Functionalism

• Functionalism is a structural consensus theory that suggests society is harmonious because we share the same norms and values
• Society performs all the functions we need to survive
• Functionalism is considered to be conservative and to maintain the status quo
• Durkheim suggested that by studying social facts we could measure and predict thing in society
• Durkheim suggested we have social cohesion through our similarities, and that in the modern world institutions must manipulate these to maintain cohesion
• Parsons suggests society functions via interconnected institutions
• Functionalists say society is top-down and shapes individuals
• We adopt social solidarity through socialisation
• Without social cohesion or in the event of rapid change, society may fall into anomie - a state of social disorder
• Parsons suggested the organic analogy - that society acts similar to an organism. Each organ (institution) operates in conjunction with others to keep the body (society) healthy. Social ills may infect and damage parts of society
• There is formal social control, through the law and authorities like police, and also informal social control, through families and peers who expect us to act in certain ways and will respond accordingly
• Functionalists say society has four basic needs: Goal attainment, Adaptation, Integration and Latency (GAIL)
• Goal Attainment, or the political function, is how decisions are made about how society is organised
• Adaption, or the economic function, is how capable society is of supplying the needed resources
• Integration, or social harmony, is how people in society are socialised into shared norms and values, usually through institutions like the family and education
• Latency has two types: pattern maintenance, which promotes ideals and prepares people for their future roles, and tension management, the capability of people to release tension in a way that is safe to society
• Merton is a functionalist who criticised many functionalist ideas - his work is often considered an internal critique
• Merton argues that:

  -Not all institutions are indispensable and alternatives are available

  -Not all institutions are so closely interlinked

  -Not all institutions are universally beneficial and may be dysfunctional for some members
• Functionalism was the first attempt at fully explaining society
• Functionalism fails to explain conflict in society and could be seen to legitimise inequality
• Wrong says functionalism is deterministic and doesn't account for free will
• Postmodernists argue functionalism is a meta-narrative that cannot account for the diversity in contemporary society