Functionalism Flashcards
Who developed functionalism?
Talcott Parsons (1902-79) developed functionalism as a systematic theory of society.
What type of theory is functionalism?
Macro, structural, consensus and modernist theory
What type of analogy does functionalism use to describe society?
They use an organic analogy, they say that society is like a biological organism.
What three similarities between society and biological organisms did Parsons identify?
1) Both organisms and society are self-regulating systems of inter-related, interdependent parts
2) Both organisms and society have system needs that must be met for them to survive
3) Functions of parts of both systems contribute to the systems needs, ensuring survival.
How does Parsons say social order is achieved?
Achieved through the existence of a shared culture/ central value system.
Social order is only possible so long as members of society agree on these norms and values - value consensus.
Define culture
A culture is a set of norms, values, beliefs and goals shared by members of a society.
How does value consensus make social order possible?
By integrating individuals into the social system.
According to Parsons, what two mechanisms ensures individuals conform to shared norms and meet the system’s needs?
Socialisation and Social control
How does Socialisation ensure individuals conform to shared norms?
Socialisation allows individuals to internalise the system’s norms and values.
How does social control ensure individuals conform to shared norms?
Positive sanctions reward conformity, while negative ones punish deviance.
Describe Parsons’ model of the social system.
-The social system is made up of related sub-systems for example the economic sub-system of shops, factories etc.
-Sub-systems are then made up of institutions like the family, religion, education, work.
-Institutions then put people into status-roles which are the positions in the social system and the norms that are associated to that role, for example like mother.
-At the bottom of the social system is individual action which is affected by the status roles.
According to Parsons, what are the 4 system-needs?
(AGIL schema)
1) Adaptation
2) Goal attainment
3) Integration
4) Latency
Describe the system-need of Adaptation and the sub-system that meets it.
The social system meets it’s member’s material needs through the Economic sub-system
Describe the system-need of Goal attainment and the sub-system that meets it.
Society needs to set goals and allocate resources to achieve them. This is the function of the political sub-system, through institutions such as parliament
Describe the system-need of Integration and the sub-system that meets it
The different parts of the system must be integrated together to pursue shared goals. This is the role of the sub-system of religion, education and the media.
