Sociology involves the understanding of the social influences which help to shape our lives. But how do sociologists do this? A typical sociology study would look at the relationship between different social influences. For example, are working class youths more likely than middle class youths to join gangs in urban areas? If this is so, what are the reasons? A sociologist’s main task is to understand what lies beneath the visible aspect of our social life. This Involves putting her/himself in the position of the group of people she/he is studying, and trying to understand the social factors influencing the groups behaviour. An industrial sociologist may look at ways of improving relations between workers and management in a large company. The sociologist would ask such questions as why does management have a particular approach to labour relations and workers a different one. Do their different class backgrounds affect their behaviours and the way they view the world? How do we overcome the problems resulting from these different perceptions and positions?