Theory Questions Flashcards
What are functionalists?
Tend to claim they provide scientific evidence. Generally linked to conservative politics because they claim that society is effective as it is
What do functionalists believe?
Society works in a similar way to the human body (Organic analogy). Associated with the positivist approach to research. Talk in terms of values, organisms, institutions and macro-sociology
What are the strengths of functionalism?
- Suggest that people socialised into the values of culture
- People share values and ideas
- Starting point for other theories to develop
- Explains the roles of important institutions
What is Marxism?
Marxists are critical of society and claim that political structures favour the rich. Linked to policies that support the working and poor people
What do Marxists believe?
Modern society is organised in an economic system of capitalism. Talks in terms of social control, power and ideology and consider how people are controlled
What are the strengths of Marxism?
- Explains global and national inequality
- Change is for society
- Illustrates the significance of social class
What are the criticisms of Marxism?
- Only looks at economic relationships
- Focussed on class inequality
- The middle-class is not considered
- Those who do not understand society are seen as having a ‘false consciousness’
What are some key thinkers of Marxism?
- Karl Marx
- Louis Althusser
What are the criticisms of functionalists?
- Suggests that we already live in a perfect world
- Doesn’t explain how societies change
- Overlooks the effects of social inequalities
- Not much research in evidence to support
What are some of the key thinkers of functionalism?
- Emile Durkheim
- Talcott Parsons
- Robert Merton
What is feminism?
Believe that policies work to support male control of society, so feminists argue that laws should be made to support the interests of women
What do feminists believe?
Gender differences can be seen by the way women are portrayed in the media, the way they are seen as property, how they are discriminated in the work place, and patriarchy
What are the strengths of feminism?
- Sexism does exist
- Women’s contribution to society has been overlooked
- Sexualising women damages self-esteem
- Evidence of inequality is demonstrated in statistics
What are the criticisms of feminism?
- Overlook other forms of inequality
- Women may vary among class and ethnicity
- Class inequality is overlooked
- Male attitudes are changing
-Gender system can be damaging to both genders
Who are some of the key thinkers of feminism?
- Sue Sharpe
- Germaine Greer
What is interactionism?
How we see the work influences how we behave, or interpret social situations and then decide how to act
What do interactionists believe?
Sees people as social actors who have a choice about who they play in society. We have to think about what is going on and decide what the response would be. Weber and Mead argues actions and beliefs are based on how they understand the world. Labelling theory
What are the strengths of interactionism?
- Explains how people develop a sense of self-identity
- Offers understandings of social process
- Gives rise to ethnographic methods
What are the criticisms of interactionism?
- Cannot explain social inequalities
- Does not explain how or why societies change
- It does not explain why some have more power than others
- Focusses on small-scale aspects of social life
Who are some of the key thinkers in interactionism?
- William Thomas
- Erving Goffman
What is postmodernism?
View society and its development through different stages
What do postmodernists believe?
- Science and rational thought become the meta-narrative. There is no absolute truth and no rules as people can do what they please. Change is natural, but no way of life is correct
What are the strengths of postmodernism?
- Social attitudes are changing
- People responding to choice help explain social change
-Highlights the impact of media and consumerism
What are the criticisms of postmodernism?
- Cannot be used as the basis of sociological research
- The theory states there is no theory
