Paper Summary:
This paper outlines the various strands in social theory which have
played an important role in
the debate about the relations between the
individual, society and social activity. It concentrates on some
important ''dualisms'' in
sociology such as macro-micro, agency-structure
and individual-society and therefore provides a clear understanding
about whether individuals are a product of their personality or the
social context in which they are embedded.
From the Paper:
"Social theory can be seen as a collection of ideas and thoughts
which strive towards fitting together individual and collective needs
in society (Becker 1970). Moreover, social theory is not necessarily
diverse and irredeemably fragmented since that theory is never
completely isolated of
empirical research, any more that empirical
research is free from theoretical assumptions (Layder1994). This
concept is expressed in the pairings ''individual-society'',
''agency-structure'' and ''macro-micro''. These are the key dualisms in
social theory which constitutes undoubtedly a persistent dilemma when
trying to determine how social order is created and what individual
motivations make up society."