Functionalism Research Paper

Sociology is the study the different aspects of humanity and society. It encompasses a very broad and varying range of topics. It can be studied on a large world-wide scale spanning across several countries, which is called Macrosociology. It can also be studied on a small scale looking at only individual families or neighborhoods, which is called Microsociology. Not only does it peer into humans’ interactions with each other but examines why they act the way they do. It considers the environment, as well as how access to different luxuries can contribute to the people that we become. In this fascinating field there are three primary views on exactly what the fundamental driving force behind society is. Symbolic Interactionalism, the belief that symbols and the meaning that they are given, define how we will perceive life, in this philosophy these meanings are influenced by society and the events of individual lives. Functional Analysis, views society as any other organism, in this theory all parts of the whole must work together cohesively to function. Conflict theory takes a somewhat opposite view than Functionalism, this perspective suggests that rather than wanting to work in unison, society’s underlying motive is a power struggle for resources. Over the course of this paper the reader will explore these different perspectives.

Functionalism was developed as a combination of the Behaviorist theory and the Identity theory. Behaviorism believes being in a mental state is the same as a physical state, which is a noticeable behavioral characteristic. For instance, if one claims they are unhappy, there physical state could include a frowning display or inappropriate posture. On the other hand, the Identity Theory suggests when one

Sociological theories are ‘the core and underlying strength’ of sociological discipline (Hammond, Thompson and Hickey, 2004).Theories are concepts and ideas that have been tested and combined to give a set of ideas and explanations for people’s thoughts and behaviours. Functionalism is one of the oldest and most established theories in sociology. Functionalism is a top down theory. ‘Individuals are born into society and become the product of all the social influences around them’, these are the institutions such as the criminal justice system, education, family and religion (Trueman, 2015). Postmodernism is a sociological theory that was founded in the late 20th century founded by Baudrillard and Lyotard (Locher, 2015). Functionalists and postmodernists have contrasting opinions on the social world around us and using religion as a reference to contemporary society is going to outline the main differences between both theories. Religion has been a

The Functionalist perspective emphasises the positive contributions of religion to society and tends to ignore its dysfunctional aspects. With its preoccupation with harmony, integration and solidarity, Functionalism neglects the many instances where religion can be seen as a divisive and disruptive force. It gives very little consideration to hostility between religious groups within the same society, such as catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland or Hindus and Muslims in India. In such cases religion can be seen as a direct threat to society instead of ‘keeping it peaceful’. Hate is a human problem. It is a manifestation of anger, pride, greed, struggle for power and other human flaws. The Palestinians don’t hate Israelis because they are Jewish; they hate

Summary: The problem of the soul continues as Descartes suggested that the human is composed of two completely different substances; a physical body which Descartes compares with a machine, and a non-physical mind, related to the soul, that allows humans to think and feel even if it has no “measurable dimensions” (67). But Elizabeth put in doubt his ideologies when she realized that a non-physical thing doesn’t have the strength to push and move the body. This led to several questions unanswered and also let space for other materialist theories such as behaviorism, mind-brain identity, and functionalism, which also fail in offering an explicit solution.

As a resent graduate of sociology I am presenting the need to protect Lake Champlain West Bay, Grand Isle water quality, tourism capital, and maintain property taxes. The study would conclude in a stormwater system being put in place along both East and West Lake Shore Drive. Not approving this project will prove to be economically negative by lower tourism, lower property value, and increasing property taxes. There are a number of other negative effects like the environment and ecosystem (also mentioned in the presentation) but the focus is on the economic effect because the research is being done focuses on functionalist paradigm.

One approach is increment both the quantity of cops in neighborhoods and increment their association with the influenced territories. Police officers are deemed in such a bad light that I think that if police officers are seen in a sincerer light of being more connected to the community, they will forge a better bond to the community links to the area and help to become a barrier in the war. While justice and police have an important role to play, repression only is counter-productive if not combined with development interventions that look at the drivers of violence.

