functionalism Flashcards
what are functional prerequisites
(parsons) the factors that allow a society to maintain social order
adaptation
goal attainment
integration
pattern maintenance
society must keep them maintained for society to survive
Durkheims ideas
- specialist skills
- social solidarity
- society shapes an individual
- anomie is a product of lack of socialisation
parsons ideas
- functional prerequisites
- meritocracy
- particularistic and universal values
- school is a bridge between home for secondary socialisation
- irreducible function
ideas from the new right
- underclass
- welfare dependency
- personal responsibility
- privatisation
- marketisation
- inadequate socialisation
criticisms of functionalism
post modernists argue that functionalism assumes that people are just puppets who are determined by societal structures ignoring that people have agency and free will
instead society is made up on thousands of individual interactions that shape us
Organic Analogy
Society is like an organism, all parts of society need to function in order for society to run smoothly if a problem arises in one institution other institutions will fail
Parsons argues that there are functional prerequisites such as goal attainment that institutions need to be provide society for it to work
For example in crime the warning exemplifies that there is a failing institution that is leading to crime
Ex the death of Stephen Laurence was a warning of insitutionalised racism
Criticism of the organic analogy
Too positive in the view that all society’s institutions benefit everyone in society.
Marxists argue that schools benefit the RC whilst opressing the WC
Socialisation to gain value concern us
A set of norms and values are set in society. These values needs to passed on through socialisation in order to create a value concencus and social solidarity
Murdock argues that the family socialised children into the main functions of society such as monogamy in order to produce the next generation of society and make sure that no deviant family types develop and society stays stable
If there is no value conencud Durkheim argues this will lead to anomie and the breakdown of society
Criticism of socialisation
There isn’t always a value concencus due to the fact that depending on class race and gender socialisation happens differently and therefore not everyone gets socialised the same
Ex all children go to school and supposedly get the same socialisation yet deviant subcultures occur
Meritocracy
Functionalists argue that society is completely fair in giving people the chance to work hard and gain a higher status in society
Everyone is on a level playing field and those who work hard get to the top and those who don’t fill the society hierarchy
Example- within school everyone is equal in their chances to get good grade the outcome of education is down to hard work
Criticism of meritocracy
Marxists argue this is a myth
Capitalists use the idea of meritocracy in order to legitimise the working classes lower place in society. Making them feel as though it is there fault for being low i society and blurring their vision to their exploitation
Social change
Institutions must change in order for society to develop and keep social solitary like an organism or society will fall through
For example parsons argues that structural differentiation has taken place and institutions have develops taking over the role of religion. As people become less religious institutions like the NHS take over the medical functions that the church used to serve
Criticism of social change
