african retention

• Functionalism


  Concerned with social order, society held together by a common value system
• Talcott Parsons


  Sociologist (1902 - 1979)
• Parsons' Functional Prerequisites


  • Adaptation
  • Goal attainment
  • Integration
  • Pattern maintenance
• Adaptation


  • Relationship between social system and the environment, social system should be in control of its environment, securing sufficient resources
• Goal Attainment


  • All societies must set goals for action, procedures for establishing goals and deciding on priorities between goals are institutionalized in the form of political systems
• Integration


  • Coordination and working together of all parts of the social system, the legal system ensures regulation of social institutions for a harmonious society
• Pattern Maintenance


  • Maintenance of the basic pattern of values, institutionalized in the society, institutions that perform this function include the family, the educational system and religion
• Social Action


  Actions of groups and individuals
• Social System


  Society/system that determines the actions of groups and individuals
• Parsons' belief: members of society naturally cooperate, leading to social integration, this is possible because the values of society are shared by social actors</b>
• Parsons explained the changes that took place in society, the change to universalism, performance, specificity and affective neutrality, this change produced a society that was better able to meet the needs of its members
• Parsons' GAIL or AGIL framework for social change

  1. Goal Attainment (Political system)

  2. Adaptive Function (Economy)

  3. Integrative Function (Laws)

  4. Latent Pattern Maintenance and Tension Management (Religion, Family, Education System)
• Parsons' Pattern Variables


  • Ascription vs Achievement
  • Diffusiveness vs Specificity
  • Affectivity vs Neutrality
  • Particularism vs Universalism
  • Collectivity vs Self
• Functionalism has been critiqued for its inability to account for social change, its argument of everything in society providing a useful function being seen as circular or tautological, and for glossing over inequality and conflict
• Functionalism has also been critiqued for reifying society as an autonomous entity and for being Eurocentric