• between society and peculiar domain of social life;

• Inner interconnections and interdependencies that are inherent to one or another domain.

Special sociological theories are methodology of perception of individual social processes, communities, their institutes and simultaneously are the methodological foundation of empirical researches.

Data of sociological studies are social facts, that are revealed by sociologists, their analysis and generalization. They concern both specific social subjects (actions, motivations of human behaviour, everyday practice, specific products of human activity) and separate social processes, relations (conflict situations, degree of solidatiry in different social groups, free play of deviant behaviour such as alcoholism, drug addiction, internet addiction etc.).

All these components of social knowledge are closely bound together: without being scientifically substantiated sociological empirical studies are not capable of giving a reliable picture of social processes and phenomena. They are not able to generalize them, to guarantee the enrichment of scientific knowledge; the theory itself can fall behind the life without these studies and become a dogma, if it does not have a primary sociological information about the modification and new tendencies in individual and social progress.

8. Functions of Sociology and its place in the life of society.

Sociology directly influences the life of society through performing a number of social functions (from Lat. function–execution, implementation). The most important functions are the following:

1. Theoretical cognitive function (at all its levels and in all of its structural components, sociology provides increment of new knowledge about different spheres of social life, it reveals perspectives of social development, it brings to light those things, that need radical transformations and changes. . In this respect the great importance lies in the relationship between sociology and government, in conveyance of scientific findings obtained as a result of empirical social research to the authorities by sociology. This knowledge about new processes and phenomena will help to identify so-called «stress points» in society, from which not only social conflict may develop with time, but even uncontrollable elemental explosion. The art of state administration is, in fact, the prevention of transition from stress to social explosion, the ability to implement reforms and social transformations with a help of sociology data without harming social organism and each individual. This function gives answers to the following questions: «How does the society we live in look like? What exactly undergoes changes in this society? What are the directions of these changes? »).

2. Descriptive informative function (sociologists provide systematic description and lead to accumulation of material, on the basis of which politicians and managers can eventually draw practical conclusions, make administrative decisions and pass legislative acts, establish control over social processes or their correction. This description of social phenomena is directed to their full theoretical reproduction, where different forms of social existence rise in its natural contradiction without ideological stratification.

In this case, it is desirable to have a dialogue between scientists in sociology and representatives of government and public self-government, when the received information would contribute to the improvement of the society condition, communities it consists of and each individual. This function helps to find answers to such questions as «What characterizes modern development of society and its main spheres? What direction does this development occur in? Does the activity of state and public organizations correspond to this development? »).

3. Social planning function (sociologists present the results of their researches for planning the development of different spheres of social life, so that social planning is carried out in all countries regardless of the type of social or political systems; it covers various fields – from the processes of vital activity of the world community, specific regions and countries to social planning of life in towns and villages, separate companies, associations etc. On the basis of data received by sociologists short-term and medium-term, as well as long-term plans are made. These plans eventually, after discovery of new data, received by sociologists, have to be corrected. These are to be done in order to display both the condition of society that was achieved, and the tendency of social changes and transformations. Mentioned function will help to find answers to the questions: «What is the strategy and tactic of society development for short- and long-term prospect? What has to be changed in the planned actions, so that social changes can meet desirable social goals? »).

4. Prognostic function (sociology is able to produce scientifically based predictions about tendency of social processes and communities development in future; it is especially important to have such predictions in such transitional eras as we have now, eras of development of society and mankind at all. In this aspect sociology can determine the range of possibilities and chances; can present several possible scenarios of processes of deployment, connected with each of the chosen scenario; can predict possible loss concerning each of the chosen variant, can determine risks and side effects as well as long-term consequences. This attention to the future requires from sociology answers to such questions as: «What do you have to be prepared for? What should you be ready for? What should you expect? What can you be sure about and what should you be aware of? How can you avoid undesirable results? »).

Sociology can take a very important part in the life of society and each individual, only in condition that it performs these most important functions. What concerns the last, it can be seen in the following:

- sociology helps individuals to form knowledge about social reality and changes that occur in it; it explains the logic of the social development processes;

- it helps individuals to find their place in society, to choose their life route and to understand life prospects, to concentrate personal efforts on resolution of social conflicts;

- sociology helps to reveal social groups and communities of associates, people, who share the same beliefs and views on surrounding world, who want to change social reality by combined efforts and to unite efforts in order to achieve aim.

Meaning of sociology has tremendously increased at the end of the 20^th –in the beginning of the 21th century, after the fall of Soviet Union and creation of new independent states out of the former soviet republics. We live in the circumstances of global transformations, when there is a transition from totalitarian or authoritarian «closed» society to liberal-democratic social order and «open» society. This is the time, when the foundations of an old social regime are ruined and new time is being born in difficult struggle. In Ukraine, the processes of state building and nation consolidation are being added to these radical changes. The fact that there still exist the remnants of totalitarian system and its corresponding mentality of «soviet man», as well as former economic relations, complicate the situation; there is no strategy of transitional period, routes and directions of the future are not clearly defined. All this has to be overcome as quick as possible for successful formation of civil society in Ukraine and its fully fledged entry into the world community. That is why the role of sociology is increasing nowadays, as it can give knowledge about the real condition of the modern Ukrainian society, its changes, the appearance of new processes and phenomena, that was not encountered before. Sociology will help to find out development tendencies of the country in the future, to produce scientifically based prediction for the coming years and more remote perspective. Finally, sociology can also draw the horizons of a new, global by character megasystem of a mankind that is being created these days in the world, and to determine in what way Ukrainian society joins the processes of its formation, and to clear out how it reacts to the challenges of globalization.

Being the constituent part in their general and professional education, sociology plays an important role in the training of young specialists. How does the society we live in look like, what are the perspectives of its development, can we take part in social processes and influence them, can we master the science of wise management and regulation of these processes in modern life– sociology will help to find out the answers to all these questions.