In this new, brief introduction to the rich and complex discipline of sociology, author Jon Witt cuts to the core of the sociological perspective, supplying answers to two main questions: "Why do we think the way we think?" and "Why do we act the way we act?" Providing students with a glimpse of the "Big Picture," the author offers a top-down look at the structure of society, which allows us to see the many ways in which we are linked together.

The book is based on the view that there are four basic parts to sociology: the individual, society, the relationship between the two, and the consequences of differences. Although the author presents some basic sociological facts about the individual and about society, the overarching concern of the book is the relationship between individual and society--the way in which our actions shape the world around us and the ways in which we are shaped by the worlds we live in.