Functionalism: The Conflict Between Social Classes

“A system of interconnected parts that work together in harmony to maintain a state of balance and social equilibrium for the whole” (Mooney et al, 2007). Functionalism views social class as a pathway into poverty, this conveys the construction of an "underclass", that has its own surrounding culture and the "underclass" are allocated the bottom position of the "social hierarchy" for the concept of their deviant nature in functionalists eyes is deserved. Where an individual has been seen to work hard, exceed in future meritocracy, functionalists view those as deserving of a good job with high earnings, when compared to those individuals that are seen as those who have not worked hard to succeed should fully deserve the lower status and less earnings from a weaker job. Many accept this …show more content…
Marxism describes the capitalist class, the capitalist control the flow of capital wealth and income, they generally have the power/ ownership of land, factories and banks. “a Marxist term for the working class, whose labour power is exploited by the bourgeoisie” (Chapman 2002, p115). There is seen as a division between upper and lower class caused by Stratification; that society is muti-layered in hierarchal structure resulting in the split between the two classes, creating the conflict by the bourgeoisie, through the proletariat seen to he living in supposed horrible conditions. Which encourages theft along with other crimes for they cannot support themselves. Lacking the bare requirements for living, Proletariats can turn to turn onto drugs and alcohol as a way to cope with the issues such as depression, stress and anger of struggling below the poverty line. There life chances can be decreased as they become less employable to employers as being poor they cannot afford to maintain themselves, such as wash regularly or have clean