Symbolic Interactionism, a micro theory, examines the reality as created by individuals and focuses on individual behaviors in particular social settings, holding that social structures only have the meaning that individuals assign to them. .
Macro Links.
Macro level perspectives focus on characteristics of a group within society instead of the individuals living in or compromising the group. One framework sociologist use, which is macro in its scope, is the conflict theory. Developed by Karl Marx, it's a theoretical paradigm that views society as a struggle between groups over limited resources (Cragun & Cragun, page 43, paragraph 3, Conflict Theory). Unlike structural functionalism, conflict theorists believe that not all social relationships are positive for the society, such as the roles between prisoners and guards in "The Pathology of Imprisonment." Many of the guards became corrupted by the power of their positions and their unhindered power over the inmates.
The inmates resented the inequality of power the guards imposed over them and their arbitrary use of those powers. A distinct struggle emerged between the groups, which is a fundamental concept in conflict theory. The guards, who benefited from the social structure, strived to see it maintained. Change would have to be abrupt and revolutionary in style, occurring as a result of the conflict between guards and inmates, and illustrating the principles of macro perspective (Cragun & Cragun, page 44, paragraph 1, Conflict Theory). From this perspective, it can be hypothesized that individual behavior is more controlled by social forces and environmental contingencies rather than individual personality traits and values. .
Other Links.
The experiment between guards and prisoners benefits from the applications of more than one specific theory. However, Role theory is most effective in analyzing the experiment and the results it produced.
