Society as a System

Question 1

Outline functionalism

Answer 1

• It’s a macro, structural theory. Focuses on the needs of the social system as a whole and how these needs shape all the main features of society.
• It’s a consensus theory and sees society as based on agreement among its members about values and goals.

Question 2

What do functionalists compare society with, to describe society?

Answer 2

Parsons proposes the organic analogy, and identifies 3 similarities between society and an organism
- System: organisms and societies are both self-regulating systems of inter-related parts that fit together. In the body, there are organs and in society there are institutions.
- System needs: organisms have needs (e.g. nutrition) and if these aren’t met, the organism will die. Society also has basic needs to survive (people must be socialised for society to continue)
- Functions: the function of any part of a system is to contribute to meeting the system’s needs and ensuring its survival.

Question 3

How does society create social order and social solidarity?

Answer 3

• Parsons argues social order is achieved through a shared culture by members of a society, which is social solidarity. It provides a framework that allows individuals to cooperate by laying down rules that apply to all, creating social order.
• When people agree on these norms, Parsons calls this value consensus.

Question 4

What is the function of value consensus?

Answer 4

It makes social order possible, which is done by integrating people into the social system, which directs them towards meeting the system’s needs

Question 5

What are the 2 functions of society to ensure people conform to shared norms and meet the system’s needs?

Answer 5

• Socialisation: teaching individuals to do what it required. Through this process, people internalise the system’s values so society becomes part of their personality. Agencies of socialisation (family, education, religion) all contribute to this process
• Social control: positive sanctions reward conformity while negative ones punish deviance. e.g. in education, someone might be rewarded with a diploma, while those who deviate by dropping out may be stigmatised.

Question 6

Describe Parsons’ ‘building block’ model of the social system

Answer 6

• At the bottom, we perform actions governed by specific norms, these norms come in ‘clusters’ called status-roles. Statuses are positions in society e.g. teacher while roles are sets of norms that tell us how the those with status must carry out their duties.
• Status-roles also come in clusters, known as institutions. e.g. the family is an institution made up roles of the father, mother etc. Institutions are grouped together into sub-systems, e.g. shops, banks etc form the economic sub-system to meet society’s material needs. These sub-systems together make up the whole social system

Question 7

Describe the 4 basic needs of society

Answer 7

Parsons calls the 4 basic needs as the ‘AGIL schema’, each needs to met by a separate sub-system.
- Adaption: society meets it members’ material needs through the economic sub-system
- Goal attainment: society sets goals and allocates resources to achievement, which is met by the political sub-system (made up parliament etc)
- Integration: different parts of the system must be integrated to pursue shared goals, met by the cultural sub-system made of religion, education and media.
- Latency: the processes that maintain society. The kinship sub-system provides pattern maintenance (socialising people to perform the roles of society) and tension management (a place to relax after the stresses of work)

Question 8

What are the instrumental and expressive needs to society?

Answer 8

• Parsons describes adaptation and goal attainment as instrumental needs, referring to the means to an end such as producing food to maintain the population
• Integration and latency are expressive needs as they involved the expression of emotions

Question 9

What are the 2 types of societies identified by Parsons?

Answer 9

• In modern society, we pursue our individual self-interest, achieve status and all judged by universalistic standards
• In traditional societies, individuals put collective interests first, status is ascribed and judged by particularistic standards

Question 10

How do societies change from one to the other?

Answer 10

• For Parsons, change is gradual and a result of structural differentiation
• For example, in traditional society a single institution (kinship system) organised production and consumption (adaption), political leadership (goal attainment), socialisation (latency) and religious functions (integration)
• But as societies develop, the kinship loses these functions due to schools, churches etc. Parsons calls this structural differentiation, a gradual process where separate, functionally specialised institutions develop, each meeting a different need.