every some sociological theories focus on specific social problems, such as the causes of juvenile delinquency, or the explanations for divorce. we will discuss quite a few of these theories in this book. in addition to these specialized theories, however, there are a number of broader explanations of social reality that are called theoretical perspectives. these perspectives provide some fundamental assumptions about the nature and operation of society and commonly serve as sources of the more specific theories mentioned previously. most sociologists today are guided by one or more of the following theoretical perspectives: functionalism, conflict theory, and interactionism. the functionalist and conflict approaches are frequently referred to as macrosociology because they focus on large groups and social institutions and on society as a whole. the interactionist perspective falls under the category of microsociology because it concentrates on the intimate level of everyday interactions between people. this section first summarizes the perspectives and then suggests how you should use them in analyzing social problems.