Functionalism

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  • Created by: rdowd40
  • Created on: 19-05-19 14:32

Initial ideas came from Durkheim in the 19th century was developed by Parsons in the 20th century. This theory became popular in the 1950s/60s. 

Functionalism is referred to as a macro-structuralist theory because it focuses on the needs of the social system as a whole and how they shape the main feature of society. It is also a consensus theory as it sees society as based on a value consensus.

Functionalism is a modernist theory that shares the goals of the enlightenment project (looking to science for explanations), because they believe we can obtain true knowledge of the functioning of society which can be used to improve society.

Functionalists often use an organic analogy - they say that society is like a biological organism:

  • SYSTEM - Organisms, such as the human body = society
  • SYSTEM NEEDS - Such as nutrition = socialisation
  • FUNCTIONS - Economy helps social system maintain needs for food and shelter

Value consensus and social order

Parsons argues that social order is achieved through the existence of shared culture. Social order can only be maintained if there is a value consensus.

E.g. NHS; right to education; laws against crime; democracy.

Integration of individuals

For Parsons, the system has 2 mechanisms for ensuring that individuals conform to shared norms and meets the system's needs: SOCIALISATION and SOCIAL CONTROL.

Because individuals are integrated, through socialisation and social control, into a shared value system, their behaviour is oriented towards pursuing society's shared goals and meeting its needs. 

The parts of the social system 

Building block approach - Individuals perform actions, these actions are governed by specific norms or rules. Roles tell us how the occupant of the status must carry out their duties. Status-roles also come in clusters, known as institutions. In turn, related institutions are grouped together into sub-systems. Finally the sub-systems make up the social system as a whole. 

The system's needs

Parsons identifies 4 basic needs, sometimes known as the 'AGIL schema'.

1. ADAPTATION: The social system meets its members' material needs through the economic syb-system.

2. GOAL ATTAINMENT: Society needs to set goals and allocate resources to achieve them.

3. INTEGRATION: The different parts of the system must be integrated together pursue shared goals.

4. LATENCY: refers to processes that maintain society over time.

Adaptation and goal attainment are instrumental needs, while he describes integration and latency are expressive needs. 

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