Functionalism

The way a functionalist sees the world is a different group of people with different backgrounds and all that work together in a harmonious state keeping society in balance. The major theorist of this perspective is Durkheim who came to the idea that social institutions are the ones who keep society going as it is. In this perspective is assumed that social institutions are fair and that any problem society faces it would be overcome and the balance will always be restored. Now looking at what…

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…

Functionalism is a framework that in theory can define society as interrelated parts. Functionalism focus on broader aspects of social interaction rather than on a more personal basis. This can be compared to parts of a vehicle, or the human body, having parts working together to make a vehicle or a person work properly. For example if I wanted I wanted to see how the government worked in society I would look at each part of the government. With a functional mindset I would see that each part…

The medical profession enjoys a large amount of power and authority which could be argued is exercised through social control for various motives. However, while it is certain that the medical institution provides a service necessary to our society and to our health. Some sociological perspectives suggest that society 's reliance upon this institution blinds ones of it 's less than harmonious relationship with society, or that it is used against us for capitalism or the maintenance of the…

Functionalism is slightly different from the other five branches. In the other five branches we look deeply at what the mind is made of; however, in functionalism we look at what their role is. The function of the physical and the function of the immaterial are so closely related that they are of one substance. We could say that out…

Robert K. Merton created a theory called functionalism explaining that everything in society serves a function. These functions are formed from expected consequences which fill social needs; hence serving a function. Social institutions fabricate functions and anthropologists thrive to understand the use of these functions rather than judging their validity. With this, society gains a sense of predictability thus social stability is established. On the other hand, some institutions can provide…

Introduction Sociology is the scientific study of society, including patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture (Gordon, 1998 and Collins English Dictionary, 2012). It attempts to explain and understand the behaviours of human beings in the society (Haralambos and Holborn, 2008). More importantly, Sociology is a social science that uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about social order, acceptance, and…

The debate between the functionalisms and intentionalism was considered as the historiographical debate about the origins of the Holocaust. Timothy Mason was most commonly considered as the person who developed these two terms. As a functionalist himself, these two terms came from one of his papers which was about drawing focus away from Hitler as the sole explanation of the Holocaust. In our class, two papers were assigned and discussed regarding to the Holocaust origin and this intentionalist…

Functionalism “Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan” – Dr. Jose Rizal The timeless, and perhaps most prominent quote from Dr. Rizal has transcended through time. As a kid, I used to question myself what was the real meaning of this quote from our national hero. Until time came and I finally understood what he really meant. He was right. He has been right. Those who have become good, upright, decent, and noble leaders, political or not, have given us light and hope that the society we are living…

It gives you a better idea on how things work in society. Structural functionalism is a theory of society in which individuals, groups, and the institutions of any society are guided by an overarching social system. Basically, society is made up of many parts that work together for the society to function. However, these parts…