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6 Cards in this Set
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5 Criticism of Parsons social system theory. |
1. Merton says it is impotent. It overlooks several factors like dysfunction. 2. Marxist say it avoids conflicts and is obsessed with integration. 3. Jonathan Turner says it is full of telologies and tautologies. 4. Giddens says it neglect aspects like power and authority. 5. Low utility and low testability |
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5 Criticisms of Marx's theory of class struggle. |
1. Frank Parkin (1972) points out that class exist even in socialist countries. 2. Weber and others have pointed out that there are other dimensions to stratification than economic. 3. Lenski asserts that a breakdown of capitalism leads to other modes of production than socialism. 4. According to Dahrendorf, manual working class have become increasingly heterogenous. It was confirmed by Darren Theil and Ken Roberts. 4. Class struggle moderated in Europe, the epitome of industrial capitalism. Workers become affluent. 5. Marx's prediction of future failed to materialize even after 130 years. Industrial capitalism grew stronger. |
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5 Criticism of Merton's theory of deviance |
1. Howard Becker in his 'Labelling theory reconsidered' (1947) article explained that deviance is not an intrinsic part of behavior itself. One is often labelled as deviant. Who is a deviant to one social group may not be deviant in another. Eg; a pacifist may be deviant in a group of soldiers. 2. Lemert in his human deviance, social problems and social control, 1972 argue that those who wield power also decides who is deviant. 3. Albert Cohen in its Deviance and Control, 1966; says deviance is created by a particular sub cultures followed by members of particular sub groups; not at the individual level. 4. Chicago school showed deviance vary according to economic prosperity in a given town. 5. Merton leaves out other factors that could create anomie. |
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5 Criticism of Weber's ideal types of social action. |
1. According to Hans Gerth and C W Mills, even though Weber emphasized on mental processes; he hardly spend anytime on it. 2. Weber ignores the latent functions of social action given by Merton. 3. His definition of social action is constrained by orientation towards others. Parsons expand it by including situational choices, aspirations of the actor and constraints. 4. He gives grater stress on individual meanings and lesser stress on the influence of social structure. 5. His claim of objectivity is also not true. Verstehen and ideal types are highly subjective. |
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Criticism Weber's theory of Capitalist-Protestant link. |
1. R H Tawney believes that Industrial revolution in England was independent of capitalism. It in fact built up the spirit of Calvinism. 2. It is only concerned with the working and producing aspect of Capitalism. 3. For capitalism to thrive a class of consumers is necessary, which is not incorporated by Weber. |
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Criticism of class in itself and class for itself. |
1. J. Westergaard in his study of British society have find out that even though in equalities are on the rise, class consciousness is declining. 2. Post modernists, Pakulski and Waters in their work 'The Death of class' have indicted that class based division is loosing it's significance, as newer cleavages in class keep emerging. 3. V. I. Lenin is of the opinion that when left to itself workers only develop 'trade union consciousness' not class consciousness. |
