The article of Alvin W. Gouldner titled, Toward Reflexive Sociology, is a radical analysis of the objectivity and the roles that sociologist play in the field. As one of the major proponents of Reflexive Sociology he argued that Reflexive Sociology aims at transforming the sociologist to deeply understand ho s/he lives his or her life and how this life affects his or her study of sociology. These would include the values that s/he has that might affect his or her craft. Gouldner argues that Reflexive Sociology equips the "knowledge" and "transformation" that the sociologist need to determine the things that s/he does for the discipline from s/he should do for the field. Reflexive sociology also challenges sociologist to look at the society s/he studying through the understanding of his or her self. Thus Reflexive sociology would like the sociologists to look at his subject not as 'aliens" or "other", separate, but, like him or her, individuals that have the skills and talent, in varying levels; trying to understand the society they are in.
Radical Sociology is a radical analysis of objectivity or all sciences, may it be natural or social, arguing that "science construed aimed at producing information, either for its own sake or to enhance power over the surrounding world: to know in order to control, all these in the context of vaguely defined concept of "knowledge", which could, in one way or another, be conceived as "information" and/or "awareness". When social scientists, positivist for that matter, see the social science as a field that needs understanding empirically, they confirm these empirical data to a "reality" that are based or from their own perspectives. With these, it gave man, who studies everything around him, may it be ther nature or his fellow being, the statue of a higher individual. Because these information or awareness about others, men are capable of controlling other people. Another, I think, critique, on the objectivity or sociology, or the whole field of social sciences, is that it "thingafield" man. This establishes the controlling role of men with the "knowledge", "information" and awareness".
This is why Reflexive Sociology suggests that what is appropriate in the study of man and his society is an outward and inward flow or understanding. What Reflexive Sociology suggests is an awareness that is a combination of the attitudes of the person studying and the information he has. The kind of objectivity that the reflexive sociology would like sociologist to have is through the process that a sociologist "accepts and uses information about his own view of social reality, and his effort to know it". And to put it all in short phrases, reflexive sociology argues that "the assumption that the self affects the information system solely in a distorting manner is one-sided: it fails to see that the self may also be a source both of valid insight that enriches study and or motivation that energizes it.
After all these discussions on the caution of Reflexive Soiology in defining objectivity, it gives functionalism and interactionism a different view. Still in the context of objectivity, Reflexive Sociology establishes a new function for the sociologist. If before, the sociologist usually sees him or herself apart from the people that slhe would like to understand, he served the one understanding, but for the reflexive Sociology, the sociologist should now serve the function of being understood well. His function now is more established since his role will be an essential determinant of the outcome of his studies because s/he is one of the subjects as well.
Also, from the interactionist point of view, the sociologist would have a greater meaning in the process of acquiring knew knowledge since, according to Reflexive Sociology, the sociologist should be a part of the process, his values as a person and as a sociologist understanding the society, the purity of the new knowledge a sociologist would acquire will be put in jeopardy because of the values that the sociologist have. Because as interactionist would argue, the important agent in defining or giving meanings to what are happen in the society, thus, what the sociologists have had as experiences would, in one way or another, "stain" ( though, this would be seen from a positive point of view) the knowledge s/he is trying to decipher.
As a conclusion, Reflexive Sociology gives a new perspective in understanding society and these understandings, according to Reflexive Sociology, should also depend on the sociologist him/herself, his/her values, beliefs and experiences.