Functionalism Flashcards
What view does functionalism take?
Consensus view - society is based on agreement on norms and values
What happens if this view does not occur?
Society will fall into anarchy (lawlessness and normlessness)
What are the 2 socialisation processes and where are they learnt?
PRIMARY - household and family
SECONDARY - education, workplace, media and religion
What is the organic analogy? And how is it linked to society?
Compares the body to society - without certain organs, the body would shut down. Without certain institutions, society will break down
Which sociologists sees education as having 2 functions?
Emile Durkheim
What are those 2 functions?
- creates social solidarity
- teach specialist skills
Which sociologist promotes meritocracy?
Talcott Parsons
What is meritocracy?
Achievement based on merit (equal opportunities)
-how hard you work is how status is gained ‘achieved status’
Who sees education as a proving ground?
Davis and Moore
How is education a proving ground?
-proving ground for students to show their ability -> selection and role allocation - identifying who should do what roles
What did Blau and Duncan believe?
Having the ‘right’ people in the right jobs improves the efficiency of the economy-> improving economic productivity and prosperity
What is the rose tinted view of society that criticises functionalism?
Functionalists only see the good parts of education,
- ignores inequality in education (class, ethnicity, gender)
- teacher racism
- inefficiency (wasting money)
How can Durkheim’s argument be criticised?
“Specialist skills” function applies to the ‘modern economy’ of the early 20th century (with a division of labour / fordism)
However, in the contemporary world (postmodern / postfordist / tertiary / service economy)
-more about creating ‘dynamic critical thinkers’
How can role allocation be criticised?
Circular argument-
Meritocracy = highly skilled individuals should be allocated ‘difficult roles’. How do we know these jobs are ‘difficult’? They’re highly paid…
Name one more criticism of functionalism?
Have an ‘over socialised’ view of students (as passive absorbers of information)
