functionalism Flashcards
durkheim main points
- study of sociology as a science through positivist methodology
- social order is maintained through similarity in society- social cohesion
- social institutions maintain society, like religion and eductation
- the institutions are all essentail to the function of society, like organs in a body- organic analogy
- social norms and values evolve to move society forward- organic change
- boundary maintenance- a society comes together to condemn deviant acts, reaffirming their commitment to these norms and values
talcott parsons main points
- society is a system that has 4 functional prerequisites, they meet our needs through interconnected institutions:
- goal attainment (political) ensuring that the material needs of the many are met
- adaptation (economic)- the ability for the economy to provide for the material needs of the population
- integration (cultural/community organisations)- how the population comes to understand norms and values which is usually done through education, family, religion and media
-
latent functions (family and kinship):
- pattern maintenance- prepares people for their future roles in society and promotes meritocratic ideals
- tension management- the ability to relief tensions
- universal functionalism- social changes in one part of the system lead to changes elsewhere in society
Robert K Merton main points- internal critique
- suggested that institutions have functional autonomy- sections of society are independent from each other and do not change when others do
- not indispensible- social institutions can be replaced
- Parsons assumed that if an institution was functional for one part of society, it was functional for all parts. Some institutions can be dysfunctional for some people, while being functional for others. (this criticises universal functionalism)
- Parsons failed to realise the difference between manifest functions and latent consequences of these functions, which are not always good consequences.
functional prerequisites definition
basic needs of members of society
value consensus
moral code of society- right and wrong
anomie
normlessness, absence of norms and values
dysfunction
aspect of society that is not performing the intended function
positivism
methodological view that society can and should be studied scientifically
social solidarity
a sense of belonging to society that brings people together
organic analogy
society performs functions in the same way that organisms do
organic change
gradual change without intervention
socialisation
the process of learning norms and values
what are social facts?
- aspects of social life that shape all humans’ behaviour
- Durkheim- the most important subject to study in sociology
- they show how individuals have freedom, but with constraints
- constraints influence your behaviour such a =s norms, values, beliefs, ideologies, and structures (this applies to all societies)
Emile Durkheim
- social facts regulate society
- structural consensus approach
- how institutions affect human behaviour, by regulating right and wrong/teaching culture
- consensus and believes the functions of institutions are positive for all members of society
- methods- positivism, large scale and generalisable
functional prerequisites theory
- basic needs must be met for a society to survive
- all social phenomena has a fucntion just like the human body
- GAIL model explains his idea of functional prerequisites:
Goal attainment -> instrumental needs
Adaptation -> instrumental needs
Integration -> expressive needs
Latency -> expressive needs
structural differentiation
gradual change where specialised institutions are developed, the structure differs to suit the society
what is a pattern variable (Parsons)
a change in cultural values resulting from the development of societies, who become more effective at raising living standards as they develop and evolve
what is the difference between pattern variables type A and B?
- B is more typical of modern societies whereas A is pre-modern
- B=rationality and efficiency
- A= emotional ties, prominent in modern families
what are some external criticisms of functionalism?
- individuals have free will
- overemphasis on level of agreement in society
- society has no natural life cycle like a body
- Parsons ignores differences in power that have an impact
- does not explain why or how institutions develop
what is neo-functionalism?
a perspective that argues Parsons’ ideas can be modified to allow agency (free will)
what is a structural/macro approach?
a theory which views society from the top down, while individual behaviour is shaped by it
what are the 2 main types of structural theory and their differences?
- consensus: members of society have shared interests + social order benefits all
- conflict: society is divided by social groups with an imbalance of power
internal critique meaning
a criticism from someone who shares the same theoretical perspective but not the same explanation
dysfunction
not performing intended function
functional autonomy
sections of society are independent from each other and do not change when others do
indispensibility
Parsons argues that everything in society is functionally indispensible in its current form
functional alternatives critique
there are alternative functions of institutions than what Parsons suggests, not every institution is indispensible in the way it is. Other institutions can perform these functions just as well
functional unity
Parsons assumes that all parts of society have a functional unity, they all integrate into one whole and each part is functional for the rest of
manifest functions
intended function that may be unlikely to have desired effect
latent functions
hidden connections between social phenomena, unintended functions that happen as well
