functionalism

• durkheim

  - societies stay together due to social solidarity

  mechanical solidarity

  - small, traditional societies

  - people connected by living similar lives (eg farmers, same religion)

  organic solidarity

  - bigger societies

  - people are different but depend on each other just like the organs in a body

  - eg - teachers / doctors / builders are different jobs, but if one stopped working, society would struggle
• parsons

  - organic analogy - different organs work together to keep us alive in the same sense that different institutions work together to keep society stable

  consists of:

  1. system

  2. system needs

  3. functions
• evaluation

  Merton

  - criticised idea that primary socialisation can only be found in family - it can be found in communes (indispensability)

  - functional unity - Parsons assumes that all parts of society are tightly integrated into a unity

  - universal functionalism - some groups will maximise benefits and exploit others - manifest + latent functions
• evaluation

  
  

  marxist

  - functionalists only focus on harmony, allowing ruling classes to get away with exploitation

  feminism

  - allows men to get away with their dominance / gender inequality

  Wrong (action theorist)

  - deterministic view - claims they ignore how free will can be used to create a dysfunctional society

  Postmodern

  - society is fragmented therefore there can’t be any grand narratives explaining the how society works