Functionalist Flashcards
Substantive definition.
These focus on content or substance or religious belief, such as belief in god or supernatural. Eg, max weber defines religion as belief in superior or supernatural power and cannot be explained scientifically.
They are exclusive and draw a clear line better religious and non religious belief.
Functional definition.
Emily Durkheim, defines religion in terms of contribution it makes to social integration, rather than specific belief in God or supernatural.
Milton Yinger, identified functions that religion performs for individuals such as answering ultimate questions about meaning of life and what happens when we die.
Inclusive- allowing us to include a wide range of beliefs and practices that perform functions such as intergration.
Constructionist definition.
Take an interpretive at approach that focuses on how members of society define religion. Argue that it is not possible to produced a single universal definition of religion to cover all cases as in reality different individuals and groups mean diff things by ‘religion’.
Interested in how definition of religion are constructed, challenged and fought over.
Alan Aldridge, shows how for its followers, Scientology is a religion, whereas several gov have denied legal status and banned it.
Do not assume that religion always involved a belief in god or supernatural, or that it performs similar functions for everyone in all societies. Approach allowed them to get close to the meanings people themselves give to religion.
What’s meant by sacred.
Are things set apart and forbidden, that inspire feelings of awe, fear and wonderX and are surrounded by taboos and prohibitions.
What’s profane.
Things that have no special significance- things that are ordinary and mundane.
What’s the significance of the totem in clan worship?
When clam members worship their totemic animal, they are in reality worshipping society- even thought they are not aware of this fact.
What’s collective conscience?
Is the shared norms, values, belief and knowledge that makes social life and cooperation between individuals possible, without it society would disintegrate.
How do rituals reinforce the collective conscience.
Shared ritual binds individuals together, reminding them that they are part of single moral community to which they owe their loyalty. Such rituals also remind the individual of power of society, without which they themselves are nothing.
Outline two cognitive functions of religion.
Our ability to reason and think conceptually, eg, in order to think at all, we need categories such as time, space, cause, substance, number etc. and secondly, to share out thoughts, need to use same categories as others.
3 Critisism of durkheims view on religion.
Worsley, no sharp division between the scared and profane, that different clans share same totems. And even if Durkheim is right, this does not prove for all religions.
Hard to apply to large scale societies, where two or more religious communities may be in conflict.
Postmodernists argue that this idea cannot be applied to contemporary society, as increasing diversity has fragmented collective conscience, so no longer a single shared value system for religion to reinforce.
Psychological functions: what does malinowski say?
Agrees with Durkheim that religion promotes solidarity. However in his view, it does so by performing psychological functions for individuals, helping them cope with emotional stress that would undermine social solidarity
Malinowski, contrasts fishing in the lagoon and fishing in ocean explain.
Lagoon fishing is safe and uses the predictable and successful method of poisoning. When the islanders fish in the lagoon there is no ritual.
Ocean fishing is dangerous and uncertain and is always accompanied by canoe magic- rituals to ensure a safe and successful expedition. This gives people a sense of control which eases tension, give confidence to undertake hazardous tasks and reinforces group solidarity.
Explain at times of life crises?
Event s such as both, pubertyC marriage and especially disruptive changes in social groups. Religion helps to minimize disruption. Eg, funeral rituals reinforce a feeling of solidarity among the survivors. He argues that death is main reason for existence of religious belief.
What does parsons say?
Sees religion helping individuals cope with unforeseen events and uncontrollable outcomes. And identified two essential functions that religion perform in modern society.
- creates and legitimated co-written central values
- it is the primary source of meaning
Explain two essential functions performed in modern society (parsons)
Creates and legitimated society’s values: by making them sacred. So in USA,
Protestantism had sacralised the core American values. This serves to promote value consensus and so social stability.
Primary source of meaning: answered ultimate questions about human conditions such as why good suggest and why some die young. Event defy our sense of justice and make life appear meaningless and this undermine our commitments to society’s values. Religion helps maintain stability.