There are social problems in society today that to better understand them theories are used. Theories are a set of statements that explains the relationship between phenomena (Sullivan, 2016. P. 7). In order to understand the relationship it has to be looked at in theoretical perspectives. Functionalism, conflict theory and interactionism are all theoretical perspectives that help us to see the different types of behavior and interactions in society. Functionalism focuses on the operation of society and what contributes to its functions as an whole. Conflict theory looks at different groups of society in how insufficient help leads to those with authority and power to control those who are less prestige. Interactionism focuses on the one to one interactions of individuals and how it contributes to an individuals behavior.The functionalism and conflict theory looks at things on a macro level, focusing on large groups and society altogether. Interactionism looks at things on a micro level, a more personal look on one to one interactions amongst individuals versus

The agent of socialization that impacts society the most is media. Dealing with people has a big effect on how functionalists, conflict theorists, and symbolic interactionists will interpret how media will impact society. Functionalism focuses on how social media and technology plays a big role in society and makes everything run smoothly.(marketography.com) Functionalists believe that social media plays a big role in society. They believe that if it wasn't for social media that we wouldn't know how to get information, and that we would have to write paper by hand, instead of just typing them on the computer. They break it down in smaller sections because it doesn't all fit under the same thing. One way that social media is used is to promote things. Most of us in the world own a tv. They create commercials that you see when you are watching tv. These commercials promote different products or businesses in a way that we will understand but will also be interested in the product or business which will make us want to buy the product or go there. It doesn't just stop there advertising is everywhere.(cnx.org) It is on your computer and at movie theaters. Functionalists say that when they ask people why they want tv is because they enjoy it. From gaming to online chats social media is a way that can help you entertain family or friends. Another good thing that it help us pass along norms, values,and beliefs from generation to generation.(cnx.org) Social media teaches us how to speak, behave, and how to react

This paper seeks to evaluate two of the theoretical traditions studied during out course period. The first theory that will be emphasized is that of the structural functionist in which the role of the “Occupy Wall Street” protests will be observed and its relation to the Functionist’s theory determined. In understanding the elements of this theory, the paper will categorically weigh the functions of the theory in light of a current contemporary issue. On the other hand, the paper will also address the social exchange theory to explain the social changes and stability that represent a process of negotiated exchanges between individuals. In the social exchange theory, human interaction remains a unique transaction that is determined towards

Functionalism is the doctrine that what makes something a thought, desire, pain (or any other type of mental state) depends not on its internal

Sociologists analyze and interpret social phenomena at different levels and from different perspectives. Sociologists study everything from specific behaviors on the micro level to generalized, big pictures on the macro level. Each palpable explanation and theoretical generalization of society and social behavior that sociologists provide, contribute to the understanding of complex behaviors we demonstrate everyday. Pioneering sociologists introduced a broad conceptualization of the fundamentals of society. These views are now the basis of which today’s theoretical perspectives are formed. (Contributors at CliffsNotes, 2016) A theoretical perspective, a set of assumptions about reality that demise the questions we ask and support the

Before we can explore the degree to which Aristotle’s philosophy aligns with that of modern functionalists, we must first account for the philosophy of modern functionalism. Principally, functionalists believe that mental states (e.g., beliefs, desires, feeling pain) are solely constituted by their function. This is their solution to the “mind/body problem”. Cartesian dualists claimed that a special mental substance (distinct from the body) is where the ultimate nature of the mental resides. Physicalists ( descendants of the materialists) equate mental states with brain states. On the other hand, functionalists assert that the mental states causal relations to one and other and to sensory inputs and behavioral outputs constitute these mental states. Some functionalists, often called computational functionalists, go as far as to say that these internal states operate in the same way as a computer program. Furthermore, this line of thought leads directly to the “transportability thesis”, which hypothesizes that a human mind could be transported into an electronic computer,

A Comparison of the Functionalist View with the Marxist View Sociologists may disagree in their interpretation of how society works. Some have focused on what keeps society together; others have focused on what divides society. Over the years the two major paradigms have dominated sociology these are functionalism and the conflict theory better know as Marxism. Both the Marxism view and the functionalist view have their own totally different point of view.

Functionalist and Marxist are macro sociological theories that give a better understanding of the society. Functionalist theory is referred to as the consensus whilst the Marxist theory is known as the conflict theory. Key features of both theories are going to be identified and discussed.