IndexIntroductionSymbolic interactionismFunctionalismConflict theoryConclusionIntroductionTo understand what a theoretical approach is, you must first know what a theory is. Theory is a system of generalized statements or propositions about phenomena. With this in mind it can be deduced that a theoretical approach attempts to understand the root causes of something, to find the reasons why it happens and to find out whether it will happen again. There are 3 main theoretical approaches, namely symbolic interactionism, functionalism and conflict theory. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Symbolic Interactionism Sociologists use symbols to interact with the world around them, simply put, in symbolic interactionism, people attach meanings to symbols. Symbols are social objects used to represent what people agree they represent. An example would be a wedding ring, the meaning given to that ring is that the person is engaged or married. Symbolic interactionism explains the individual in a society and their interactions with others and through this can explain social order and change. This theoretical approach focuses on a micro level of analysis, meaning it is considered at an everyday level and not on a larger scale. Symbolic interactionism has been traced back to Max Weber, but George Herbert Mead introduced his perspective into American sociology. he believed that the development of an individual was a social process and the meanings that individuals assigned to things. We can better understand human society from this approach through the simple use of symbols or words (in the case of a text message). Everything is subject to interpretation, and something is almost never interpreted the same way by more than one person, like a text message. saying "hello" may seem like there's an underlying angry tone to some, while to someone else it's just a message with no underlying meaning. Anything can be a symbol as long as it refers to someone other than itself. The problem is that because symbolic interactionists focus on a micro level of interaction, they fail to see the larger problem or in other words “the big picture”. Another criticism might be that George Herbert Mead focuses on human interaction but not individual thinking skills. Functionalism Functionalism is an approach that attempts to “relate the parts of society to the whole and to relate one part to another. This means that different parts of society depend on each other for the functioning of society as a whole; for example, an increase in the crime rate may lead to more arrests and, consequently, the need for lawyers and therefore more children in school to study law to help society function better. Society is made up of many different and connected structures. A structure is represented by institutions which are structures that satisfy the needs of society such as marriage, businesses, and laws. Another structure is defined as social facts are ways of doing things and thinking formed by society before each individual, they are unique objects that cannot be influenced by an individual, for example religious beliefs. Each structure has a function that fulfills a society's need, and all structures work together to keep it balanced. It is a macro level of analysis as it focuses on how the whole society is affected by different interdependent parts. This theoretical approach was introduced by Emile Durkheim.