FUNCTIONALIST THEORIES

• What is society based upon according to funtionalists?

  value consensus
• What are the two key mechanisms to achieve solidarity?

  socialisation

  social control
• Why does Durkheim say crime is functional?

  for Boundary Maintenance which reinforced what not to do for the majority, through public degradation
• What does deviant behaviour show according to Durkheim?

  the need for adaptation and change. Dysfunction highlights an issue of discontent in current society
• examples of modern deviance that has caused adaptation and change in society

  suffragettes

  gay pride

  just stop oil

  sex before marriage
• What does Davis say about crime?

  it is a safety valve to release deviance in the safest way possible, cause the least amount of harm

  eg - prostitute, drug use
• What does Polsky say about deviant behaviour?

  using porn is a functional act that prevents men from adulterous relationships, risking the nuclear family
• What does Erikson say about crime?

  contributes to the need for social agencies like police, probation and criminal justice system. Provides jobs and roles
• What does Cohen say crime and deviance can do?

  highlight dysfunction within society, the wrongful actions are an indicator of a problem within the wider system that needs social reform
• Who is Hirschi?

  a neo-functionalist who created control theory
• what did Hirschi focus on?

  why most people don’t commit crime
• What are the 4 reasons people don’t commit crime according to Hirschi?

  attachment

  commitment

  involvement

  belief
• what is attachment (Hirschi)?

  how much we care about what others think eg spouse or children
• what is commitment (Hirschi)?

  what there is to lose eg good job
• What is involvement (Hirschi)?


  how involved we are within society, hobbies or leisure activities
• what is belief (Hirschi)?

  what extent believe that obeying the law is the right thing to do, moral compass
• Who created strain theory?

  Merton
• what did Merton say?

  crime is a response to failing to achieve society’s cultural goals
• what are the five adaptations to strain?

  innovation

  ritualism

  retreatism

  rebellion
• what is innovation according to Merton?

  accept the cultural goals but reject the normative means to achieve them
• what is ritualism according to Merton?

  reject the cultural goals but still have the normative means and act legitimately as used to ritual
• what are retreatists according to Merton?

  reject the cultural goals and the normative means to achieve them
• what is rebellion according to Merton?

  replace the cultural goals with their own and replace the normative means to achieve them
• examples of innovators

  drug dealers, counterfeit products
• examples of retreatists

  High drug users, excessive drinking, dropping out of school
• examples of rebels

  cults, off the grid
• What is Parsons GAIL schema?

  each need/function ensures all societies needs are met and social stability is maintained
• What does GAIL stand for?

  Goal attainment

  adaptation

  Integration

  Latency
• What are instrumental factors?

  means to an end, utilitarian

  (goal attainment, adaptation)
• what are expressive factors?

  emotive

  (integration, latency)
• what is goal attainment?

  setting aims for society eg reducing crime or unemployment.

  They are government decisions with societal targets
• what is adaptation?

  how you keep changing to grow and be successful (mostly economic). the economic decisions better society for all
• what is integration?

  buying into the consensus, people need to agree with the idea so Norms and values are safe and solid. They feel part of a bigger thing
• what is latency?

  background pattern maintenance, it keeps society ticking over and maintains integration. If primary and secondary socialisation is done right then it keeps going
• Marxist evaluation of functionalism?

  against indispensability, the proletariat are dispensable. Bourgeoisie control the equilibrium. Goal attainment is controlled by bourgeoisie
• what does Parsons say about indispensability?

  all social agencies are absolute and necessary. cant function without them
• what does Merton say about indispensability?

  is dispensable eg Nuclear family, sexism, dictatorships. we adapt and have alternatives
• what does Parsons say about functional unity?

  everything in society is tightly integrated and connected to each other
• what does Merton say about functional unity?

  not everything is unified we are functionally independent
• what does Parsons say about universal functionalism?

  everything performs a positive role and function for society as a whole