functionalism

• functionalist perspective

  society has different parts that work together to maintain stability, change can be positive or negative

  different social institutions working together to fulfil functional pre-requisities of society & members
• Emile Durkheim- founding father of sociology 


  proposed society held together by social solidarity

  -it helped keep society stable during social change

  -stop society from collapsing
• organic analogy 


  -functionalists see society as working similarly to a human body

  -each institution working like an organ

  -different social institutions working together to fulfil functional pre-requisites of society & members
• value consensus 


  agreement upon shared values between members in society
• functionalism strengths

  -organic analogy shows how institutions work together to maintain value consensus

  -shows importance of shared culture as the basis of social order

  -recognises importance of social structure in understanding society

  -provides significant insight into the positive functions of major institutions

  -provides explanation for social order & stability > why people generally conform to rules
• functionalism criticisms

  -rose-tinted view of society

  -fails to consider individual differences in values

  -assumes everyone has equal power

  -deterministic > assumes people will accept socialisation and value consensus willingly

  -teleological > claims family exists because children need to be socialised
• two key sociologists 


  Emile Durkheim

  Talcott Parsons
• key concepts 


  -social solidarity

  -organic analogy

  -functional pre-requisites

  -value consensus
• Talcott Parsons


  -built upon Durkheim's ideas

  -associated with many key concepts
• how are functional pre-requisites achieved?

  -social institutions perform vital functions > allowing society to function harmoniously

  -family:

  > socialises children into norms & values

  > reproduces next generation

  > supports economy
• socialisation


  -Parsons argues socialisation helps establish value consensus

  -having value consensus helps increase social solidarity & keeps society stable
• what do functionalists believe society is a system of?

  interconnected parts
• how is social order maintained?

  through value consensus
• how does social change happen?

  -slowly

  -through structural differentiation & dynamic equilibrium
• Parsons' GAIL model

  A) instrumental

  B) expressive

  C) goal attainment

  D) adaptation

  E) integration

  F) latency

  G) economic

  H) political

  I) cultural

  J) community

  K) family & kinship

  
• what does Durkheim suggest threatens social order?

  people's selfishness

  pursuing own individual desires
• agencies of socialisation

  ensure individuals learn & internalise society's central values

  -so they feel a part of something bigger than themselves
• agencies of social control


  -reinforce agencies of socialisation by using positive sanctions to reward conformity

  -and negative sanctions to punish deviance
• Merton's internal critique

  -Merton criticises Parsons for assuming all social institutions perform beneficial, positive functions

  -Merton argues some parts of social system don't work as intended and can have harmful effects for society > dysfunction
• example of dysfunction > Merton

  growth of technology

  > may have been functional as it made helped make huge scientific progress

  > may also be dysfunctional as contributed to environmental pollution & climate change
• actions of individuals / institutions may have 2 types of function :

  manifest functions - intended & recognised consequences of action

  latent functions - unintended & unrecognised consequences of action