The term Sociology is derived from the Latin socius, meaning "companion" or "associate" and the Greek lógos (λόγος), meaning
"word" with the modern conventional meaning "the study of."
Translated, this means "the study of companions or associates." Therefore, sociology by definition is the
scientific study of individual behavior in society.
Though sociologists study both macro and micro aspects of sociology, neither can be divorced from the other when attempting to understand human behavior in society.
Sociology is a branch of social sciences. The study of sociology is an examination of how individuals are influenced by groups. This is achieved using social scientific theories and methods, which may include Qualitative and or Quantitative research techniques.
The goals of sociology are:
1. to understand human behavior in the context of society.
2. to generalize human behaviour.
3. to predict human behaviour.
Areas of concentration includes the examination of: social relations,social stratification, social interaction, culture, deviance, medical sociology and more.
The term "sociology" was coined in the 19th century by the French thinker Auguste Comte in 1838. Comte had earlier used the term 'social physics,' but that term had been appropriated by others, notably Adolphe Quetelet. Comte hoped to unify history, psychology and economics. Comte believed society passed through three(3) stages: Theological, Metaphysical, and Scientific to acquire knowledge, in which the latter is referred to as Logical
Positivism or positive science), often simply called "positivism." Comte argued that if one could grasp this progress, one could prescribe the remedies for social ills.
Comte has come to be viewed as the "Father of Sociology." The camp of Logical Positivism, which was led by the Vienna Circle, tended to adopt scientific methods in the realm of social sciences, while others believe human behavior is an interaction, which cannot be isolated as a physical event such as that in the physical sciences. From a sociological perspective, using a "positivistic" approach to understanding human behavior entails the use of strictly quantitative analysis techniques.