Functionalism and New Right Flashcards
How do functionalists view society?
as a system of interconnected parts which fit together to form an integrated whole
Who says that for any society to survive it must fulfill functional prerequisites which are?
Parsons
basic needs the must be met for society to survive
Parsons said for society to be healthy it must fulfill 4 functional prerequisites what are 2 of these?
Goal attainment - society needs to set goals and resources need to be available to achiever them
Adaption - society needs to meet members material needs
According to Parsons what is modern society categorised by?
Achievement based on performance
specificity of relationships with limited purposes
universalism - norms treating everyone the same
According to Parsons what is traditional society categorised by?
ascription of status based on fixed characteristics
diffuseness - relationships with range or purposes
particularism - norms treat people differently
immediate gratification
What does Parsons argues social change is caused by?
Structural differentiation - process by which separate, functionally specialised institutions develop, each meeting a different need
what did Durkheim say about society?
that it would fall into chaos without shared values. social institutions achieve this by socialising people into the collective conscious. modern society weakens social solidarity and the division of labour promotes difference between groups and rapid change undermines old norms and causes anomie which threatens social cohesion
how does Merton criticise parsons? what terms did merton introduce?
he argues that he assumes everything in society is indispensable in its existing form.
merton introduced dysfunction which is where someparts may not work as intended. he argues modern society has many parts which are only distantly related and some have functional autonomy from others so we cannot assume society is a smooth running and well integrated system
he suggested there were manifest functions of an institution which were the intended consequences and latent functions which were unintended he used the example of Hopi indians who would rain dance in times of draght to produce rain but this also would produce a sense of social solidarity during times of hardship
the functionalist theory is teleological explain how this could be illogical
it explains the existence of the family in terms of its effect for example the family exists because children need to be socialised. critics argue explanations should identify the cause which comes before the effect
how did Wrong criticise the functionalist view of society?
he said it is an ‘over socialised’ deterministic view of the individual. individuals are not mere puppets and have free will and choice
what did Craib say about Parsons’ theory?
that it has his faults but at least it is a theory of society as a whole
what does Murray say about the welfare state?
That it has undermined personal responsibility and devalued the importance of support from families and the traditional functions the family carried out
what do the new right believe the decline in the traditional family and increase in single mothers are threats to?
adequate socialisation and discipline to children due to lack of male role models
according to the new right what has interference of the welfare nanny state and decline in traditional family life led to?
a dependency culture with the emergence of a workshy underclass
