The Development of Sociological Thought: A Critical Review of Robert K. Merton’s Social Theory and Social Structure

Abstract

This review critically examines Robert K. Merton's Social Theory and Social Structure, with a special emphasis on the interaction of social structures and the evolution of sociological theory. Merton highlights the frequent miscommunication between sociological concepts and historical contexts, which contributes to misunderstandings about how sociological knowledge evolves over time. He calls for a deeper understanding of the role played by historians and sociologists in recording scientific progress, calling for the combined use of historical and observational sources to trace the development of sociological theories. This review examines Merton's critique of sociology's over dependence on publicly records, which often obscure the realities of scientific inquiry, and his support for middle-range theories as an intermediate between grand theoretical systems and practical hypotheses. Merton offers a framework for comprehending the complex nature of social phenomena, and their impact on society, emphasizing concepts such as manifest and latent functions, functional analysis, and middle-range theories that bridge empirical research with theoretical inquiry. This analysis is based on a qualitative and interpretive methodological approach, based in an in-depth reading and critical synthesis of theoretical literature. The author's work supports contemporary sociologists to draw on both observational and historical evidence with the goal of advancing the discipline. Merton's framework, specifically his ideas of manifest and latent functions and middle-range theories, continues to shape the way in which contemporary sociologists understand empirical research and theoretical analysis.