Characteristics of sociology as a discipline

There are three major characteristics of sociology as a discipline - 

1. It is a social science which deals with social system and processes.
2. It is a general social science that deals with society as a whole while other social sciences deals with particular aspect of society.
3. Sociology is a pure science not an applied science. There is a popular misconception that sociology is somehow concerned with social welfare and that is designed to solve  social problems and built a better society. However, that is not the intent discipline  of sociology as a scientific endeavor. Sociology is concerned with the acquisition of knowledge about society, knowledge that can be used for betterment of society or its destruction. 

This acquired knowledge will help the social workers who want to build better society or for leaders of government who want to formulate public policies. 

References

Abraham, M. Francis (2006). Contemporary Sociology: An Introduction to Concepts and Theories. New Delhi: Oxford University Press