To get a generalized idea of the main points of sociological thinking, it is necessary to draw material from numerous sources. But the doubtfulness of the internal unity of sociology as a discipline does not allow us to single out only one specific concept. Nevertheless, one can try to give the following definition: to think sociologically - it is to think in such a way that social life is particularly problematized, and new perspectives of human freedom are most fully revealed.
Instruction manual
1
Focus on highlighting problems, not solutions. Problematization most often should take the form of an opposition couple, for example: chaos and order, freedom and dependence, power and choice, I and others, together and apart, etc. Define each component of a pair of opposites. It is necessary not only to “point with a finger”, say, to a comb, if asked “what is a comb”, but to highlight features, possibilities of application, observation, etc. Here it is important to critically interpret those beliefs that were previously beyond criticism (get rid of patterns).
2
Ask questions that allow you to direct critical thinking to a "life-political" choice. Private issues should be translated into the language of public tasks, filling the public space where public solutions to private problems are discussed and agreed upon. Meaningful actions should lead to satisfaction with their results, overcoming impotence in front of the existing order of things.
3
Define the realities of "personality de jure" and the prospects for becoming a "personality de facto" by assimilating civic skills. Being a “person de jure” means personal responsibility for one’s own life and the inability to blame anyone or anything for failure and failure. To become a “de facto personality” means to be able to control your destiny and make a choice that is really to your liking (namely, free choice, not dictated by the need to adapt).
4
Try to consider, as an example of sociological thinking, the problems of the European-American liberal model of globalization and anti-globalism, without considering the alternative development paths proposed, for example, by the neoliberalism movement, or the concept of the "World Revolution" by Marx and Engels. Sociological thinking provides an opportunity, looking beyond the horizons of one's own experience, to see the familiar sides of life in a new light, so that, rethought their life, make it conscious.
Helpful advice
To highlight various ways of problematizing sociality, get acquainted with the works of G. Zimmel, M. Verber, Z. Freud and the works of modern theorists, for example, Z. Bauman and others.
