Professional Documents
Culture Documents
FUNCTIONALISM
This perspective focuses on social systems as a whole, how they operate, how they change, and the social consequences they produce. Society is more than the sum of its parts; rather, each part of society is functional for the stability of the whole society.
government/state children of the family family school children state Purpose: ORDER, STABILITY, & PRODUCTIVITY Examples:
The view that social institutionsboth FORMAL organizational sets (law, religion, politics) and INFORMAL but commonly recurring
TALCOTT PARSONS
1902-1979 December 13, 1902 May 8, 1979 20th centurys most influential American sociologist Laid the foundation for what was to become the modern Functionalist Perspective. Developed a general theory for the study of society called action theory.
OF LABOUR
F O R PA R S O N S T W O PA R T I C U L A R THINGS STRUCK HIM ABOUT LIFE IN 1950S USA THE CONSIDERABLE AFFLUENCE ENJOYED BY MANY
(Downtown Los Angeles early 1900s and 2010) Times of progress and improvement ? Functionalists thought so.
Both sociologists developed a view which focuses on the idea that societies EVOLVE , grow or develop - a bit like living organisms
Societies are simply organised to start with, but over time they grow and become more complex
The systems and the society are held together because everyone shares the same values
The shared culture is transmitted through SOCIALIZATION into common norms and values
Industrial societies could be DYSFUNCTIONAL if essential needs are not being met or if some groups cannot achieve the goals of the whole society. - ROBERT MERTON