SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES 2
Sociological Theories
Sociological theories are different perspectives developed by sociologists to explain the
different phenomena in the social interactions and analyze them (Allan, 2006). To get the society
going, it is important to understand the impact of social behaviors and relationships in the
society. In the book Amity and prosperity, Eliza Griswold the prizewinning poet and journalist,
incorporates some of these sociological theories like: functionalism, conflict and interactionism.
Eliza Griswold highlights these theories vividly in her works which I am going to discuss how
they apply accordingly.
Functionalism
This school of thought is based on the works of Herbert Spencer, Émile Durkheim,
Talcott Parsons, and Robert Merton. It focuses on viewing society as a system of single units in
which every unit contributes independently to the stability of the society as a whole (Money,
Knox, and snatch, 2007). Societal elements have to conform to the required standards to bring
stability hence the birth of functional and dysfunctional in sociology circles. In the beginning of
Amity and prosperity, Eliza Griswold refers to a note that states the problem the Appalachia
problem face is greed. People in fuel-rich Appalachia area used the discovered fuels in unusual
ways for centuries, Eliza goes ahead and states the natives of the Pennsylvania collected
petroleum in the pits they had dug to treat venereal diseases (Griswold pg,13). 600years back.
Despite coal powering the then country’s economic growth and the high costs of harnessing
natural gas, tremendous advances in technology like fracking were discovered to extract oil from
gas leaking pits of the shale region.
Conflict

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