structures and power relations.

To obtain a more complete knowledge about the motivators of human behavior, social theory draws on the knowledge of several different disciplines, such as anthropology, social psychology, history or sociology.

As an independent discipline, social theory did not emerge until the 20th century. It first appeared out of a desire to gain insight into the different elements of human behavior, and as a consequence of the critical thinking of the time.

Definition of social theory

Social theory seeks to find explanations for different types of actions and behaviors present in modern societies, through a set of knowledge from disciplines such as sociology, philosophy, psychology or anthropology.

One of his main concerns is to understand the differences between different cultures to analyze the modern Western culture that has emerged in recent decades.

Historically, social theory was very Eurocentric, that is, it examined all societies from the Western point of view.

However, in recent times, new branches have emerged in the field of social theory that try to examine the characteristics of societies from different points of view.

Main features

Social theory has evolved throughout history, as the societies it studied and the way of doing it changed.

For this reason, we cannot speak of a set of characteristics applicable to all types of social theory; it is more useful to examine the different currents that have arisen over time.

Social theory in antiquity and the Middle Ages

As early as the first civilized societies, a manifest interest in understanding culture and social facts can be found on the part of some thinkers. This occurs in both ancient Eastern and Western societies.

Understand society

In Europe, philosophers like Plato and Aristotle used politics to try to understand and regulate society. Both were concerned about the influence that the state had on people's lives, and on the relationship between society and the happiness of each individual.

In Asia some thinkers like Confucius and Mozi wrote about society, its ethics and the idea of ​​a just state. However, his social theories were based more on reflection than on evidence.

In the Middle Ages, despite the fact that social and scientific thought did not advance much, some philosophers emerged who reflected on these types of questions. One of them was Saint Augustine, who designed a model of society that he believed would lead to "the city of God."

Social theory in ancient Europe

After the Middle Ages and during the Enlightenment, political and social systems evolved to closely resemble what we have today. However, societies were still predominantly rural until the Industrial Revolution totally changed the way countries were organized.

These fundamental changes in the way of life of most people also brought about new ways of thinking. Many European philosophers of this time spoke about progress, modernity and the best way to make society evolve.

Emergence of scientific thought

Also at this time, scientific thought emerged, so social theory began to take elements of the evidence found in fields such as biology, with Darwin's theory of evolution. Issues such as social order also gained importance.

Paradigms of social theory

At this time, three fundamental paradigms for social theory emerged, which would later be expanded and revised to form current approaches: the theory of social evolutionism, the theory of the social cycle, and Marx's historical materialism.

Topics covered in classical social theory

From the Enlightenment and the Modern Age, when social theory as we know it today arose, thinkers began to worry about specific issues that affected society especially.

Some of the topics most discussed by social theorists of the time were the following:

- Social inequality, its causes and possible solutions.

- The relationship between individual interest and that of society.

- The division of labor.

- The end of slavery.

- The importance of religion in society.

- More specific issues, such as suicide.

Postmodern and current social theory

With the arrival of globalization, the relocation of work and the mass media, society has changed a lot since the times of the Industrial Revolution. For this reason, current social theory is concerned with new issues that until now had not been relevant.

Some of the most striking are free will, individual choice, "false needs," individual happiness, empowerment, and equality between classes, sexes, and races.

Examples of questions posed by social theory

Today, social theory is concerned with issues related to the contemporary world and how they affect people, both collectively and individually. Some of the questions that are posed are the following:

- The development of societies, which has caused such great differences in terms of the wealth of their citizens, has it really been progress?

- What should be the relationship between individual freedom and government intervention in the lives of citizens?

- The market, should it be regulated or totally free?

- What is the best way to overcome social inequalities?

- How can social progress be combined with sustainable development?

These questions try to be answered from fields as diverse as psychology, economics, and history.

References

1. "Social Theory" in: Oxford Bibliographies. Retrieved on: February 28, 2018 from Oxford Bibliographies: oxfordbibliographies.com.
2. "What is Social Theory?" in: Social Theory Applied. Retrieved on: February 28, 2018 from Social Theory Applied: socialtheoryapplied.com.
3. "Social Theory" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: February 28, 2018 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.
4. "Social Theory" in: New World Encyclopedia. Retrieved on: February 28, 2018 from New World Encyclopedia: newworldencyclopedia.org.
5. "Social theory" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: February 28, 2018 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org.