The Four Perspectives Of Functionalism

1) Describe each of the four approaches
Functionalism
Functionalism is a macro sociological theory based on society. Functionalism focuses on accepting social inequality and issues that relate to society for example social evils. Functionalism also focuses on why human rights issues exist such as poverty, hunger, slavery and genocide. Although these are negative impacts on society functionalism believes everything that happens in society has a meaning or purpose. For example: individuals see crime as a negative impact on society, but if there was no crime there would be less jobs which lead to unemployment for police, crime investigators etc. Functionalism also have the ability to bring communities together over a purpose or function. Such …show more content…
Structuralism bases its context for the study of language, identifying structures in cultural and communal systems, explaining that objects and symbols give us as individual’s a certain meaning that we identify that object or symbol to. Emile Durkheim influenced structuralism to its existence in the early 1800’s where other theorists expanded his ideas and studies which are studied as scientifically and objectively as possible. Structuralism has the main idea that the meaning of words derives from the structure of language, not the words or objects they refer to. The main meaning of an object and symbol is created by the different related concepts that language recognizes. Structuralism has two main strengths which include. Firstly, being able to undertake an in-depth study of communication and culture. Secondly evolving from this being able to also study kinship, religions, cultural myths, ideology, and media. Structuralism does not reject any investigation of any other philologists. Structuralisms weakness includes having limited application because it studies, language while lacking the study as a society and social life for an individual. For example, political activity or empowerment. Secondly can only be useful when studying a desired aspect of social structures while rejecting the povitist conception of language. Strengths include …show more content…
This means that it focusses on the lower class making change towards the rich and focusing on the poor rather than the dominant. Marxism is best understood as a philosophy that is applied to society rather than a strict theoretical approach for example functionalism. Marxism generally believes that the dominant class who has the most wealth and power make the social system work for themselves not the majority. For example, the dominant class uses it for their selfish needs and to reinforce their dominant status. Created by ideas that reflected the awareness of the early industrial revolution in the UK and later on Europe. Marxists believe that societies experience struggle due to inequalities like wealth, value and power. Marxism contains different views but have common policies which include. Production is to produce great benefits for a minority at the expense of the exploited majority who are the poorer class. Meaning that it exploits the labour of its employees by paying them wages lesser value than the selling value of the item. If this did not happen the relationship could not function. The working class called the Proletariat produce goods to only benefit the dominant class called the bourgeoisie. This creates an economy which is the base to a social structure, with social forms that are nicknamed superstructure which is learning the normality