Information about Social theory I found

Martin O’Brien (1993) has used the example of a kaleidoscope to answer the question what is theory?

A kaleidoscope is a child’s toy …

When you turn the tube and look down the lense of the kaleidoscope the shapes and colours, visible at the bottom, change. As the tube is turned, different lenses come into play and the combinations of colour and shape shift from one pattern to another. In a similar way we can see social theory as a sort of kaleidoscope – by shifting theoretical perspective the world under investigation also changes shape. (1993:10-11)

Pg 76 (Doing QR – Silverman)

The point is that none of these data are more real or more sure than the others.

It all depends on our research question. And research questions are inevitably theoretically informed. So we do need social theories to help us address even quite basic issues in social research. (pg 76 Doing QR – Silverman)

Theories arrange sets of concepts to define and explain some phenomenon. As Strauss and Corbiin put it: “Theory consists of plausible relationships produced among concepts and sets of concepts” (1994: 728).

Theory provides both:

· a framework for critically undestading phenomena

· a basis for considering how what is unknow might be orgniz (Gubrium, personal correspondence)

(Pg 78 – Doing QR – Silverman)