Functionalism Flashcards
What is organic analogy?
How, like a human body, society is a system that needs its needs met in order to perform its functions
Which sociologist noted the three similarities between society and a biological organism?
Parsons (1970)
What are the three similarities between society and the human organism?
System - body and society have interdependent parts that fit together in different ways - society = institutions (education system, family, religion)
System needs - basic needs that must be met for society to survive e.g. members have to be socialised in order for it to continue
Functions - the function of any part of society is the contribution it makes to meet society’s needs and help it survive e.g. economy for food and shelter
What is a value consensus?
Society agreeing with and abiding by society’s shared norms and values
How is social order maintained?
Socialisation and social control (awarding conformity and punishing deviance); allowing for the predictability and stability of people’s behaviour
What are the building blocks of the social system?
Individual actions - status-roles (norms and rules) - sub-systems (institutions) - social system (sub-systems)
What are Parson’s four basic needs?
Adaptation (meeting member’s material needs through the economic subsystem)
Goal-attainment (Setting goals and allocating resources to achieve them through the political sub-system)
Integration (Pursuing shared goals through religion and education)
Latency (Maintaining society over time - pattern maintenance (socialising individuals to go on performing the roles society requires) and tension management (let off steam after work)
What is different between traditional and modern societies?
Traditional - collective > individual; ascribed status; judged by particularistic standards (different laws for nobles and peasants)
Modern - individual > collective; achieved status; judged by universal standards (rule of law)
True or false - Durkheim came up with structural differentiation
False - it was Parsons
What is structural differentiation?
Separate, functionally specialised institutions develop, each meeting a different need e.g. schools fulfilling the integration role
According to Parsons, how is gradual change occurring?
Through moving equilibrium - change happening in one part of society affects the other e.g. rise of industry changing the family structure from extended to
