Animesh Pradhan: OPTIONAL answer copy

1. (a) Sociological approach deals with systematic study of social structures, processes & institutions but psychological approach focuses on individual agency - emotions & feelings. Both disciplines & approaches differ in following ways -

(i) Scope of study - Sociology deals with study of wider society & institutions like family, religion, politics but psychology deals with individual behaviour.

(ii) Methodologies - Psychology heavily focuses on scientific experiments & lab work (Ex sigmund Freud's works) but sociology cannot replicate social phenomena in lab [Payne & Payne - ethical issues & limitations by ecological validity]

(iii) Agents - sociology stresses on the 'macro aspects' and as [Durkheim] considers 'social facts' as subject matter, they individuals act upon existing structures & norms but psychology has focus on individual agency.

(iv) Major concepts - Psychology deals with behaviour & emotions to understand the lived phenomena (importance of individual) but sociology emphasises on social structures

But convergence can be seen by rise of 'social psychology' in American sociology, ex with rise of works of [Mead] in 'Mind, Self, Society' - social psychology

(2) [Phenomenology] - ex [Luckman] study of "Invisible Religion" - role of individual agency

(3) [Symbolic Interactionist] - Weberian approach + [Blumer's] study to understand meanings. Hence, psychology & sociology although different, witness convergence with changing schools of thought.

(b) Interviews have been utilised both as a quantitative & qualitative method of data collection that enriches the research methodology of sociology.

But, although simplistic, it can be deceptive -

(i) value bias - [Aldrine & Levidge] notes that value bias creeps in ordering of questions, operationalising & codification of questions.

(ii) Howard Beckere notes that body language and levels of affirmation/agressiveness leads to changes in responses.

(iii) Payne & Payne notes that telephonic interviews have least utility as responders can claim false views & interest levels low.

(iv) Hammersely & Gomm notes about 'discursive psychology' where respondents tend to answer in a way that researcher wants to hear.

(v) William Labov notes that the ethnicity of researcher affected the answers of Black children in school.

(vi) Researcher imposition - Wilkinson notes that researcher's bias & prejudizes gets ingrained. Hence, various other techniques must be adopted in 'pursuit of triangulation' to reduce the deceptiveness in interviews.

(c) Theory refers to the logical arrangements of various facts and an attempt to establish meaningful relationship between them.

Role of theory in guiding social research ->

(1) Macro & micro prospects - Generalised theory helps to undergo micro level study to refine understandings, ex 'Grand theories' of Durkheim of Division of labour helps in understanding labour strikes in Manesar Plant of Mahindra.

(2) Falsification - Karl Popper's deductive methodology focuses on sociologist's attempts to falsify generalised theories to enrich the discipline.

(3) Helps in hypotheses building - Theories about patriarchy guides study of its role in family (David Cooper), in economic sphere (Naila Kabeer) etc.

(4) Understand causal effect relationship - Ex helped weber in understanding role of Protestant ethics in rise of capitalism.

(5) Helps in contemporary studies - Ex contemporary studies of 'caste' (Ex Surinder Jodhka's caste-ecology interaction, Leela Gulati's caste-feminism approach) is based on 'theories of purity-pollution'.

But theories can be misleading as well, ex (1) Giddens note that 'theories about marriage & divorce' perpetuates that marriage is risky (2) Various theories lack verifiability & testability (3) can have value bias based on methodology (ex Robert Redfield & Oscar Lewis differing views on Tepoztlan village). Hence as Horton & Hunt notes, theory building forms the scientific temperance in sociological study.