The Sociological Challenge

Sociology illuminates the human experience. It invites us to examine aspects of the social environment that we often ignore, neglect, or take for granted. By studying sociology, we can achieve a better grasp of how our society is organized, where power lies, what beliefs channel our behavior, and how our society has come to be what it is. Sociology provides a unique perspective that encourages us to look behind the outer aspects of social life and discern its inner structure – to suspend the belief that things are simply as they seem. In other words, sociology equips us with a special form of consciousness. This consciousness helps us to better understand the social forces we confront, especially those that constrain us and free us. Thus sociology is a liberating science.

By looking at social arrangements in imaginative and fresh ways, we gain a new vision of the social experience. The old, familiar, and even comfortable ways we have for viewing life change. We find that the society into which we are born shapes our identities, personalities, emotions, thought processes, and fortunes in countless ways. Indeed, the structures of society become the structures of our own consciousness: “Society does not stop at the surface of our skins. Society penetrates us as much as it envelops us.” So the challenge of sociology is to go beyond appearances and peer behind the masks people and organizations wear.

Social Structure

Bars serve as gathering places for large numbers of Americans. Brady’s, a college bar located in a large midwestern city, is such a place. Many of the cocktail waitresses at Brady’s are young women attending nearby colleges. One of them is Denise. It is her first night on the job, and she admits that she is scared. When Denise introduces herself to the bartender, Mark Brady, he quips: “Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?” Flustered, she shakes her head and thinks, “He’s not going to be one of those, is he?”

After receiving some quick instructions she begins her evening’s work. Denise asks two girls who are clearly underage for identification. They do not have any. As she asks them to leave, Mark calls Denise over and tells her not to “card” the two girls. Embarrassed, Denise returns to their table, explains they can stay, and takes their order. A customer at the bar grabs at her each time she passes and attempts to engage her in conversation. Not knowing how to handle the situation, Denise smiles and tries to look occupied. An older man seated at the bar smiles and says, “Hello, Denise,” as he places a dollar bill on her tray. Again she does not know what to say or do. She smiles and walks away, wondering what she has done or is supposed to do to make her worth the dollar.

As the weeks pass, Denise learns that the bartender’s initial question, albeit a rather standard come-on had been a sincere and friendly inquiry. The two girls were friends of the Brady family and were permitted to drink there despite their age. The grabby and talkative customer was Jerry, a regular and a harmless drinker. The dollar tip came from Mr. Brady, the patriarch of the bar. Denise soon discovered that different kinds of people frequent Brady’s and all require different services and responses from her.

Denise finds that most of the people fall into three major categories: customers, employees, and managers (see Figure 4.1). When people enter the bar, she quickly sizes them up and places them in one or another category. The waitresses use these categories to identify people, anticipate their behavior, and plan strategies for carrying out their role. Although Denise often learns people’s names and what they do for a living, it is not essential to her job. She merely needs to know the category to which each belongs. A critical distinction is that between a real regular and a person off the street. If a person is a real regular, she should know what he drinks and anticipate friendly bantering. A person off the street, in contrast, should receive minimal attention. Denise is aware of these distinctions and does not confuse the categories. In capsule form, Denise’s experiences at Brady’s are the subject matter of this article, the interweaving of people’s interactions and relationships in recurrent and stable patterns – what sociologists call social structure.