Within perspectives, there are a variety of theories. A theory is a "systematic explanation of the relationship among phenomena" (Thomas, 1995:12). Sociologists not only develop theories to explain specific social phenomena but also adopt broad theoretical perspectives to provide a foundation for their inquiries. A theoretical perspective is "a set of assumptions, interrelated concepts, and statements how about various social phenomena are related to another" (Ogunbameru, 2004:63). They are tools that allow one to visualise something. The major tools used to visualise the social world are functionalism, conflict and symbolic interactionism as mentioned above.
To start with is the functionalist theory. This is a theoretical perspective that emphasizes on corporation and consensus in order to maintain societal stability and order (Shepard, 2010). It emphasizes on the contributions or functions performed by each part of society. People who employ this perspective view society as a set of interrelated parts that work together to produce a stable social system. In other words, most people agree on what is best for society and work together to ensure that the social system runs smoothly. For example, family, economy and religion are all parts of a society. A family contributes to society by providing for the production and care of children whereas the economy contributes by dealing with production, distribution and consumption of goods and services and religion contributes by emphasising beliefs and providing moral guidance (ibid).
Secondly, is the conflict theory. This is another theoretical perspective that emphasises conflict, competition, and change within a society (Ferrante, 2011). People who employ this perspective focus on the forces in society that promote competition and change and how those who possess more power exercise control over those with less power. They view society as being composed groups competing for scarce and valued resources such as property, prestige and power (Baker et al, 1993).
