functionalism Flashcards
(23 cards)
what are social theories?
theory = SET OF IDEAS about society, which seek to EXPLAIN social changes
3 key changes (for understanding theories)
URBANISATION - movement of people from rural to urban
SOCIAL MOBILITY - movement of ppl’s economic position
increasing developments in TRANSPORT and TECHNOLOGY
modern theories include …
functionalism
marxism
feminism
late modern theories include …
interpretivism
what are structural theories?
they argue that SOCIETY SHAPES THE INDIVIDUAL
- social action theories suggest the individual has a greater role in shaping society
functionalism
structural theory
- argues that society plays a powerful role in shaping the individual
- society has a POSITIVE effect on the individual and wider group - CONSENSUS view
6 key functionalist concepts
SOCIALISATION - important process where ppl internalise the norms + values, eg children being taught manners
NORMS - behaviour that’s considered normal, eg shaking hands
VALUES - ideas about what’s considered right and wrong, eg being on time
SOCIAL SOLIDARITY - sense of being part of a wider society, eg attending public meetings
COLLECTIVE CONSCIENCE - sharing ideas about right and wrong, being aware of this, eg grieving w other members of the public
ANOMIE - where ppl aren’t sufficiently integrated into society, they’re normless
functionalism & consensus view
they argue there’s AGREEMENT / consensus among ppl in society
- about what’s considered right and wrong
- shared view about that importance of the wider social group
evaluation of functionalism
functionalist views may NOT be RELEVANT TODAY
- today society is very different (to when many functionalists were writing)
- back then, society was made up of ppl w similar ethnic backgrounds
- now, more from a wide range of diff. cultural backgrounds living together
- can be more difficult to agree on common values
- these diff. views can lead to social conflict
give an example of something that challenges functionalist views
historical religious conflict between protestants and catholic
- northern ireland
- religion may not be an institution which contributes to shared values
- religion acc created conflict
- challenges durkheim’s view (society is made up of similar institutions based on consensus)
- religious diversity
key functionalist
Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)
what did Durkheim say?
started from the view that PEOPLE = SELFISH
- need to be encouraged to think about wider social group
- otherwise, there’s danger they’ll just think about themselves - society would break down
what is collective conscience - Durkheim
shared set of ideas about the importance of the wider social group
what did Durkheim explore?
change in society
- from small scale, tight knit communities to complex industrialised societies
- believed that social forces are important in shaping the person
- if people aren’t integrated fully, anomie and disorder would occur
Durkheim believed it’s possible to ascertain …
SOCIAL FACTS
- about society
- can be used to understand and overcome social problems
what ideas did Parsons (1902-1979) develop?
ORGANIC ANALOGY
- organs in the body are like INSTITUTIONS in society (eg family, religion, education, law)
- argues that if one part of the body fails, then the rest will too
- organs are INTERDEPENDENT - rely on each other
how do people cooperate in society and how is social order possible? parson’s answer
people share a set of cultural values
- allows people to decide what’s important and what’s not
- VALUE CONSENSUS (set of ideas about what’s important)
what does integration mean?
the process by which people learn to be part of society & the value consensus
- Parsons argued that people come integrated through 2 key processes
what are the key processes of integration - Parsons
SOCIALISATION
- internalisation of norms / values
- in early years of life (primary) and throughout life (secondary)
SOCIAL CONTROL
- positive sanctions for conforming to the value consensus (&negative sanctions)
INTEGRATION
- people become fully part of society
- share similar values - value consensus
- society is harmonious
how does society change? (Parsons’ view)
- structural differentiation
- his view was society is becoming more complex
- in the past, family carried out important functions, like healthcare, learning to write etc
- but now, other institutions have replaced these functions
structural differentiation
process through which SOCIAL CHANGE occurs
- involving the loss of functions of institutions
- and the increasingly SPECIALISED functions of a WIDER RANGE of institutions
evaluation of Parsons (OO)
can be criticised for being OVERLY OPTIMISTIC
- he argues that social harmony is positive and desirable
- BUT in reality, there is not harmony
- different groups experience CONFLICT in values
criticism of Parsons (makes the assumption…)
he makes the assumption that people are similar and want society to work together in society
- this may have been true in the 50s ?
- today’s society is more CULTURALLY DIVERSE
- his ideas are NOT USEFUL in understanding contemporary society
