Theoretical Perspective On Society

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)

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 main sociological theories is functionalism. Functionalism is a macro-consensus theory. The fact that it is ‘macro’ means it analyses society through social institutions such as: peer groups, education, workplace, mass media and religion, and the fact that it is ‘consensus’ means functionalists focus on the harmony is society ad see society working as a human body would [https://www.thoughtco.com/functionalist-perspective-3026625]. They claim society is made up of interrelated parts that work together to maintain homeostasis. Functionalists see the world through rose-tinted glasses so focus on the stability, harmony and continuity of society as a whole. Hence, they have a positive outlook on society. However, a drawback to functionalism is that it doesn’t look at or focus on an individual and their role in society. This theory can be linked to social stratification. Social stratification is a concept which focuses on the existence of structural inequalities within society. The most distinctive form of this comes via the social class, the division of society into the upper, middle and lower/working class. Also, society can be stratified according to age, gender and ethnicity [Bottero, W. 2005:03]. This shows the link between an individual and society as it proclaims that society is positively

"Functionalist Perspectives” also known as "Structural-Functional Paradigm”- “The sociological approach that views society as a stable, orderly system. According to this perspective, a society is composed of interrelated parts, each of which serves a function and (ideally) contributes to the overall stability of the society. Societies develop social structures, or institutions that persist because they play a part in helping society survive. These institutions include the family, education, government, religion, and the economy. If anything adverse happens to one of these institutions or parts, all

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).

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

Explanation of common sense and sociological approaches to the study of Human Societies, with examples.

Our society is more comprehensive than one would believe. A theorist name Emile Durkheim founded the Functional Analysis Theory also known as structural functionalism. It is founded upon the idea that society is made up different components that inclusively make for a better whole. All components fulfill their specific function work; in accordance to a healthy equilibrium, stability. These connected structures work together to create a normal state. Nevertheless, life tends to bring it irregularities. Functionalism defines that as dysfunctions. Dysfunctions are a negative effects that come about from society. Functionalism can only be in two categories latent and manifest. Manifest functions are elements that are intentionally put in

Of the three major perspectives in sociology, Functionalism is the foremost perspective. Followers of the Functionalist Perspective believe society is a system of interrelated pieces that work together in agreement to uphold social stability for the whole and that sociological matters should be explained with scientific facts. Within functionalist theory, the diverse branches of society are predominantly comprised of social conventions, each of which is intended to satisfy different needs. The parts are all contingent upon each other. The fundamental institutions outlined by sociology and which are vital to understand for this theory include: religion, family, education, economy, media and government.

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,

Every day we have to decipher the information provided to us. The manner in which a sociologist would do this can be done using 3 different theories: conflict theory, functional analysis, and symbolic interactionism. Lets us use embryonic stem cell research as an ethical dilemma to apply these three theories. Before applying our theories it will be helpful to explain the meaning of them. Conflict theorists impress that society is made up of a system of social structures that compete with each other for scarce resources. Life the conflict theory, the functional analysis sees society as a system of interrelated parts, or subsystems. But in order for society to work as a unit all of those subsystems have to work together. The third

Sociology constantly debates how society works. Sociology cannot be proven right or wrong but on the other hand, debated. Every sociologist is entitled to their opinion on the way society forms, works, and influences a specific people of a culture. This is why there are many different sociological perspectives formed from different sociologists that all have different theories on how society works. The founding fathers of sociology developed the three main perspectives: Functionalism, symbolic interactionism, or conflict. In short, the conflict perspective was developed by Karl Marx and he thought that society was a capitalist system. Everyone in society craves power and manipulate others in order to reach power. (Mooney, Knox, & Schacht, 2007) Then, symbolic interactionism also known as micro perspective, is the theory that our daily interactions through small groups are symbolized and make up societal norms and expectations that create society. Lastly, functionalism is the theory that everything in society is connected and needs to balance in order to function properly. Functionalism is the correct perspective in sociology on topics of education, religion and family.

WITH REFERENCE TO THE RANGE OF SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES, EXPLAIN HOW SOCIOLOGISTS ATTEMPT TO UNDERSTAND SOCIETY.

Structural functionalism views society as many parts, or structures, that work together to form a complete unit (Larkin, 2015). Structures work together to accomplish purposes, and structures can interact and influence one another. In structural functionalism, society is viewed as a whole, and because of this, it is important for there to be general agreements on views within the population (Larkin, 2015). When a community is all in agreement on social norms, values, and beliefs, society functions easily. However, if there are dysfunctions, it can affect the stability and strength of the society. Luckily, in our society, there is more function than dysfunction, which allows it to adjust without falling apart (Larkin, 2015). Accordingly, when there are major changes that happen in the community there must be adjustments made to preserve the equilibrium of the societial unit (Larkin, 2015). Structural functionalism is like the human body, when you are healthy and your body is properly functioning things are great; however, when one of your organs begins to fail, things can get very dysfunctional. This may cause your body to adjust in order to maintain an

Functionalism is one of the baselines in sociology and Emile Durkheim is one of the main players in defining the field of sociology as a science. He believed that every social structure existed only because it satisfied a specific social need. Additionally, it was Durkheim’s desire to delineate how sociology would be used and considered and to give it the tools of scientific methodology (Vissing, 2011). To integrate the tools of science with the theory of functionalism Durkheim examined how social structures integrated with social living. It was not until after Durkheim examined the interactions within the social structures that he came