Functionalist Analysis of Youth Cultures

Question 1

Define the term value consensus

Answer 1

Shared agreement in society on norms and values

Question 2

What is anomie?

Answer 2

Where people have no sense of belonging and lack shared norms and values

Question 3

What causes anomie?

Answer 3

When society goes through a large amount of social change in a short amount of time

Question 4

Why does the youth stage pose a threat to social stability?

Answer 4

As we enter youth we seek independence and try to create our own sense of identity

Question 5

How do youth cultures prevent social instability?

Answer 5

Becoming part of a youth culture gives sense of solidarity which stays until adulthood

Question 6

Which transition stage of life do youth cultures help with?

Answer 6

Childhood to adulthood

Question 7

What is meant by the term rite of passage?

Answer 7

The process in which someone leaves childhood and breaks free from their parents

Question 8

Which sociologist said that youth cultures help young people to transition?

Answer 8

Parsons

Question 9

How do youth cultures help people to transition according to Parsons?

Answer 9

During the rite of passage stage young people feel like they need to be part of society

Question 10

Who created the sociological concept of ‘Limbo’?

Answer 10

Eisenstadt

Question 11

What is ‘Limbo’?

Answer 11

A period of uncertainty where young people can feel stress and anomie

Question 12

How does youth culture help with the ‘Limbo’ stage according to Einstadt?

Answer 12

It offers a safe outlet for them to express their frustration and make their own opinions

Question 13

According to Hirschi, why do some people get involved in deviant youth cultures?

Answer 13

No attachment to family members means they’re more likely to be influenced by peers who may be deviant

Question 14

What does Merton say the American Dream is?

Answer 14

Americans are socialised in to the value consensus of success and material wealth

Question 15

Why is the American Dream value consensus an issue for some to follow?

Answer 15

There was a strain between the socially encouraged goals of society and the socially acceptable ways of reaching them

Question 16

What are the 5 classes of peoples actions in society to achieve success?

Answer 16

Conformists Retreatists Rebels Innovators Ritualists

Question 17

What are the four adaptations?

Answer 17

Ritualists Retreatists Rebels Innovators

Question 18

What do Conformists do?

Answer 18

Worked toward their employment. Pursue American Dream through socially approved means

Question 19

What do Ritualists do?

Answer 19

Dont aspire to society’s goals but accept the means of achieving them. They have less ambitious goals

Question 20

What do Innovators do?

Answer 20

People seen as criminals who support the goals of society. Use criminal means to achieve the goals though

Question 21

What do Retreatists do?

Answer 21

Reject society’s goals and do their own thing such as drug addicts

Question 22

What do Rebels do?

Answer 22

Create alternative goals to society and seek a counterculture. Such as terrorists

Question 23

What are working class boys in Cohen’s study suffering from?

Answer 23

The aspiration of achieving middle class success but failing

Question 24

How do the working class boys in Cohen’s study solve this problem?

Answer 24

They behave badly and engage in antisocial behaviours

Question 25

What types of cultures might the working class boys join?

Answer 25

Anti-school subcultures

Question 26

Anti-school subcultures

Answer 26

They see you can succeed illegally, youths are inspired to do the same

Question 27

How do retreatists or rebels explain Hippy youth culture?

Answer 27

Lots of hippys dropped out of school which is retreatists, and lots of them took a lot of drugs which is the Rebel adaptation

Question 28

What did Durkheim say the purpose of evolving norms and values was?

Answer 28

To move society forward

Question 29

Who created the concept of social cohesion?

Answer 29

Durkheim

Question 30

What is social cohesion?

Answer 30

The idea that order in society is maintained with similarity

Question 31

How do acts of terrorism help set boundaries according to Durkheim?

Answer 31

It allows society to re-evaluate the norms and values in their culture

Question 32

What type of macro theory is Functionalism under?

Answer 32

Structuralism

Question 33

What are the 4 pre-requisites all agents of socialisation have? Who said this?

Answer 33

Goals, Adaptation, Integration, Latent Functions. Created by Parsons

Question 34

How would Marxists and Feminists criticise Functionalism in terms of their approach?

Answer 34

They would say they ignore the conflict in society

Question 35

What is an assumption which can be seen as a criticism of Functionalism with behaviour?

Answer 35

They assume that everyone follows the same behavioural patterns and that these are static

Question 36

What does Merton say about traditional agents of socialisation?

Answer 36

They can be changed

Question 37

Give an example of how agents of socialisation can be changed

Answer 37

People can be homeschooled instead of going to a public school