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ldentilying and classifyng dfferent groupings of people is a crucialj& for socidogists Typically, sociologists define a group as consisting of af
least fwo members who interact with each other, have a sense of identity or belon$ng, and share norms or expecfafions that those outside the
group do not.
While the larger society of a particular nation is itself an exampe of smial organization, that society is in tum made up of a collection of
organized groups of interacting individuals. lt is precisely how those groups interact and organize that sociologists study.
Typically, when sociologists discuss socialorganizations, they are refemng to:
- Social institutions, such as the family or school.
- Social groups, such as professional associations, or voluntary orgnizations like the Kiwanis Club or neighborhood associations.
- Social inequality, which groups people according to class, such as the midde-class, working class, underclass, upper class, etc.
- Religious groups, such as churches and affiliated chanties.
- Bureaucracies, includrng govemment agencies adninistrailve units.

2. Social Psychology
Social psychology emphasizes ihe relationship between individual people and the larger social structures and processes in which
:.ey participate. While the study of social organization and structure is the defining core of sociology, all social structure comes out ol
nleractions between individuals. So, to understand the significance, nature, and effects of social structure, we need to understand the people
wnose behavior constitutes that structure.
Ma.ior areas of stu{ include devrance, socialization, group dynamics, health, race and ethnicity, and gender. Sociologists in this field
have studied some really interesting subjects, such as obedience and disobedience during the Holocaust, the psychological consequences oi
work and family liie and the attitudes of minority groups to the cultural mainstream.
3. Social Change
Sociologists are interested in studying both "what is' and.what changes." ln this sense, social change refers to any alteration in how
a society is organized. Sociologists thus seek to explain the causes and effects of these social changes.
Some theones of social change emphasize evolutionary explanations. These theones hold that society deveiops from simple to increasingly
complex forms of organization. Social change, then, is linear and progressive.
Sociologists typically identify a few key iactors that influence social change:
The physical environment. Changes in the environment, such as climate change, may reguire different forms of social organization in
or&r for humans to survive. Very rapid changes in the physical environment can cause severe disruptions to social and cultural ltfe.
Population changes. Migrations and conquest bring new people into new places, which in tum can lead to forms of social change.
lsolation and contact. Societres that are cut ofi from the larger world may change very quickly once they come into contact wiih outside
cuitures and peoples.
Technology. Adyances in technology, such as the car or airplane, can dramatically change social organization as these new
technologies offer new ways for people to interact.
Major toplcs of study for this field include; ecological changes, population, mignation, technological change, new production
:echniques, culture change, political processes, social transformation, modemization, mass communication, and the impact of natural disaster.
Socral change and disorganization is the study of the change in culture and social relailons and the disruptton that may occur in
society and it deals with the study o{ such cunent problems in society such as juvenile delinquency, criminality, drug addiction, family conflicts,
irvorce, population problems, and other similar subjects.
4. Human ecology
This is the study of the nature and behavior ol a given population and its interaction with the sunounding environment. Specifically, it
iocuses on how social structures adapt to the qua(ity and quantity of natural resources and to the existence of other human groups
Studies of this kind have shown the prevalence of mental illness, criminality, delinquency, prostitution, and drug addicton in urban
centers and other modem, developed locales.
5. Population
Population or demography is the study of populatron number, composition, change, and quality as they influence the economic,
oolitrcal. and social system.
This area of study is concemed with the study of populatron number, composition, change, and quality and how these factors
rnfiuence the larger economic, social, and political systems.
This area also focuses on things such as fertility and mortality rates, the impact of migration on the dstribution of certain populations.
Examples of topics that sociologists in this field study include trends in populatron growth and how those trends are affected by fertility,
mortality and migraiion rates, how population is distnbuted over a particular area (for example, segregation), poverty and inequality.
6. Sociological Theory and Research
This field is concemed with the applicability of sociological princides and insights to study and regulate peoples'social envtronment.
it represents an effort to build and develop theories that can explain people's actions and behaviors.
7. Applled Sociology
This field is concemed with using sociological problerns to solve social problerns. For instance, some of the main social problems
where I live include squatters, prostrtution, tooJarge farnilies, nurse shortages, and pmr nutntion. An apptied socidogist would bring his or her
knowledge to bear on how to solve these problems.