Evaluation

• Criticisms of Parsons’ system theory have come from both outside and inside functionalism. Within functionalism, the most significant criticisms come from Robert K. Merton (1968). He criticises three key assumptions of Parsons.
• Indispensability

  Parsons assumes that everything in society - family religion ect is functionally indispensable in its existing form . Merton argue that this is just an untested assumption and points to possibility of functional alternatives

  eg Parsons assumes primary socialisation is best performed by the nuclear family but it may be that one parent families do it well or better.
• Universal Functionalism

  Parsons assumes everything in society performs a positive function for society as a whole. Some things may be functional for some groups and dysfunctional for other.

  The idea of dysfunction introduces a neglected note into functionalis by suggesting that there may be conflicts of interest
• Conflict perspective criticisms

  conflict theorists such as Marxists and feminist criticise functionalism for its inability to explain conflict and change. This inability arises partly out of organic analogy.
• Action perspective criticisms

  social action theorists argue functionalism is too democratic.

  from the functionalist perspective individuals have no free will or choice they are mere puppets whose strings are pulled by is ial system into maintaining value consensus. From an action perspective this is fundamentally mistaken the action approach takes the view that individuals create society by their actions