Problem: Sociology began around the 18th and 19th centuries with an emphasis on understanding human behavior during a time of major social changes. During this time, thinkers such as Auguste Comte pursued ways to study society with the scientific purpose of improving it. Three main theoretical perspectives include structural functionalism, which views society as a complex system with parts working together to promote solidarity and stability, conflict theory, which focuses on competition for scarce resources and inequalities due to capitalism that fuels social change, and symbolic interactionism that examines society in a small micro scale observing day to day interaction and the meanings people attach to behaviors . Sociology can be applied to nursing due to its practicality. Nurses can use interactionism to improve patient communication or conflict theory to address health inequalities based on social standing . According to the textbook, the scientific method is used to make sure the studies are objective, reliable, and properly organized. There are six steps to the scientific method, which are asking a question, researching existing sources, formulating a hypothesis, creating a study, collecting and analyzing data, and coming up with conclusions. This creates an accurate study of social behavior. Provide reference in apa format. Provide response in about 100 words. Need Assignment Help?