Introduction
Social positivism is a theory that comprehensively researches the social world and its influence on an individual’s behavior. Positivists depend on the empirical nature of data, believing that what is observed is the truth. They employ specifically data quantification because it considers facts, not people’s subjective interpretations. Positivism is the development and experimental verification of formal ideas, and it maintains a considerable presence in modern sociology and, to a considerably larger extent, in political science, economics, and some aspects of foreign relations.
Theory’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Positivism is founded on quantitative evidence, as it provides better reliability than qualitative studies. In regard to performing research, positivists adhere to a well-defined framework, as when specified norms are observed, there will be fewer possible mistakes (Ryan, 2018). The framework also leaves minimal possibility for variation and abrupt changes in variables (Park et al., 2020). The disadvantage of positivism lies in the belief that the observer/researcher is free of biases and completely objective. Some researchers say that positivists believe that everything can be quantified and calculated; they are rigid. Positivists perceive matters as they are and are skeptical of unexplained events.
Major Theorists
The main body of positivism was defined by two major theorists: Auguste Comte and Emile Durkheim. Comte opposed sociology to false teachings such as astrology and promoted scientific views in the study of society and the processes taking place in it. Starting from the second half of the XIX century, researchers began to apply the methodology and terminology of the natural sciences and began to impart objectivity and scientific character to the doctrine of society. The concept of positivism was gradually acquiring a narrower meaning, consisting of the use of the methodology of natural sciences to study society. Around the same time, Durkheim became the founder of realism in sociology. He was the first to try to define the subject and object of sociology, introduced the concept of social reality, and proposed a new understanding of society.
Theory in Action
Police Scenario
The scenario is shoplifting. In this scenario, the perpetrator commits theft from retail stores. The criminal might struggle with a lack of money due to the inability to secure a job. Discrimination and/or stigma, as well as the poor economic situation in the community, might be the cause. Police officers are highly likely to encounter shoplifters in socioeconomically challenged areas of the city.
Motivation to Crime
Sociological positivism is primarily concerned with how specific social conditions in a person’s experience might contribute to an increased proclivity for crime. These causes might include financial, political, family, and other considerations. Criminologists who subscribe to this school of thinking are more inclined to reduce crime through societal transformation (Weber & Shils, 2020). The notion contends that criminal behavior is unavoidable in the face of persistent social disorder in a culture of violence, social stigma, and stress, including poverty, a disintegration in family or moral standards, and community-justified crime. It connects crime to internal or external effects on individuals and identifies the reasons for crime to these causes.
Police Response
In the event of shoplifting, police could handle it through several approaches following the social positivism theory. Social positivism theory holds that crime is a product of social, political, and economic dysfunctions. As such, if the police believe that the perpetrator of shoplifting is a product of societal and economic dysfunction, the punishment should be constructive. First, the victim should be offered government assistance programs and job placement as part of the solution.
As Emile Durkheim believes that all aspects of a society form the natural environment, the police should then link the perpetrator with a mentor that will enhance the process of learning positive behavior. Provided with a sufficient support system and opportunities to improve their quality of life, the former criminal should be motivated to change their attitude and work on their rehabilitation.
Contrasting Theory in Action
Motivation
Cognitive dissonance theory establishes that criminal patterns are associated with the fact that people are social creatures and coordinate their behavior with each other. Moreover, human beings need to feel the consistency of their actions with their beliefs. Maegherman et al. (2021) imply that “confirmation bias refers to the human tendency to seek and interpret evidence in ways that favor an existing belief, thereby influencing reasoning and decision-making” (p. 2). When dissonance occurs, its strength depends on how significant the disturbed beliefs were for the individual’s personal value system and overall worldview. This mechanism can be used to purposefully change beliefs into deviancy and even to engage a person in criminal activity.
Police Action
To help the criminals resolve their cognitive dissonance, the police can first take action in the form of providing mental help to them. Enrollment in individual and group therapy can guide the perpetrator through healthy coping mechanisms to deal with dissonances, as well as facilitate positive behavioral changes. Another possible action includes community work – by engaging in communal work, a person can rationalize their behavior and gain an understanding of its consequences. Moreover, the community can provide the individual with new social connections and, eventually, a support system to ensure that destructive dissonances either do not occur or are dealt with healthily in the future.
Police De-Escalation Techniques
There are several de-escalation techniques that police could use to handle shoplifting. They include being kind and non-judgmental, maintaining a neutral body and tone of language, trying not to overreact, getting on the victim’s level, looking at the person, and making adequate eye contact to engage with them. To demonstrate that one is listening, one should incline the head slightly and nod to indicate that they have heard and understood. The goal of de-escalation is to prevent violent and hazardous situations from arising, reducing the need for restrictive responses in specific instances. Moreover, it is important to calmly explain to the criminal what the actions that will be following the arrest are and briefly educate them on possible opportunities to improve their life.
Community Policing Strategies
Community policing strategies include organizational change, community alliances, and collaborative issue resolution. Community policing is consistent with sociological positivist philosophy because it stresses proactive issue-solving regularly and routinely. Rather than reacting to crime just after it occurred, community policing urges agencies to explore solutions to the urgent underlying factors contributing to public safety concerns.
It raises public awareness about the need to protect one’s area (Burke, 2019). It encourages increased communication between neighbors and community engagement, allowing more opportunities for invention and creativity. Community policing strategies commonly used include encouraging residents to assist in crime prevention by offering guidance and promoting neighborhood watch organizations as part of enhanced accountability of police officers to the neighborhoods they serve.
Conclusion
Comte considered the problem of the development and functioning of society as an integral social organism. Society predetermines the development and functioning of its constituent subjects: individuals, classes, estates, etc. The sociology of Comte’s positivism is based on scientific observations and scientific data. Later, Durkheim contributed to the further development of the theory of positivism by adding a realistic approach to it. Police can employ the theory of social positivism to develop and support the communities they serve, as well as to provide more educated and supportive alternatives to punishments for criminals.
References
Burke, R. (2019). An introduction to criminological theory. Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, London.
Maegherman, E., Ask, K., Horselenberg, R., & van Koppen, P. J. (2021). Law and order effects: On cognitive dissonance and belief perseverance. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 29(1), 33–52. Web.
Park, Y. S., Konge, L., & Artino, A. R. (2020). The positivism paradigm of research. Academic Medicine, 95(5), 690–694. Web.
Ryan G. (2018). Introduction to positivism, interpretivism and critical theory. Nurse researcher, 25(4), 14–20. Web.
Weber, M. & Shils, E. (2020). Max Weber on the methodology of the social sciences. Franklin Classics Trade Press, an imprint of Creative Partners.