The term "sociology" is heard by many people. In the media, you can often hear information that a sociological survey of people on various problems is being conducted, or that sociological services are studying public opinion regarding economic or political issues.
As a science, sociology emerged from philosophy not so long ago, and is engaged in the study of society, the laws of its development, various social institutions and relations. And like any science, it has an object, subject and methods of study. The object is either a society as a whole, or some part of it or a group, or a social institution. The subject of sociology is a set of properties and characteristics of the object that the research is aimed at. And methods are methods or techniques by which the goal of research is achieved. The method of observation in sociology and the study of documents are the main ones, however, the most common method of sociology is the survey used since the mid-19th century. This method serves to obtain primary information and requires confirmation by other research methods. The object subject and method of sociology are well described in the works of domestic and foreign sociological scientists.
Each person, without noticing it, uses the observation method every day, for example, watching children or other people. But the method of observation in sociology is significantly different from simple observation.
Scientific observation has clearly defined goals, objectives and an action plan and is systematic, systematic and mandatory verification of the result obtained in the research process.
The method of observation in sociology requires the fulfillment of certain rules: it is necessary to observe the studied object in different situations, when observing it is necessary to use clear indicators, in no case should the description of the event be mixed with its presentation. To achieve reliable results, several people can independently monitor each other.
The method of observation in sociology has both advantages and certain disadvantages. The advantage of this method is that the researcher is directly connected with the object of study, and this allows you to receive information quickly and makes it possible to catch some important details of the studied phenomenon.
Another important advantage that observation has is its flexibility. The survey, the most common method in sociology, also brings interesting results.
All these advantages, plus the cheapness of the method do not exclude its drawbacks, one of which is a certain subjectivity of perception, expressed in the fact that the observer directly or indirectly affects the results of the study. This leads to the fact that all results must be double-checked by other methods.
There are several different types of observations. They can be formalized, non-formalized, included - in this case, the observer becomes a direct participant in the events (the journalist changes his profession) or not included when the observation is carried out from the side with the observer's complete non-interference in what is happening.
In natural conditions, so-called field studies and observations are carried out, and laboratory ones are carried out in specially created conditions and are usually performed as part of ongoing experiments.
There are many different types of observations , and in some cases, for example, when studying fast-moving processes, catastrophes, or military conflicts, they can become the only method of studying objective reality.