Sociology is a profession which applies or advances the process of scientific inquiry into social attitudes and behavior and the cultural products of those attitudes and that behavior. Sociologists are social scientists who engage in the process of applying or advancing sociological inquiry through numerous forms of employment. Most sociologists are employed in traditional academic settings, i. e., colleges and universities.
Fewer sociologists find employment in non-traditional settings practicing sociology.
However, both types of sociologists , the traditional and non-traditional, are legitimate, beneficial, and needed. It blends the intellectual world of theory with the pragmatic world of action. It mixes the fluid reality of theoretical possibilities with the static reality of decision-making. The ultimate goal of the practicing sociologist is to understand, predict, and affect human behavior. Sociologists approach problem-solving with a wider orientation than other disciplines.