Category: Free Essays

Outline and Critically Discuss Marx’s concept of Alienation Perhaps one of the pinnacle arguments in Karl Marx’s critique of the capitalist regime is the theory of alienation. Marx built this definition upon the philosophical concept of the German philosopher Friedrich Hegel; and Marx’s was taken further again and reaffirmed in the work of Feuerbach. In…

It was the belief of Karl Marx that social class plays an integral role in society. It was his theory that social class is important to understanding capitalism and other social systems. He asserted that the history of all hitherto existing in society is the history of class struggles (Marx 1848). Marx theorised social classes…

The term social mobility refers to the movement of individuals or sometimes the whole groups between different positions “within the system of social stratification in any society” (Scott & Marshall, 1994, pp.477). The level of social mobility in society is seen by many as a measure to establish whether a society or country is a…

Central to the studies of gender are the terms sex and gender, but when looking more directly at these ideas, the terms gender order and gendered become prominent. In this essay I will attempt to identify and explain these key terms, but it must be considered that these terms are in essence socially constructed and…

In 1957, Gresham Sykes and David Matza developed a theory that explained delinquent behavior through techniques of neutralization. Sykes and Matza developed five different techniques to help them explain their theory. This literature review provides background information on the Techniques of Neutralization and looks at each one specifically. Over time, several studies have been done…

The Oxford English Dictionary defines Taboo as being a social or religious custom placing a ban or restriction on a particular thing or topic. The Adjective added to that definition was banned or restricted by social custom ( Oxford University Press – 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006). For many people, death is a taboo subject in…

“Superior” is a relative term. Humans are capable of doing advanced things, which set us apart from other species on earth, such as using tools. We have the physical advantage of using our hands, which due to our opposable thumb makes it much easier for humans to use tools compared to a bird, or a…

Sociologists study human society. Their subject matter includes human behaviour in various social contexts, social interaction, social institutions and organisation, social change and development (Haralmbos, Van Krieken, Smith & Holborn 1999). For this reason, unemployment is an issue which sociologists delve. Unemployment has far reaching affects in all areas of society. Stratification in the areas…

The structural-functional paradigm is a framework for the structure of society. The structural-functional approach tells that all parts in the society works together in order to form a harmonious, sensible and stable society. This approach sees the society as a macro-level orientation. Each and every component is interrelated and it is concerns with broad patterns…

Understanding the meaning of people’s lived experiences is the focus of phenomenology (McConnell-Henry, Chapman, & Francis, 2009). Phenomenology is the “philosophy or method of inquiry” whereby all truths are understood through self awareness (“Dictionary.com Unabridged,” 2006). Ascribed from the words “phenomenon” and “logos”, an implied meaning of phenomenology is the “logical interpretation of a phenomenon”.…