Functionalism On The Role Of Socialization In Society

Outline and evaluate Functionalism and its view on the role of socialisation in society.

Stemming from the ideas of Emile Durkheim, Functionalism is a macro-theory. That is that society is a product of inter-related organisations and institutions. Functionalists theorise that through socialisation an individual will obtain shared values and ideas, behaviours and mannerisms which are then internalised and therefore enables them to exist with a society which is consensus as the general population adheres to this ‘social contract’ of shared beliefs. Thus, society is an entity that creates productivity, stability and order and that through formal or informal socialisation when growing up, we are taught the necessary ideologies to be able to function …show more content…
The ideas and values obtained within the school environment, through both the formal curriculum and through informal education from peers builds on the already particularistic ideas of the family to the more universalistic views that society has. Parsons states that when a child takes the ideas and values learnt through the family and brings then into the school system then this promotes value consensus. This being that all values are then shared and transmitted to peer groups and are shared and standardised. This culture is then internalised by children, meaning they adopt these consensus ideas as their own and use them later in society. This will benefit society from a functionalist perspective as it is imperative that we reach a value consensus to sustain a stable society and therefore to avoid conflict if children are taught similar ideologies there is less chance of conflict. Parsons argues that the school system of achievement and punishment also prepares individuals for working within society. That role allocation within an educational environment can be influential to the positions children will hold in later society. For example, as Functionalists argue that the school system is standardised and that all have equal opportunity to achieve, that if a child is to perform well educationally that it would naturally follow …show more content…
Through television, newspaper, magazines and the Internet. Wright argues that, now more than ever, television is as a form of informal education for children. For example, often behaviour observed within television programs is a form of role play to situations that would appear in life. Therefore, children are almost subliminally taught standardised behaviour by replicating circumstances that may not have been initiated within primary or secondary socialisation. This is a benefit to the functionalist theory, as this gives children the opportunity to understand behaviour of many different types and different ways to react. This gives them, from a functionalist perspective, a better opportunity of harmonising within society. Marxists would argue that this form of informal education is another form of oppression from the bourgeoisie. That as the minority in society with the majority of economic influence, they have the power to control the media and the messages which are released to the general population. Therefore, any ideas and values which they believed should be transmitted to and hence socialised to the younger generation will be. Also that the bourgeoisie can