Functionalists

Question 1

Functionalist Key Points

Answer 1

• Consensus theory - those that see people in society as having shared interests and society functioning on the basis of there being broad consensus on is norms and values.
• Sometimes referred to as the structural theorist because of the way it sees society as linked together as a structure.
• They sometimes use the organic analogy, seeing society as like a human body with different organ contributing to the whole.

Question 2

CD Functionalists

Answer 2

• Deviant/criminal behaviour can be functional for society.

Question 3

What is value consensus?

Answer 3

the majority of society sharing the same norms and values. This keeps social order and allows society to function effectively.

Question 4

What is anomie?

Answer 4

a state in which too many people do not learn values, have different norms and there is chaos (normlessness). Socialisation is important to prevent this.

Question 5

What is social solidary?

Answer 5

all members of society having a sense of cohesion and feeling of a whole. (World cup, graduation.)

Question 6

What is collective conscious?

Answer 6

all members in society share the same norms and values about what is right and wrong.

Question 7

Durkheim on CD

Answer 7

• Crime is an example of social solidarity. Members of a society share outrage over crime and it brings together “upright consciences”. For people to learn boundaries of what is acceptable, acts of crime and deviance must be punished and publicly condemned.

Question 8

What did Wayward Puritans, Erikson find?

Answer 8

when an individual breaks community boundary, society conducts public degradation ceremonies e.g. public trails, media coverage. When newspapers became popular, public floggings and hanging declined. Today this is done on radio, TV and social media. Societal reactions to deviance help society progress when a new value consensus is emerging. Homosexuality in the UK, used to be illegal, age of consent equalised in 2000, gay marriage in 2014.

Question 9

Deviance as a safety valve?

Answer 9

functionalist believe that deviance can allow people to let off steam to prevent worse deviance. Examples – casinos, gambling pranks etc.

Question 10

Davis 1961 Study was about …?

Answer 10

study of prostitution suggest the sexual desires of men do not match the need for restricted sexuality to raise children and have a functioning family. Prostitution provides a safe outlet for men, which stops the being promiscuous or committing sexual assaults.

Question 11

Evaluating Durkheim

Answer 11

• Doesn’t explain why individuals actually commit crime, why some people do it more than others or why different people are deviant in different ways.

Question 12

Merton and strain theory

Answer 12

– argue that there are clear, culturally defined goals in any social structure, and there are also clearly defined means to achieve these goals, which are designed to regulate the behaviour of society.