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Structural consensus: Functionalism - Coggle Diagram
Structural consensus: Functionalism
Durkeim
No subjectivity with these, and they are free from bias as they are based on facts rather than emotions
Social institutions shape the process of socialisation which leads to value consensus, social solidarity, and social cohesion
Invested in social facts (objective truths), for example law, language
All social phenomena performs positive functions for society
Influenced the works of Functionalists like Parsons and Merton
Parsons - systems
Working together to allow society function smoothly (religion, education, work, place, family)
Society can thrive rather than fail if the needs are met, and if they are not, it will lead to anomie
Systems are like organisms, such as the human body, both self regulating but also inter-dependent, working collectively as institutions
Social order
Social order creates a central value system - society's belief in the norms and values in society
Anomie goes against central value system
If there is not social order, it will lead to anomie
Allows society to run smoothly as there is value consensus - agreement over what is right and wrong in society
Stability and consensus in society between members
Value consensus requires 3 things
Social integration - individuals need to feel belonging in society (eg. religion, response to crime, education system)
Social control - formal and informal social control, rewarded for conformity and sanctioned for deviance
Socialisation - process of learning norms and values for every individual in society (eg. family, education, religion, media)
Parsons
Goal attainment - society sets goals that should be achievable for members, and should allocate resources to help achieve goals (political subsystem making schemes)
Integration - how different institutions work together to help individuals achieve these goals
Adaptions - social system must adapt to material needs (economic subsystem must respond to the needs of its members)
Latency - society's institutions remain consistent over time, including times of rapid social change
For society to function / be successful, it must fulfil prerequisites
This is referred to as the AGIL scheme
Durkheim - social change
Small communities, fend for themselves, no clear division of labour, particularistic standards, collective interests
Society today is like the digestive system - many aspects of the human body working together
Completely regenerative, able to survive on its own, doesn't rely on others
Individual interests, achieved status, using other things to support our needs, universalistic standards. specialised division of labour
What society looked like in preindustrial times is compared to an amoeba cell
Parsons - structural differentiation
Family takes on the role of religion, teaching moral values
Education takes on the role of providing knowledge about the world
Science takes on the role of religion - answering ultimate questions
Society's are responsible for functions of other institutions
Analysis (AO3)
Secularisation - less than 50% are religion
Turning to things like friends / family
Relevant to contemporary society
No longer religion providing these functions
Evaluation (AO3)
Exaggerates difference between the institutions - they are more complimentary to each other rather than taking over each others' functions
Not indispensable - for example, the argument that primary socialisation happens most efficiently in the nuclear family is an untested argument, and there could be many others that work
Ethnocentric - Islam is growing (against secularisation), so structural differentiation is not applicable
Religion may not be necessary, as others can perform similar functions
Merton is critical of aspects of Parson's work
Education can work in other ways and still be effective
Functional unity - all of society's institutions are not necessarily tightly connected, as what happens in one may not impact another
The idea that every function is intended is criticised, as there are latent functions (eg. with education, the manifest function is knowledge and the latent function is gender socialisation)
Marxism - society is in conflict, and there is division between social classes
Postmodernism - outdated theory doesn't take into account diversity in society, and Functionalism is a metanarrative
Dennis Wong - it is deterministic as it doesn't account for free will / choice of individuals
Craib - highlights that Parson's theory has its flaws, but remains a theory that provides an explanation for the whole of society