Structural Sociologists vs Interpretive Sociologists Essay examples --

Is it true that structural sociologists use only quantitative methods while interpretive sociologists use only qualitative methods? The methods that sociologists use to conduct their research vary and can depend on practical considerations such as suitability of the method, and theoretical considerations such as the sociologist’s theoretical position. Interpretive sociologists focus on the meanings and definitions which guide and direct behaviour, they claim that understanding human behaviour involves seeing the world through the eyes of those being studied. Structural sociologists can be called positivists. Positivist sociology models itself on the natural sciences such as physics, it is concerned with behaviour that can be directly observed and quantified e.g. the number of visits to the doctors in one year. It attempts to explain human behaviour by discovering cause and effect relationships e.g. Durkheim claimed he had found a causal relationship between social isolation and suicide. Interpretivists use a range of research methods. They often use unstructu...