Functionalism

Question 1

What is the most important functional prerequisite (need)?

Answer 1

Social Order

Question 2

Who created Organic Analogy? and What is it?

Answer 2

Parsos

Similarities between society and organisms

Question 3

Name examples of needs or systems, systems and functions (organic analogy)

Answer 3

Systems: body=orgas, society = family, crime
Needs of Systems: body=nutrition for survival, society=money
Functions: body=functions help maintain organisms

Question 4

What are the 4 parts of society according to Parsons?

Answer 4

1. Individual actions - each action is governed by norms and values
2. Status roles - social roles, teacher=fair, meritocratic
3. Institutions - family/education
4. Subsystems - made up of different institutions, education (private/state), media (TV, radio)

Question 5

What are the 3 main needs of society according to Parsons? Which subsystems meet these?

Answer 5

1. Adaption: material needs, met by economic
2. Goal Attainment: society sets goals and creates ways for people to achieve them, met by education
3. Integration: the need to integrate people into shared norms/values, met by religion, education and media

Question 6

What is Social differentiation?

Answer 6

Where a number of subsystems take over the functions formerly performed by only one subsystem

Question 7

Name 2 strengths of this theory

Answer 7

It’s useful because its basic assumptions about the nature of society are true in part
Helpful to look at society as an integrated whole

Question 8

Name 4 weaknesses of this theory

Answer 8

Marxists: argue against the harmonious nature of society
Marxists: argue that the stability that Functionalists refer to does not benefit everyone in society
Feminists: argue that society is not harmonious
Interactionist: Functionalism is determinstic