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Functionalism AC 2.3 - Coggle Diagram
Functionalism AC 2.3
theory
Durkheim was the ‘founding Father’ of Sociology.He believed that everything in society, all its social institutions like family, religion, media and even crime and deviance serve a function in society and that they help society to function effectively.
key points
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Social rules of behaviour (norms) and important beliefs (values) are taught by social institutions such as the family and school by a process called socialisation.
The transmission of norms and values and the enforcement of laws is essential if society is to be stable and safe for all.
Institutions like the police, courts and government enforce the norms and values to maintain social control.
Durkheim's view on crime
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If there is no crime or deviance, however, society becomes stagnant and cannot develop.
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Key terms
Norm - an expected behaviour, something that is socially acceptable.
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Socialisation - process of learning, we first learn from our families (primary socialisation) and then from other institutions such as education (secondary socialisation)
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Value Consensus - when everyone agrees on the norms and values and we are all properly socialised into them then value consensus is achieved
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Adaption and change
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If everyone simply conformed, we wouldn’t have had the Suffragettes or the Civil Rights movement.
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Boundary Maintenance
Crimes can create public outrage which reinforces our collective conscience and our shared norms and values
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Safety Valve
According to some Functionalists, committing some crime can be used to relax from the stresses of life which can be beneficial for maintaining social order.
One very controversial statement came from Cohen:
“Prostitution acts as a ‘safety valves’ enabling married men to escape from family life and relieve tension without damaging the family unit”
The organic analogy
Society is often compared to the human body by Functionalist, creating what we call the Organic Analogy.