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THEORIES AND METHODS FUNCTIONALISM - Coggle Diagram
THEORIES AND METHODS
FUNCTIONALISM
modernist, structuralist, consensus theory
durkheim
society much more important than any individual and it is the individuals job to play their role in ensuring it's survival
value consensus, collective consciousness and social solidarity
if
value consensus
wears away, this can lead to anomie, this is stopped by reinforcing
collective consciousness
and
social solidarity
through positive and negative sanctions
ways of reinforcing these things include:
socialisation into value consensus such as family primary socialisation and education secondary socialisation. work together to create value consensus e.g. curriculum
social control such as the criminal justice system promoting good behaviour through fear of punishment if bad behaviour, family also social control as praise and punishment help develop good morals
consensus structuralism, believes that society works as a human body- organ analogy
alike the body having vital organs that work together to help body survive, functionalists believe society's structures work together to help society work
each institution meets functional pre-requisites for society, if parts malfunction e.g. crime, we are reminded of societal norms and values
parsons
organic analogy
system needs
functionalists see society as having needs like the human body e.g. humans need adequate socialisation for society to survive
functions
function of any system is the contribution to meeting the system's needs e.g. economy maintaining social system
system
organisms and societies both self-regulating systems of independent parts that fit together to make things work.
body
= organs
society
=institutions
central value system
socialisation and social control needed
socialisation- individuals taught to want to do what is needed so norms and values internalised
social control- positive sanctions reward conformity
value consensus
social order achieved through shared culture of value system
norms and values within it allows for cooperation
GAIL model
all societies 4 basic needs met by subsystems that work tg
A
daption
society has to provide basic standard of living
done through places of work such as factories and bank system
I
ntegration
society must develop institutions such as shared goals and reduce conflict
done through education system, religious institutions and media
L
atency
relates to how individuals are able to cope with change over time
done through providing kinship through institutions such as family
divided by Parsons into pattern maintenance (fams socialising members into acceptable behaviour) and tension management (ppl motivated to perform roles and not oppose society)
G
oal attainment
society has to have decision making procedures
done through institutions such as the political system
social change evolutionary, structural differentiation will take place overtime to bring social change e.g. traditional societies kinship was found in the structure of family but now may be found in education system
social change
traditionally societies were collective, ascribed status and particularistic standards
modern societies are individual, achieved status, universalistic standards
ao3 criticism of functionalism
merton
criticises Parsons as a functionalist himself
not all parts of social system work together, such links don't necessarily exist
no basis for Parsons' arguments of organic analogy
he points to 'latent functions' that have hidden consequences as dysfunctional
looks at aspects of social
social action labelling theory
func ignores free will and too deterministic
views us as puppets on strings, yet arguments for us determining society
marxists and feminists
society based on conflict and functionalism legitimises inequality and status quo
PM
today's society so fragmented to be explained in one way
logical criticism
functionalists state things exist because of their function, fails to explain causal relationships