5Thinking Like a Sociologist
Everything I have described and discussed in this education section will prepare you to think like a sociologist. A sociologist's role is to study and understand social institutions, cultures, groups, organizations, and the way people interact across all these groups and institutions. Essentially, the role of a sociologist is to research, examine the way society is constructed around power structures, groups, and individuals, and examine the way multiple aspects of society behave and function. Following are different ways acting and thinking like a sociologist will help you become a better educator of self and environment—the big picture of different behaviors and the small picture of your role in society. I hope that this will help you develop the habit of seeing beyond the obvious.
Develop a Habit of Understanding Why Things Are the Way They Are
When sociologists observe something, they look beyond how people appear and act to understand why people behave the way they do by consistently looking for patterns. The late American-Austrian sociologist Peter Berger once said that, “even if one is interested only in one's own society, which is one's prerogative, one can understand that society much better by comparing it with others.” Sociologists constantly search for context because they want to understand the evolution of things as well as the deeper meaning behind any person, problem, or situation. They don't accept the “it's just the way it is” ...