Читать книгу Our Social World - Kathleen Odell Korgen - Страница 86

Often, sociologists use middle-range theories, those theories that explain specific aspects of social life—such as deviant behavior, racial prejudice, and civic engagement—to make sense of the data they gather (Merton 1968). These theories tend to fall under the umbrella of one of the four major theoretical perspectives described earlier. For example, Erving Goffman, coming from a symbolic interactionist perspective, focused on the impact of stigmas (social characteristics that distinguish a person or group of people from other members of society) in social interactions. His analysis of the impact of stigmas and the midrange theory of social stigma he developed out of it provides one piece of the overall puzzle of explaining social interaction in society.