functionalism

Question 1

what are social theories?

Answer 1

theory = SET OF IDEAS about society, which seek to EXPLAIN social changes

Question 2

3 key changes (for understanding theories)

Answer 2

URBANISATION - movement of people from rural to urban
SOCIAL MOBILITY - movement of ppl’s economic position
increasing developments in TRANSPORT and TECHNOLOGY

Question 3

modern theories include …

Answer 3

functionalism
marxism
feminism

Question 4

late modern theories include …

Answer 4

interpretivism

Question 5

what are structural theories?

Answer 5

they argue that SOCIETY SHAPES THE INDIVIDUAL
- social action theories suggest the individual has a greater role in shaping society

Question 6

functionalism

Answer 6

structural theory
- argues that society plays a powerful role in shaping the individual
- society has a POSITIVE effect on the individual and wider group - CONSENSUS view

Question 7

6 key functionalist concepts

Answer 7

SOCIALISATION - important process where ppl internalise the norms + values, eg children being taught manners
NORMS - behaviour that’s considered normal, eg shaking hands
VALUES - ideas about what’s considered right and wrong, eg being on time
SOCIAL SOLIDARITY - sense of being part of a wider society, eg attending public meetings
COLLECTIVE CONSCIENCE - sharing ideas about right and wrong, being aware of this, eg grieving w other members of the public
ANOMIE - where ppl aren’t sufficiently integrated into society, they’re normless

Question 8

functionalism & consensus view

Answer 8

they argue there’s AGREEMENT / consensus among ppl in society
- about what’s considered right and wrong
- shared view about that importance of the wider social group

Question 9

evaluation of functionalism

Answer 9

functionalist views may NOT be RELEVANT TODAY
- today society is very different (to when many functionalists were writing)
- back then, society was made up of ppl w similar ethnic backgrounds
- now, more from a wide range of diff. cultural backgrounds living together
- can be more difficult to agree on common values
- these diff. views can lead to social conflict

Question 10

give an example of something that challenges functionalist views

Answer 10

historical religious conflict between protestants and catholic
- northern ireland
- religion may not be an institution which contributes to shared values
- religion acc created conflict
- challenges durkheim’s view (society is made up of similar institutions based on consensus)
- religious diversity

Question 11

key functionalist

Answer 11

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)

Question 12

what did Durkheim say?

Answer 12

started from the view that PEOPLE = SELFISH
- need to be encouraged to think about wider social group
- otherwise, there’s danger they’ll just think about themselves - society would break down

Question 13

what is collective conscience - Durkheim

Answer 13

shared set of ideas about the importance of the wider social group

Question 14

what did Durkheim explore?

Answer 14

change in society
- from small scale, tight knit communities to complex industrialised societies
- believed that social forces are important in shaping the person
- if people aren’t integrated fully, anomie and disorder would occur

Question 15

Durkheim believed it’s possible to ascertain …

Answer 15

SOCIAL FACTS
- about society
- can be used to understand and overcome social problems

Question 16

what ideas did Parsons (1902-1979) develop?

Answer 16

ORGANIC ANALOGY
- organs in the body are like INSTITUTIONS in society (eg family, religion, education, law)
- argues that if one part of the body fails, then the rest will too
- organs are INTERDEPENDENT - rely on each other

Question 17

how do people cooperate in society and how is social order possible? parson’s answer

Answer 17

people share a set of cultural values
- allows people to decide what’s important and what’s not
- VALUE CONSENSUS (set of ideas about what’s important)

Question 18

what does integration mean?

Answer 18

the process by which people learn to be part of society & the value consensus
- Parsons argued that people come integrated through 2 key processes

Question 19

what are the key processes of integration - Parsons

Answer 19

SOCIALISATION
- internalisation of norms / values
- in early years of life (primary) and throughout life (secondary)
SOCIAL CONTROL
- positive sanctions for conforming to the value consensus (&negative sanctions)
INTEGRATION
- people become fully part of society
- share similar values - value consensus
- society is harmonious

Question 20

how does society change? (Parsons’ view)

Answer 20

• structural differentiation
• his view was society is becoming more complex
• in the past, family carried out important functions, like healthcare, learning to write etc
• but now, other institutions have replaced these functions

Question 21

structural differentiation

Answer 21

process through which SOCIAL CHANGE occurs
- involving the loss of functions of institutions
- and the increasingly SPECIALISED functions of a WIDER RANGE of institutions

Question 22

evaluation of Parsons (OO)

Answer 22

can be criticised for being OVERLY OPTIMISTIC
- he argues that social harmony is positive and desirable
- BUT in reality, there is not harmony
- different groups experience CONFLICT in values

Question 23

criticism of Parsons (makes the assumption…)

Answer 23

he makes the assumption that people are similar and want society to work together in society
- this may have been true in the 50s ?
- today’s society is more CULTURALLY DIVERSE
- his ideas are NOT USEFUL in understanding contemporary society