Functionalism Flashcards
What three similarities did Parson identify between society & biological organism?
- parsons uses the organic analogy comparing society to a biological organism >
- system > just like organisms are made of interdependent parts, society is composed of institutions that work together to maintain social stability
- systems needs> organs have needs such as nutrition, society system must meet essential needs such as members being socialised to continue
- function > each part must contribute to the systems maintenance e.g. circulatory system carries oxygen why the economy helps to maintain the social system by providing food & shelter
How does Parson argue that social order is achieved?
- it is possible due to existence of a shared value system or value consensus which allows individuals to cooperate and form a stable society
- value consensus is the glue that holds society together
How does value consensus make social order possible?
- does this by integrating individuals into the social system thereby directing them towards meeting the systems needs
- there are two mechanisms for ensuring that individuals conform to shared norms & meet the systems needs
- socialisation> individuals internalise society’s norms and values so that society becomes apart of their personality structure > agencies of socialisation include the family, education & religion
- social control > positive sanctions reward conformity while negative ones punish deviance
- behaviour is thus orientated towards pursuing society’s goals and meeting its needs
How does Parson explain the parts of a social system?
- Parsons presents a “building block” model of society made up of layers:
- Individual actions: At the base, each action follows social norms.
- Status roles: Individuals occupy roles (e.g. teacher), which come with expectations (e.g. not being biased).
- Institutions: Clusters of roles make up institutions (e.g. family consists of mother, father, child roles)
- Sub-systems: Institutions combine to form sub-systems (e.g. education, economy, factories).
- The social system: All subsystems form the overall society.
- Each level plays a part in meeting societal needs and maintaining order. e.g. the family contributes to socialisation (latency), while the economy contributes to adaptation.
What are the systems needs?
- in order to survive, the system must meet four basic needs – summarised in the AGIL schema:
1.Adaptation: Meeting material needs via the economic subsystem (e.g. jobs, production).
2.Goal Attainment: Defining & achieving societal goals via the political subsystem (e.g. governments, laws).
3.Integration: Coordinating different parts through the legal & educational subsystems, ensuring value consensus.
4.Latency: Maintaining motivation (perform roles) & managing tension via the family & cultural subsystems (e.g. religion, family routines). - Each subsystem has a clear function in sustaining the system > e.g. education both integrates and transmits core values (integration & latency).
How does parsons distinguish between two types of society and how does society evolve?
Parsons distinguishes between:
- Traditional societies: Based on ascribed status and particularistic values (e.g. family loyalty, caste systems).
- Modern societies: Based on achieved status and universalistic values (e.g. meritocracy, legal equality).
- Parsons sees change as gradual and evolutionary not revolutionary
- Societies undergo structural differentiation – where institutions become more specialised (e.g. from one institution performing multiple functions, like the family, to separate ones like schools & workplaces)
- Societies also experience dynamic equilibrium– a change in one part leads to adjustments in others to maintain stability
- uses the analogy of organisms evolving from simple to complex forms, like amoebas to humans, to explain how societies also evolve
Evaluation of Parsons view on society
- ignores groups who reject shared values e.g. subcultures
- ignores diversity > assumes a consensus exists which may not be the case in postmodern societies
- assumes a smooth functioning ignoring conflict or dysfunction
- ignores agency and the diversity of meanings that individuals may sign to roles > assumes passive conformity
What is the first assumption of Parsons that Merton criticises?
- Parson assumed that all parts of society are **functionally indispensable **> meaning they are essential and cannot be replaced
- Merton > this assumption is untested, he argued that there can be functional alternatives
- other institutions or family structures could perform the same roles e.g. extended families can also provided socialisation not just the NF
What is the second assumption of Parson that Merton criticises?
- Parson assumes that all parts of society are integrated into a unified whole and a change in one part would have a knock effect on the rest
- Merton > in complex modern societies this is not always the case as some parts may be loosely connected or even independent (functional autonomy)
- e.g. changes in the banking system may not directly affect recreational activities like sport e.g. netball
What is the third assumption of Parson that Merton criticises?
- Parson assumes every institution performs positive functions for society
- Merton > introduced the idea dysfunctions, not all parts benefit everyone
- some structure may help certain groups but harms others e.g. the education system may benefit the m/c more than the w/c students
What does Merton also distinguish between?
- manifest functions (intended) > education system is to transmit knowledge and skills needed for the workforce
- latent functions (unintended) > socialises young people to be obedient and punctual > value by capitalists
- also serves a childminding function allowing parents to work full time
Evaluation of Merton’s internal critique of functionalism
- acknowledges inequality and conflict
- more applicable to todays fragmented society
- not all alternatives are equally effective or valued in all societies
- weakens the functionalist idea of a value consensus > if dysfunction is widespread then value consensus is questionable
What are the logical criticism of functionalism?
- it is criticised for being too teleological > explains the institution like the family in terms of their effects (function it performs) e.g. socialisation > this is reverse logic
- doesn’t identify what caused the family to exist in the first place
- functionalism is unfalsifiable > e.g. if someone commits a crime functionalists would say is dysfunctional but also functional, if every behaviour is both then nothing can dis[rove the theory
What are the conflict perspective critiques of functionalism?
- Marxists argue functionalism ignores conflict and power
- it wrongly assumes that society is a harmonious whole with shared goals
- in reality society is shaped by class conflict with dominant groups imposing values through ideological control
- accuses them of being a conservative ideology that justifies the status quo by presenting social order as desirable and natural
What are the action theories critiques of functionalism?
- Dennis Wrong> argues that functionalism has an over-socialised view of individuals > it portrays people as passive products of socialisation with little autonomy
- ignores individual agency and how people actively create and interpret their own social life
- society is also not a thing out there with its own independent existence
What are the postmodernist critiques of functionalism?
- functionalists assume that society is stable & orderly which is no longer appropriate in the fragmented, diverse, globalised world we now live in
- criticise functionalism as a meta narrative an outdated big theory that fails to capture fluid identities, cultures and shifting norms
