Lecture on the History of Sociology

Introduction

• History and development of colleges of sociology
• Prominent thinkers in sociology and their contributions
• Development of sociology in the last two years

History of Sociology

• Divided into three parts
  • Early Years
  • Adolescence
  • Maturity

Early Years

• Contribution of William McDougall

  • 1908 concept of social behavior
  • Basis of social behavior: natural instincts
  • Criticism: Lack of experimental evidence

• Contribution of Muzafer Sherif

  • Impact of social norms
  • Conformity and peer pressure

Adolescence

• Re-emergence of sociology post-World War II
• Festinger's Cognitive Dissonance Theory in 1957
  • Human dislike of inconsistency
  • Inconsistency in behavior and attitude

Maturity

• Between 1970 to 1993
• Major research areas
  • Social motivation
  • Gender discrimination
  • Environmental impact

Conclusion

• Development of sociology: recognized and widespread
• Increasing impact of social science applications in the 1990s
• Practical uses of sociology: aiding in solving real-life problems

Key Points

• Growing influence of the cognitive perspective
• Various chapters of sociology and their contributions

References

• Contributions of William McDougall and Muzafer Sherif
• Festinger's Cognitive Dissonance Theory
• Practical applications of social science