There are two types of sociological theories:
1. Macro and
2. Micro.
Macro theories focus on the society as a whole and aim at establishing the general characteristics of the society. It is basically looking at the society as a whole and looking at a bigger picture. It aims to answer three basic questions:
1) What holds the societies together?
2) What are the sources of conflict in a society?
3) How do societies change?
There are two branches of macro-sociological theories: consensus and conflict, with the main representative being functionalist and marxist respectively.
Micro theories on the other hand, focus on the individuals who make up the society unlike macro theory which looks at the society as a whole. Micro theories are small scale. Consider it a magnifying glass, when you look through it, you 'zoom' in to the society and see the individuals who have made up that particular society.
Symbolic interactionism is the sociological perspective which is most closely linked to microsociology.
