A Comparison Of Emile Durkheim And Robert Merton

In sociology, functionalism is one of the main theoretical perspective. The father of the sociology Emile Durkheim was the promoter of functionalism. Functionalism mainly focusing on the stability and order of the society. This gives a variety of elaboration about the society or human behaviour. All the parts of the theoretical perspectives connected and influenced each other, this all works together in maintain the society healthy. All of these parts depends one to another, if one of the parts not working properly, that will affect all the system or that all circles.

Structural functionalism is a theory that views society as a complete unit (Ballantine & Roberts, 2007). Emile Durkheim is the father of Structural Functionalism. They look at society the same way as someone looks at a formula for a math equation. They view the equation as a whole before using the formula to play a role in the equation itself. In order for structural functionalism to work there needs to be an agreement on the norms, values, and beliefs for the better of society. If these objectives are not meant then Structural Functionalism will crumple before it builds its foundation.

This perspective originated with Émile Durkheim, a French sociologist, social psychologist, and philosopher, and the one who formally established and is considered the father of sociology, as the social sciences was not considered an independent field of study separate from philosophy at the time of his writings. Durkheim was interested in how social order and society as a whole remains stable, and used a scientific approach to study society. As Kenneth Allan quotes from Émile Durkheim (2005), “…if, in addition, society lacks the unity based upon the commitment of men’s wills to a common objective, then it is no more than a pile of sand that the least jolt or the slightest puff will suffice to scatter” (p. 136). Using this view of society as a creation of a collective group of individuals that work toward a common objective, functionalism looks at the institutions of society and how they contribute to the society’s stability. These institutions include the government, family, education, medicine, the justice system, the military, mass media, and other similar formal organizations. Each of these institutions are organized to fulfill the different needs of society and are all interdependent. Functionalism focuses on the order and social stability of a society, and credits disorganization and a lack of adaptation to new and changing times as the causes of social

“Treat social facts as things” is an expression that epitomises the works of Emile Durkheim. This essay focuses on four main sociological concepts proposed by the functionalist Emile Durkheim; the division of labour; mechanical and organic solidarity; anomie and suicide, and examines their relevance in contemporary society.

David Emile Durkheim, who was a French Sociologist, was born on April 15th in Epinal, France, 1858. He is arguably the most influential figure in western sociology and also immensely significant in criminology. He lived until the age of 59 when he suffered a stroke after he had recovered for a sufficient amount of time he then continued with his work however he eventually died, in Paris, on November 15th, 1917. He was, and is still today, one of the many key thinkers in the field of criminology. Durkheim said himself that it was mainly influenced by the philosopher August Comte. He wrote about ten books though is probably best known for his

I formerly associated the term “sociology” with a mundane definition: the study of the different complexities of society. Now, only after a few classes, a litany of connections sparks when I hear the word “sociology”. I think about the different levels of analysis- societal, group, and individual- and how they interact with and influence one another. I think about the philosopher Aristotle’s point that humans lack their humanity without social interaction, and we would simply be animals without the connections we make. Now, when I read the word “sociology” I think about the industrial revolution, and my past knowledge of the push-pull factors when it comes to the migration of people, and urbanization and how the advancement of technology plays a role. I unmistakably think about Comte, and how the industrial revolution of France led to Comte attempting to make sense of the ever-increasing changes that were occurring in the nation, and how these thoughts ultimately created the discipline of sociology. I previously understood the theory that every factor within the social world is to serve a function, but I also learned the difference between manifest and latent functions. I find it compelling that the purpose of certain functions is beyond the understanding of the people performing them (hence the term latent

Three most common sociological perspectives that allow for sociologists to understand social matters and behaviors are: Structural Functionalism, Conflict Theory, and Symbolic Interactionism. The Structural Functionalism theory summed up demonstrates how individuals in a society work together to create a system that helps benefit one another. This viewpoint contains a macro-level perspective because it aims to view how large-scale societies function with many groups of people. Society is viewed as "...a structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of the individuals in that society" ("Introduction to Sociology 2e", 2015).

