Sociological theory

Question 1

What is Functionalism a view of?

Answer 1

society that is concerned with understanding social order and social organisation

Question 2

What is it based on?

Answer 2

the idea that society can only exist if people share values and culture.

Question 3

Consensus def?

Answer 3

A general agreement

Question 4

What will contribute to the smooth running of society?

Answer 4

People and social institution for example, family, education, and politics

Question 5

Why is this?

Answer 5

they all share values

Question 6

What is seen as a problem?

Answer 6

Anything that disrupts the smooth running of society

Question 7

What is the functionalist theory based on?
what is this called

Answer 7

The view that society works in a similar way to the human body
Organic analogy

Question 8

What does this analogy refer to?

Answer 8

various organs doing different jobs .
Therefore, without some key organs, the body will die

Question 9

What does this relate to?

Answer 9

the way social institutions have different roles; if some of these institutions do not work, then society cannot survive.

Question 10

How does the family reproduce members of society?

Answer 10

both physically and culturally, through socialization

Question 11

What does the education system produce?

Answer 11

An educated workforce

Question 12

Why do functionalists approach tend to be conservative?

Answer 12

because it is assumed that ordered societies work well

Question 13

What are functionalists’ thinkers associated with?

Answer 13

The positivists scientific approach to research; they collect quantitative data, often basing their work on government statistics.

Question 14

When was the functionalists view popular?

Answer 14

in the 1940s and 1950s in the USA

Question 15

When was it challenged by other theories?

Answer 15

in the 1970s

Question 16

Criticism of functionalism?

Answer 16

Suggests we already live in the best possible world

Question 17

Why is this a criticism?

Answer 17

It does not explain why and how society has changed; it overlooks the effects of major social inequalities, e.g., sexism and classism.
t tends to view individuals as being governed by social rules.
It overlooks the extent to which people choose how to act and think.
Marxists have criticized functionism because they think it supports capitalism and it overlooks alternative ways of organizing society.
Despite it claiming to be scientific, there is very little research evidence to support functionalism.
Despite the fact that this is less popular than it was once in sociology, functionalism provides a starting point for new sociological theories, and this can be seen with the rise of the New Right.
Functionalism has had some very important influence on government, especially in the areas of the welfare state and family policies.

Question 18

Strengths of functionalism?

Answer 18

It suggests how people are socialised into the values of their culture.
It is apparent that people do appear to share values and ideas much of the time.
It provides a starting point for other theories to develop from
It explains the roles of important social institutions.
( family, education, police force)
Recognising functional thinking
Functionist writers tend to talk in turns of values, organisations and institutions.
They look at society as a whole.
They do not look at individuals, this approach is known as macro - sociology.
It looks at the big picture of how things work.

Question 19

Strengths of functionalism pt 2?

Answer 19

Functionalists tend to argue that some forms of family are better for society than others.
They consider education as being a system that works to get the best people into the most important jobs for society.
These institutions exist in order to train new citizens , through the process of socalisation
Functionalism believes that inequality is good for society.
They believe it encourages the most able to take on responsibilities.

Question 20

When was Emile Durkheim around?

Answer 20

1858-1917

Question 21

Emile Durkheim?

Answer 21

Durkheim is best known for creating the earliest rules for studying society in a scientific fashion.
He looked at government statistics.
His main interest was exploring the ways that society held itself together and what joined people together.
He identified religion in traditional societies and educational in modern societies as key institutions.

Question 22

When was Talcott Parsons around?

Answer 22

1902 - 1979

Question 23

Talcott parsons?

Answer 23

Parsons was probably the most influential sociologist in the USA.
He wrote extensively and explained the work of other sociologists.
He claimed that social systems develop as they do, because they are functional or beneficial for society.

Question 24

When was Robert Merton around?

Answer 24

1910-2003

Question 25

Robert Merton?

Answer 25

He claimed that we learn our goals and the rules of behaviour from our society.
Therefore, society governs our actions.
We share our views of appropriate behaviour with others.
Crime, for example, is caused when people can not attain social goals, through the culturally expected rules of behaviour.

Question 26

What is Marxism a view of society concerned with?

Answer 26

Economics and social control

Question 27

What is this based on?

Answer 27

the view that there are 2 social classes
It believes that a capitalist society is based on oppression and exploitation of the poor by the rich
This is known as a conflict view of society

Question 28

What happens in capitalism?

Answer 28

the entire economic system is organised for the production of profit and wealth
It is owned by the private individuals for their own benefit

Question 28

How will a Marxist tend to study social organisations?

Answer 28

to see how they operate in order to control the actions and thinkings of poorer people

Question 28

How is Marxism similar to functionalism?

Answer 28

because it is concerned with social order and social structure

Question 29

What did Karl Marx believe?

Answer 29

believed that in all but the most primitive societies, some people were more powerful than all the rest
these people were able to maintain their position of power
this was because they controlled the resources, the government systems and the idea of society

Question 29

What is capitalism?

Answer 29

where modern society is organised in an economic system

Question 29

What does Functionalists view these in comparison to Marxists?

Answer 29

Functionalists view these as good for society but Marxists view it as only benefitting the rich and the powerful

Question 30

Why does this contradict fuctionalists?

Answer 30

they believe it to be efficient and acceptable
therefore marxism is a conflict view of society

Question 30

What does Marxists believe?

Answer 30

that social groups have different needs and wants
therefore, he believes that conflict will arise between the rich and the poorest people

Question 30

What did Marx believe about this?

Answer 30

that it is fundamentally and morally wrong

Question 31

Criticising marxism part 1?

Answer 31

Marx only looks at economic relationships and overlooks the fact that people have a range of reasons for their actions, for example, culture, tradition, and gender
Marxism is focused on class inequality and therefore It overlooks other inequalities, e.g., gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, and ethnicity.

Answer 32

Marx tended to view class in terms of conflict between the wealthy (bourgeoisie) and the poor ( proletarians). He did not foresee that a middle class would develop
Marx argued that poor people did not understand that they were being oppressed.
Thus, if you agree with Marx, you understand society.
However, if you disagree with Marxism, you are seen as not understanding society and have a false consciousness.
Although, Marxism is popular in society, it has been less influential in affecting government policy in the UK today.

could be said that this is because governments tend to be composed of people from rich backgrounds