Flashcards
Functionalism
Cards in this deck (20)
- 1What type of theory is Functionalism?Macro structuralist theory - external factors influence and constrain our behaviour
- 2Define the organic analogyInterdependent parts of society fit together to meet the system needs and its functions
- 3What did Durkheim say society is kept together by?Society is kept together by social solidarity & collective consciousness without this = anomie
- 4How did Parsons say social order is achieved?By value consensus
- 5What is integration?Directing individuals towards meeting the systems needs
- 6Why is socialisation important?Individuals internalise the systems norms and values so that society becomes a part of their personality structure
- 7What is social control?Positive sanctions for conformity, punishments for deviance. Behaviour is directed towards pursuing society's shared goals and meeting it's needs
- 8(A)ADAPTATION - meeting material needs in the economic subsystem
- 9(G)GOAL ATTAINMENT - set goals & allocate resources to achieve them in the political subsystem e.g. Parliament
- 10(I)INTEGRATION - integrate together to pursue shared goals e.g. religion, education and the media
- 11(L)LATENCY - maintain society through pattern maintenance e.g. kinship system
- 12What are the two different types of society?1. Traditional society (pattern variable A) - status is ascribed
2. Modern society (pattern variable B) - can achieve status through their own means - 13What did Parsons say about social change (2 points)1. Change is a gradual evolutionary process of increasing complexity & structural differentiation
2. Societies move from simple to complex society in which the kinship system loses functions via compensatory change e.g. nuclear to extended family - 14Merton's internal critique of functionalism - INDISPENSABILITYIgnores possibility of functional alternatives e.g. primary socialisation can be done by lone parent families just as well as the nuclear family
- 15Merton's internal critique of functionalism - FUNCTIONAL UNITYComplex modern societies have modern parts that are only distantly related to one another; may have functional autonomy instead
- 16Merton's internal critique of functionalism - UNIVERSAL FUNCTIONALISMSome things may perform positive functions for some and dysfunctional functions for others
- 17External critique of Functionalism - LOGICAL CRITICISMSUnscientific as it is unfalsifiable e.g. if deviance is both functional & dysfunctional, cannot be disproved
- 18External critique of Functionalism - CONFLICT PERSPECTIVEMarxism; functionalism is a conservative ideology that maintains/legitimates the status quo
- 19External critique of Functionalism - ACTION PERSPECTIVEWrong - deterministic view of the individual (presumes we are mere puppets whose strings are pulled by the social system)
- 20External critique of Functionalism - POSTMODERNISMCannot account for the diversity and instability. A meta-narrative is no longer possible due to fragmentation
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- A-Level Sociology (SCLY4 - Theory) Flashcards on Functionalism, created by Ellen Worrall on 29/05/2016.
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- Ellen Worrall
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