Structural functionalism is the sociological perspective that aligns with my view of the world. Emile Durkheim came up with the analogy of structural functionalism being compared to the human body. The human body is an organism made up of organs and systems that are separate but work together to perform as one (Clarebaut, 2015). In the same way, there are different structures that come together to make up a society that in functional. This perspective has been true for my life as well. Things such as politics, religion and family have shaped my life greatly. For example, the way my family functions is based off of what society and religion have taught us. Family has played a huge role in my life. The way that I view the world has been influenced by my upbringing and what I have learned from my parents and siblings. Education and how technology has evolved the world we live in is another great example of this perspective. As technology has improved, the way that our generation interacts has be altered and completely changed. The changes that have been made have also been affected by the

The two main stems of sociological concepts are Positivism and Phenomenology. Both Functionalism and Marxism are Positivist theories. This means that philosophies are built by using scientific research methods to

When studying Sociology, you learn to start viewing the world “sociologically”. Reading chapter two of this book, breaks down the three major theories which were started from Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and George Herbert Mead. There are three main types of sociological views which are structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism. Taking a closer look at structural functionalism and conflict theory, they both function on a macro level while symbolic interactionism functions on a micro level.

One sociological perspective is the Functionalist theory. Functionalism is one of the earliest sociological theories. Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) was a professor and was interested in how society was possible and how society remains stable. This theory focuses on the macro-level of social structure rather than micro-level of everyday life. Functionalism sees society in parts which form a system, the parts depend on each other. Functionalist theory looks at the parts of society such as

Structural perspective and social action perspectives differ in the way they approach the analysis of society. Structural or macro, perspectives analyse the way society as a whole fits together. Functionalism initially developed in Europe in the nineteenth-century. Emile Durkheim, the French functionalist was the most influential. The theory was developed by the American sociologists such as Talcott Parsons in the twentieth century, and it became the dominant theoretical perspective in sociology during the 1940s and 1950s, particularly in the USA. They believe that various parts of society are seen to be interested and, taken together, they form a complete system. To understand any part of society, for example, the family or religion,

For example, Marxists will view the relation between a factory worker and the owner as a struggle of class where the worker is exploited and the owner makes profit off them. On the other hand, a Functionalist would approach this differently. They will argue that they each serve their own function in the society. The owner owns the means of production and therefore has more risks and he is also keeping the worker employed by giving him a job. In this case they both have a role to play and therefore has to coexist in the society maintaining its stability. One of the main theorists that we will focus on is Emile Durkheim, often considered as the founder of modern sociology. Durkheim was a positivist and therefore believed that society should be studied through empirical methods. Durkheim was influenced by another theorist Auguste Comte. He was the one who introduced the concept of positivism and believed that change can occur without revolution and disorder. Durkheim viewed society as a system that could only exist over time if certain conditions of stability and continuity were met (Garner, pg. 73). Another theorist we will focus on is Max Weber, who is one of the greatest influences on sociology together with Marx and Durkheim. Weber focuses on individual action rather than the structure. His central idea is that action is becoming increasingly formally rational over the

Emile Durkheim, born French, was a sociologist who took on the functionalist perspective and expanded it even more in his lifetime. The functionalist perspective in society can be referred back to first with Herbert Spencer but Durkheim took it even further. Society is a complex structure and for it to function, all parts need to be different, but working together to promote unity and permanency (Allan and Daynes 2017, p. 25). Durkheim strained on the idea of social facts and whereas Max Weber was interested in social action. Emile Durkheim specified social facts as unbiased concepts that make up a “society’s structures and processes” (Allan and Daynes 2017, p. 103). Durkheim believed social facts and the society to be separate or “external” to the individual and

Emile Durkheim and Max Weber both appealed to me in the reading of chapter 1. They both have similarities and differences on their approaches to sociology. While reading the background of Emile, I found it fascinating how he studied sociology in a way that he put together the individual dimensions and added them together to better understand a society or social group. The case of suicide rates and religion. This one case can be analyzed through other elements, such as careers. For instance, the type of profession can be studied. I am really into statistics and like to break down information. The way he broke down the information to analyze a society or social groups interested me. Max Weber, I chose to write about because I felt he had a