Functionalism
- Created by: rsherburn
- Created on: 28-11-16 13:14
View mindmap
- Society as a system
- Organic Analogy (Parsons)
- System - society has parts (institutions) that fit together in fixed ways
- System needs - social systems have needs that must be met in order to survive. E.g socialisation allows society to continue
- Functions - the function of any part of society is the contribution it makes to meeting society's needs
- Value consensus and social order
- Parsons - social order is achieved through a shared culture
- Social order is only possible if members of society agree on the value consensus
- Integration of individuals
- Parsons - 2 mechanisms for ensuring conformity to shared norms:
- Socialisation - allows individuals internalise norms and values
- Social control - positive sanctions reward conformity, while negative ones punish deviance
- Parsons - 2 mechanisms for ensuring conformity to shared norms:
- The parts of the social system (Parsons)
- Individual actors - Each action is governed by specific rules, then...
- ....these norms are governed by clusters called status-roles, which are positions that exist in a social system (e.g. teacher) which tell us how they carry out their duty (e.g teachers don't show favouritism). Then...
- Status roles also come in clusters called institutions e.g. education. Then...
- ...Institutions are grouped together into sub systems (e.g. superstructure) and finally...
- ...These sub systems group together to form the social system
- ...Institutions are grouped together into sub systems (e.g. superstructure) and finally...
- Status roles also come in clusters called institutions e.g. education. Then...
- ....these norms are governed by clusters called status-roles, which are positions that exist in a social system (e.g. teacher) which tell us how they carry out their duty (e.g teachers don't show favouritism). Then...
- Individual actors - Each action is governed by specific rules, then...
- The system's needs (Parsons)
- Adaptation - the social system meets material needs through the economic sub-system
- Integration - the different parts of the system must be integrated together to pursue shared goals
- Latency - The processes that maintain society overtime. It provides pattern maintenance (individuals perform their roles society requires) and tension management (letting off steam)
- Goal attainment - society sets goals and allocates resources to achieve them through institutions
- Social change
- Parsons identifies 2 types of society:
- Modern society - we pursue our self-interests, achieve our status and are judged by universalistic standards
- Traditional society - we are expected to put collective interests first, status is ascribed and we are judged by particularistic standards
- Societies move from simple to complex structures, e.g. in traditional society, a single institution can perform many functions
- However, as societies develop, the complex structures lose their functions
- Parsons calls this structural differentiation - a gradual process in which separate institutions develop
- However, as societies develop, the complex structures lose their functions
- Parsons identifies 2 types of society:
- Organic Analogy (Parsons)
Comments
No comments have yet been made