Can someone tell me the difference between a postivism and a phonological approach in sociology?

Question

please explain in stupid terms so i understand :)

Answer 1

Positivism: (1) Uses the scientific method to seek laws of social behavior, interaction, and organization; (2) assumes that reality is external to people and objective (like apples falling off trees...even if a person doesn't believe in gravity, it will still happen); (3) pursues objective world with precise instruments

Phenomenology: (1) assumes world is inter-subjective -- that is, the world makes sense in the context of two or more people agreeing upon it making sense; example: the color red is red not because of some external features, but because we all agree that the word red stands for that particular color, but we could just as easily declare it is blue, just as long as we agree and it coordinates cooperation; (2) phenomenology uses methods that attempt to uncover the taken for granted aspects of social life called "breaching" experiments: i.e., when you go into an elevator, which way do you face?  Do you talk to the people in it?  No.  Who taught you this?  You learned from observation and it is just accepted as normative.  Now, how do we uncover this?  Turn towards the people in the elevator and begin talking to them...it will make them very uncomfortable and possibly angry.  Why?  Because something that is taken for granted, thus allowing us to deal with more serious problems, has been breached.  (3) There are no laws of sociology.  Rather, structure is constructed through interaction, and in the case that people didn't interact it would not be reproduced.  Example: a church is a building devoted to religion.  When no one is there, it still is a building devoted to religion but only because there are symbols attached to it.  Religion, though, only occurs -- is only real -- when people go at the same time to the same place and do the same rituals...it is only through their efforts that something is created.  Positivists assume, though, that it exists even when people are not acting in the roles assigned to it.