Functionalism

Question 1

Type of theory

Answer 1

• Modernist theory – we can obtain true knowledge of society and use this to make progress and improvements
• Macro, structuralist theory – understand society from the top down (the overall workings)
• Understand societal needs shape society – we are constrained by social facts which are external to us
• Aims to establish causal explanations of social behaviour
• Social facts – beliefs, moral codes and basic norms and values
• Consensus theory – regards society as stable and harmonious due to a value consensus

Question 2

Society as a system

Answer 2

● State society is analogous to a biological organism.
● System - self regulating interdependent parts e.g institutions/organs
● Having system needs - need for nutrition sleep when needs not met organs fail. In sociology if needs not met society is not stable so cannot survive.
● Functions - Interdependent parts must all perform functions in order to meet the needs of society due to the reliance on socialisation

Question 3

Value consensus and social order

Answer 3

● Social order is only possible through shared culture (Central value system)
● Consensus facilitates cooperation in society that ‘glues’ society together
● Social order only possible if members agree to social norms (Value consensus)

Question 4

Integration of individuals

Answer 4

● Two ways in which people conform to shared norms and values
○ Socialisation - internalise values and norms of society becomes part of personality structure
○ Social control - those who conform get rewards opposite get punished
○ E.g conform = high level education = higher salaries

Question 5

Parts of the social system

Answer 5

Norms: Rules that govern individuals actions
Status roles: Sets of norms that tells us how to act in different social positions
Institutions: Sets of status roles
Sub systems: groups of related institutions e.g shops,farms and banks economic sub system
Social system: Sub systems together that make up the system as a whole

Question 6

Needs of system

Answer 6

● Adaptation - relationship between social system and environment must adapt to survive in society today
● Goal attainment - need for all societies to set goals and allocate resources to achieve goals
● Integration - all subsystems must be integrated to achieve shared goals
● Latency - Processes that keep society going which is maintained by sub systems (pattern maintenance) and providing place to let off steam (tension management)

Question 7

Social change

Answer 7

● Modern society - status achieved through pursuit of individual goals based on self interest, judged by universalistic standards with deferred gratification
● Traditional societies - expected to put collective needs first which is how status is ascribed, judged by particularistic standards

Societies change through evolutionary processes so become more complex with structural differentiation

Question 8

External critiques of functionalism

Answer 8

1. Teleology - things exist because we can observe their effect or function functionalists are this as claims families exist to socialise children
2. Fail to explain conflict
   Marxists - society based on exploitation and unequal power division
   Dominant class impose views by coercion
3. Action theorist oppose this view individuals create society through own actions so reality is constructed giving meaning to interactions
4. Postmodernists argue that functionalists don’t account for diversity and instability in society