Parsons: Meritocracy

Functionalism: Parsons, Meritocracy

• Draws many of Durkhein's ideas. 
• Sees the school as the 'focal socialising agency' in modern society, acting as a bridge between the family and wider society. 
• Bride needed because family and society operate on different principles. 
• Children need to learn a new way of living so that they can cope. 
• …