Max Durkheim And Weber Summary

Structural Functionalism as defined by Functionolists such as Auguste Comte and Herbert Spencer, believe that society is a whole unit made up of many related parts, each having its own function. In order for society to maintain equilibrium or balance all parts must fulfill their function. If their function is not performed society is in an

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.

Although quite different, both Functionalism and Marxism have their similarities. They also have their positive and negative aspects and ways in which each theory dysfunctions. Functionalism is the study of society as a functioning system including interdependent institutions or patterned relations that are steady overtime, and that enact specialized functions for the whole. The main focus is on how direction is kept between parts of society. Any given pattern of relations or structures within society is interpreted by reference to the results or functions that such patterns have for them majority. It is an essential assumption within the functionalist perspective is that participation in social systems is voluntary. When a sociologist uses

215 chapter 8 Sociology In Our Times: The Essentials) this is to suggest that the different classes in society are in conflict because the more powerful groups maintain and control the distribution of resources, rewards, privileges and opportunities by exploiting the less powerful. They also believe that inequality is a result of profits being generated from the cost of labour being less than the cost of the goods and services being produced from that labour, also known as the surplus value. Conflict theorists do not believe that stratification is functional for society, or that it serves as a source of stability. Rather, they believe that stratification will lead to instability and social change.

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

Social Inequality refers to any difference between groups or individuals in society which results in one having inferior life chances than the other. Functionalists believe these inequalities are the result of the meritocracy we live in. This is a system based on the idea that social stratification is necessary and desirable for the society. Functionalists argue that inequalities have a purpose; they are functional for society. Functionalism is a structural theory based on the notion that society is based on shared values. This consensus means that society will be in a state of equilibrium and there is harmony, as a result of which there will be social solidarity.

A: The conflict theory gives an advantage to those in the higher social class because they have more wealth than those in the lower classes. In a way, the higher classes control the lower class and it makes the lower classes harder to move up in the world (Boundless, 2016). For example, an extraordinarily rich person hires a personal chefs but pays them low wages. This makes it hard for those in lower classes to move up because they are in a way being controlled by higher classes.

Structural functionalism is a macro level approach to study sociology (Browning, 2015). Structural functionalists believe social consensus is what holds society together; social consensus being a condition in which most members of the society agree on what would be good for everyone. Structural functionalists view society as a web of social structures, each structure being functional to fulfill it’s own needs, but dependent on all other structures for survival (Vago, 2012).

Functionalism is seen as a macro-scale approach to society; it sees society as a whole rather than looking at parts of it. Due to this, functionalism sees society as a body (organic analogy), all the institutions work together to make society. This is particularly useful when observing society in order to understand the way in which it functions and the way in which all the institutions (organic analogy: organs within the body) work together to sustain society as a whole. Functionalism being a macro-scale approach is therefore seen as a strength as it allows functionalist sociologists to observe society, and its institutions, as a whole.

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

Structural functionalism was developed in the 1930s by a sociologist by the name of Talcott Parsons, which basis stems come from the work of Max Webber as well as Emile Durkheim. Structural functionalism is a sociological theory that focuses on the structures of society and their functional significance whether it be negative or positive for other structures. Some examples of those social institutions include government, law, education, religion, etc. Structural functionalism believes that in every social structure or system each member of the system has a precise function. According to Parson's research change is obvious within any system or society but in order for such system to survive, it must be able to adapt to that change in order to be able to maintain composure. Parson's AGIL model which stands for adaptation, goal attainment, integration, and latency which are imperatives for societies to survive. Robert Morton was also associated with structural functionalism. The big difference is that Merton preferred more middle range theories while Person preferred grand, overarching theories. Conflict theory is a theory introduced by Karl Marx. Conflict theory would argue that society is in a state of constant conflict because of competition for limited resources. Power and domination is what maintains social order when it comes to conflict theory. Conflict theory has modern and classical roots, which was developed in response to

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

Functionalist theory is one of the major theoretical perspectives in sociology. It can be argued that the functionalist theory has made a significant contribution to the study of society. It originates from the work of Emile Durkheim who suggests that social order is possible and society remains stable due to the functioning of several institutions. Everything has a specific function in society and society will always function in harmony. The main institutions studied by functionalism are the family, the education system, religion and crime and deviance.

One of the weaknesses of this perspective, however, is that some could arguably assert that poverty serves a function in such a society. According to Melvin Tumin, Davis and Moore did not fully appreciate the importance of power in determining the unequal distribution of rewards. He went on to conclude that the differences in prestige and pay between different groups had been as a result of power rather than functional importance. For example in Trinidad and Tobago, the difference in salaries and wages between workers in the oil and cocoa industry may be a result of the relative bargaining power of the two groups of workers. Social stratification systems function to provide the elite with the political power necessary to procure the acceptance and dominance of an ideology which rationalizes the status quo.

The social theories that I find particularly insightful in the study of cities are the Durkheim and Weber classical theories. Durkheim’s theory argues that societies are held together by social cement known as collective consciousness, which forms a moral basis of team spirit. In contrast, the emergent society is characterized by change, complexity and demands division of labor among individuals in the society. According to Durkheim, complex societies gave rise to social interactions or moral density among individuals. Durkheim believed that division of labor arises from increasing moral density in the society. Consequently, cities arise from the need of people to remain in close contact with each other and to uphold collective consciousness (Bounds 7).