ABSTRACT
Sociology approaches politics on three fronts. In each case the ultimate unit of study is of course the individual—or rather the roles individuals play in the several matrices of inter-personal relationships that make up their lives. It is impossible to draw perfect boundaries for political sociology; attempts to explain why a man behaves as he does in the voting booth, in a government office or legislative chamber always spill over into ‘non-political’ areas of his existence; thinking in terms of politically relevant roles is as far as we can go in delimiting the subject in advance. Political institutions and social structure act on one another to create opportunities for, or restraints on, political activity. Political organization seeks to heighten and focus consciousness on a small number of planes or on one—to simplify a pattern of social roles in such a way that some particular ends can be identified and achieved.
