Structural Functionalism, Symbolic Interactionalism And Conflict Theory

Functionalism is a structuralist theory; this meaning that it sees social structure (the social organisation of society) as more important than individuals. Functionalist sociologists believe that people have a range of basic needs that must be met if society is to run smoothly. Different groups and individuals in society are important because they perform certain functions which meet society's needs. Functionalism supports the family in nearly every way, to the support it offers to the next generation and the way it teaches them the four functions they need to survive. George Peter Murdock described the family as being “a social group characterized

In the United States and in several other countries around the world, many people recognize Wal-Mart for being a great place to shop for any and every household item on the market. However, sociologist find Wal-Mart to be a bit more than just a one-stop shop for everyday items. Sociologist use different perspectives to view society and its functions to evaluate the “why’s” and “what’s” within a society. The two main perspectives or theories used by sociologists to analyze society are macrosociology and microsociology, but more specifically: Functionalism, Conflict Theory, and Symbolic Interactionism.

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)

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.

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.

The Functionalist theory believes that society functions so that each individual plays a specific role. Their perspective of social inequality is the belief that "inequality is not only inevitable but also necessary for the smooth functioning of society."

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

Functionalism is a theory by Durkheim that conveys that all aspects of a society serve a function and are necessary for the survival of that society. In this way, society is like an organism. If all institutions work properly it contributes to the

According to the crime report produced by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2015, there were an estimated 1,197,704 violent crimes committed in the United States and violent crimes have increased by 3.9% since 2014. The FBI defines violent crime as murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. This increase in violent crimes is a major social issue and one that can lead to a sense of danger amongst a society and its inhabitants. According to a study conducted in 2017 by Statistic Brain, 38% of women feel unsafe to walk alone at night in the United States. This sense of fear is also why many college campuses, including Clemson University, have blue lights all around campus for the police to be called to at a moment's notice. Crime and deviant behavior are guaranteed to be a part of society and there will never be a time when crime isn’t something a society has to deal with. Knowing that the issue is never going to completely go away, one can look at it through the three major theoretical perspectives of structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism.

Durkheim and Parsons viewed society as expected and constructive. The most important thing in the Functionalist Perspective is that of stability (Schaefer & Lamm).

Faris Abukhdeir SOC 2110-001 Professor Thomas October 15th 2014 A Toy’s Story The theoretical perspective that I have identified and explained is the functionalist perspective. The definition states that society itself is interdependent so that each part contributes positively to the functioning of the whole and to social order. Functionalism is a macro level theory.

Whichever groups have the power is a central concern of this theory. These Marxist statements are the central arguments of all conflict theorist's statements of truth. The second part of the conflict theorists assumptions is that the different parts of the social system as a whole are intertwined, not because of a shared value system, however, but because of the fact that one group is inherently dominant over the other. This dominance happens because one group, the dominant group, controls the resources. The third part of the assumptions of the conflict theorist is that society does not necessarily have needs, but individuals and groups do. Because the dominant group has the access to wealth, power and prestige, they have the ability to have their needs defined as "system needs." The fourth part of the conflict theorist's assumptions is the basic question of "Who benefits?" from the social arrangements of the day. On any issue in society, there are people who benefit and people who don't benefit. This conflict always gives the advantage to the stronger party. The fifth part of the conflict theorists system of assumptions is the conflict itself, which lends tension, hostility, competitions, disagreement over goals, and values, as well as violence. Not always are these issues negative, however. They can act as an adhesive to help join groups together in the pursuit of a positive goal. The sixth and final part of 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

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.

The theoretical perspective I most closely identify with would be the structural functionalist perspective. The idea that most appeals to me about this perspective is how everything in society is viewed as being interconnected. The main issue I have with other perspectives, like the conflict perspective, is that they classify people into two groups, the haves and have-nots. I think our society is much too diverse to simply categorize people into such broad groups. Another idea I don’t like in regards to the conflict theory is how religion or spirituality is viewed as method to distract working class citizens from their current living conditions. My biggest disagreement or issue with the symbolic interactionist theory is that “a condition must be defined or recognized as a social problem for it to be a social problem.”(Mooney, 2017) I have quite the issue with this statement. I feel like this perspective is rather passive and encourages or allows a society or group to remain stuck in their ways, rather than encouraging positive changes to take place. I don’t think it takes official recognition to identify a social problem when there is one.