Structural Functionalism	Conflict Theory	Symbolic Interaction	Comparative
Nature of society	Interrelated social structures fit together to form functional whole	Competing interest groups, with each seeking to secure to its own ends at expense of others	Individuals interacting to build groups. We use symbols to think, do, and communicate
Basis of interaction	Consensus and shared values	Conflict, power, constraint	Shared meanings regarding symbols
Focus on inquiry	Maintenance of society, social order and functions of parts	Social change and conflict	Development of self and adaptation to society
Level of analysis	Macro/social structure	Macro/social structure	Micro/interpersonal interaction
Proponents	Talcott Parson Robert Merton Emile Durkheim	Karl Marx Ralf Dahrendorf Edwin Sutherland Howard Becker	Charles Horton Cooley George Herbert Mead Herbert Blumer Simmel	Max Weber

THEORY defn: a set of interrelated statements about reality, usually involving one or more cause and effect relationships.

A set of interrelated (falsifiable and ideally verifiable) hypotheses for testing.

The word “theory” in common use normally means an abstract thought or general explanations or even conjecture. In science in general the word “theory” means a plausible or scientifically acceptable general principles offered to explain observed fact. I prefer an even more strict usage in Sociology. When I use the term “Sociological Theory” I mean a formal set of verifiable and falsifiable hypotheses that build upon one another.

Given that usage, these categories are not theories, as some would see it, but rather theoretical perspectives. They are the three broad categories into which we put theories and theorizations.