Archetypal Orientations of Mind in Sociological Theory

Abstract

A meta-theory was developed that brought together implicit premises or world views that constantly re-surface in human thought. Although these elements, which are often referred to as being the result of differences in human ‘temperament’, have long been part of the scholarly activity of humankind, a comprehensive synthesis has been lacking so far. In order to redress this shortcoming, an integrated perspective, supported by scholarly evidence, regarding basic characteristics of making sense of life and world was introduced. As a result, four paradigmatic or root intellectual orientations (designated as type I, type II, type III and type IV) have been identified. The theory was found to be applicable across a wide range of scholarly disciplines and cultures. In the present case the field of sociological theory is analyzed by using this framework. Four basic paradigms in the literature on sociological theory are identified and briefly described in terms of a survey of a few of examples of each meta-type: the objectivist-empyrean, e.g., Comte, Parsons (type I sociology), the objectivist-empiricist, e.g., Durkheim, Merton (type II sociology), the subjectivist-empiricist, e.g., Mead, Goffman (type III sociology), and the subjectivist-empyrean, e.g., Marx, Critical Theory (type IV sociology). A separate section profiles the meta-orientations of Max Weber.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n23p2190