Key points
Consensus theory
Structural theory
Anomie
What are durkheims ideas of society
- Society shapes the individual via institutions
- Social solidarity, socialisation and anomie- SS is achieved via socialisation, when somebody does not receive this they feel a sense of anomie
Parsons
Society acts in a similar way to the human body, similarities include;
• system
• system needs
• functions
What are the two means of maintaining value consensus and social order?
Formal social control e.g. police
Informal social control e.g. family
What are the four basic needs of society (Gail)
Goal attainment
Adaption
Integration- specialist institutions develop to reduce conflict
Latency- unstated consequences of actions
Merton, what are his 3 criticisms of parsons theory?
Indispensability- not all social institutions are functions indispensable e.g. the family is not the only one to perform primary socialisation
Functional unity- not all are tightly linked
Universal functionalism- some are dis functional
External criticisms of functionalism
How can something be functional and disfunctional?
Unscientific
Wrong 1961 functionalism is deterministic