Society shapes the individual and not the individual that shapes society. What is meant by that is that we are all products of our upbringings and learn through socialization what our beliefs are, what we agree on personally and often shared beliefs and the understanding of what is the “norm.” Through our primary interaction with others beginning at home and continuing onto school, college and work, our beliefs aren’t always set in stone and can change through time, growth and the interaction with others once outside the family. It seems to me that I would be more of a functionalist rather than a conflict theorist.
In modern societies the boundaries between the functionalist theory and the conflict theory are less clearly defined than in the times of Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim. However the main class groups such as landowners and the working class can still be identified in most societies. It seems to me that I would be more of a functionalist rather than a conflict theorist.
As our textbook says, “Functional analysis is a sociological theory that focuses on the structures that emerge in society and on the functions that these structures perform in the operation of society as a whole.” (Landis 467) In other words, functionalists see shared norms and values as being fundamental to society. They focus on social order based on understood agreements and view social change as occurring in a slow and orderly fashion. Functionalism assumes that society is a system whose various sections work together to encourage balance. It assumes that all aspects of society have a certain function. Although, if a part of this mechanism fails, it is not necessary that the whole society will fail because of it.
The Essay on Functionalist Theory
The functionalist theory is one that views the society as one that is social system made up of interrelated components. Each of these components is important and works together towards the achievement of a whole complete society. A common analogy supporting the functionalist theory is the human body which has several body organs which usually work together with problems in one organ affecting the ...
The functionalist perspective is embedded in the work of Emile Durkheim (1858-1917).
It gives us the view of society as an organism in which each part functions in a certain way to ensure the stability of the whole. “Durkheim explained that society was held together by a collective conscience – shared assumptions, sentiments and values” (Kelner).
However, society is something which exists on its own it has a structure of parts that maintains it.
Functionalists view the world as though everyone has a part in the system and everyone has to do their part in order for it all to work. The way they believe is “each generation passes down the ways of behavior and those ways are accepted as the normal ways of life” (Landis).
The functionalist is more accepting of the way things are in society and portray that to be the normal way of life.
Functionalists’ view of stratification is a credible view of the inequality and inevitable hierarchy that occurs in society, especially Western society, where there is high competition for high status positions, but those who deserve them gain them.
Society is analyzed as a whole by both conflict theory and functional analysis. Society is not a thing beyond individuals, which influences their beliefs and behavior. Rather, it is nothing but how individuals make sense of it.
However, functionalism is not a perfect theory. I didn’t like how it views the family. It works on the belief that families function in a way similar to the human body, with all systems within it working together to maintain the health and success of the society.
Works Cited
Durkheim, E. Suicide: A Study in Sociology. London: Routledgeg
Kelner, Shaul Letter. “The Urge to Punish Cheats: It Isn’t Merely Vengeance.” New York Times 29 January 2003: F3
The Term Paper on Societies’ Views On Mental Illness
Societies have been dealing with social issues throughout history. Whether it has been social class, civil rights, tradition, or religious conflict, societies have been trying to either over come the issues or change them all together. One social issue, in particular, that societies of been trying to deal with is people having some sort of mental illness. Historians, researchers, and ...
Landis, Judson R. Sociology: Concepts And Characteristics (Eleventh Edition).
California State University, Sacramento: Wadsworth, 2001.
