Social Theories : Structural Functionalism, Marxism, And Existentialism

Structural Functionalism aims to understand society in an objective way. It views society as an entity that is “objectively real”. It emphasizes the unity of society, and how individuals perform roles and how these roles are vital in meeting the needs of the collective whole. For instance, because every society has stratification, stratification must have certain functions and these functions can contribute to the survival of the social system as a whole. Furthermore, structural

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

The Functionalist theory emphasizes the contributions (functions) that all parts of society (e.g., social institutions) make within society. This theory has contributed to sociology by providing a view “which emphasizes the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain stability.” (Schafer 2013, pg13)

Functional theory was influenced by Emile Durkheim. Adherents of this theory emphasize, "Various parts of society have functions or positive effects that promote solidarity and maintain the stability of the whole." (Parrillo 11) Thus a society is held together by

Moreover, Societies are held together by both consensus with values and coercion. The functionalist view is that the balance of harmony among the society is held up by societal institutions. For example, schools, church and family are seen as the most significant foundation for an adequately functional society.

People in present society are divided up into different positions in the work force. Durkheim sees society from a structural functionalist perspective and refers to society as a system of different organs, each with a

The political economy perspective also shares with functionalism the idea that culture functions to publicize “social integration”. But the two perspectives differ a great deal in their comprehension of how this integration works. Political economy sees cultural traditions as extending material conditions and how people group collectively to “distribute, produce, and consume the goods and services that sustain”. Functionalism and Marxism also have their differences. The political economy perspective urges research questions that would not come from the functionalist perspective. Another difference is that functionalism focuses on dynamic equilibrium, it identifies family as the primarily social institution, and “sees order as based on internationalization of shared cultural values and attitudes, supported by feelings of guilt and desire for approval”. The political economy perspective on the other hand, focuses on economic relations as the main organizing quality of the social system. Although quite different, both Functionalism and Marxism have their similarities. They also have their good and bad aspects and ways in which each theory

In this essay I am going to compare and contrast Functionalism and Marxism. They are both sociological perspectives which have theories about society and the people that live within it. They attempt to explain how society influences people, and similarly how people influence society. However, the two perspectives are clearly different.

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

One of the founding fathers of structural functionalism, Emile Durkheim, believed that society could be viewed as an entity whose parts, or institutions, needed to work well together as a whole and that society’s needs determined how those institutions functioned (Swingewood, 2000, p. 77). The formation of Canada’s universal health care system illustrated this approach well when a form of socialized hospital care was created based on the needs of Canada’s citizens after World

The relationship between the individual and his/her society is a subject of continual interest not only to philosophers and religious thinkers. We, as individuals, have hopes, plans, needs, and expectations. Likewise, society has its own, which present itself in the form of laws, traditions, and needs for the greater good. Often, these needs and demands of the individual come in conflict with those of society, and this raises problems for both. Due to the

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).

In addition too, Symbolic Interactionism perspectives, there is Functionalism Perspective. The idea of the Functionalist perspective leads back to Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist whose writings form the core of the functionalist theory (McClelland, 2000). Functionalism is what happens when social structures have positive effects on the constancy of society. It is the frame work for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote harmony and stability. There are also three assumptions behind functionalism theory, Stability, Harmony, and Evolutions. Those who use social structure theory focus on studying the nature and the consequences of social structures. It also focuses on a relatively state pattern of social behavior. This gives our lives shape in

Sociology studies the various relationships and functioning in the human society using different perspectives. One of them is the functionalism perspective. This viewpoint argues that all social institutions in the society are

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.