Acknowledging Bias in Sociological Theory Bias in Sociological Theory

In establishing the original principles for sociological research such early theoreticians as Emile Durkheim attempted to create a non-biased viewpoint. Yet contemporary review of sociological theory and methodology has begun to uncover a great deal of previously undetected bias. Over the last century and a half sociologists have begun to recognize to what degree their own personality, status, social class, nationality, religious affiliation and gender have influenced their own professional observations. What is emerging in contemporary sociological theory is a dire need to underscore rather than ignore these previously undetected biases. As sociological theory draws close to the twenty-first century, the multiplicity among its own practitioners is beginning to be validated as a potential strength rather than a necessary drawback. This research will focus on how a growing awareness of multicultural dimensions of sociological theorists have dramatically influenced both the construction and interpretation of recent theory.

In attempting to establish a neutralized or value-free zone of reference for sociological thought classical theorists sometimes neglected to factor in how their own unacknowledged assumptions influenced their research. These unacknowledged assumptions tended to influence not only what sociological data they scrutinized but the methodology which was employed. Yet a consciousness of how undetected biases in

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evious prejudices not only about women's roles but about how such separate social spheres as love and work have been categorized. She announces in her "Introduction" that she is interested in subverting the Freudian division of emotion and intellect usually split between "lieben und arbeiten" or love and work (Rossi 1). Rossi claims that individuals should not be restricted to finding deep emotional satisfaction in their familial settings and "rational thought or physical labor" in their work settings (Rossi 1). It could be argued that since Rossi is herself from a minority sector she is more sensitive to what fails within the dominant social paradigms. In Seasons of a Woman's Life Rossi foregrounds rather than represses her ideological difference. In her sociological essay, she is interested in tracing out what the effects of being a white woman born in Brooklyn, New York in 1922 meant within her life. She indicates that her approach goes against the grain since she is interested in analyzing what is "bittersweet" in life (Rossi 26). Additionally, she critiques the normative sociological perspective which she suggests is falsely even if intentionally "upbeat" (Rossi 26). Here she inserts her belief that sociologists ne
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Approximate Word count = 2576
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)