SOCIOLOGY - DEFINTIONS (FUNCTIONALISM, MARXISM, FEMINISM)

Durkheim explained that society was governed by a specific set of norms and values. However, when society does not follow the rules set out by society, Durkheim referred to this as Anomie which means that society is falling so apart. To prevent this from happened, Durkheim suggested that society needs to develop of for, of social solidarity. In doing so, individuals are encouraged to follow the rules which forms moral regulation. Functionalists believe that society should be examined scientifically, the scientific approach is adopted by the positivist approach. This way of gathering data allows functionalist to gather quantitative data so that they can make generalized theories about society which is know as a macro approach to gathering data. Finally, Talcott Parsons likened society to that of the human body as he bemused that social institutions interact with each other in the same way if human organs. he referred

He referred to this theory as the organic analogy. Parsons believed that the most important functions of social institutions is the creation of value consensus values which is an agreement of the shared values of society.

• Emile Durkheim

• Norms

• Values

• Anomie

• Social solidarity

• Moral regulation

• Positivist approach

• Quantitative

• Macro approach

• Talcott Parsons

• Organic analogy

• Social institutions

• Value consensus

Marxism was introduced by German philosopher Karl Marx. Marxism states that there are 2 social classes which are the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. Marx believed that the bourgeoise controlled the means of production and exploited the workers for financial gain. Along with Friedrich Engles (a fellow German philosopher), Marx and Engels wrote down their beliefs in their book which www called the communist manifesto. Marxists believe that the working class don't realize that they are being explo

exploited which they refer to as a false class consciousness. Marxists argue that status is ascribed and that we are stuck in our given class. Finally, Marxists believe that due to the working class working in mass production factories, workers are no longer prod of their work or feel connected to the goods that they produce which they refer to as alienation

• Karl Marx

• Proletariat

• Bourgeoise

• Means of production

• Communist manifesto

• Friedrich Engles

• False class consciousness

• Ascribed status

• Alienation

Functionalists view society as being made up of different parts or subsystems that depend on each other such as family, education, and the economy. Functionalist state that society is like the human body with every party of society working together. The family is an essential part of society as one of the main functions is the socialization of children. George Murdock studies over 250 societies and found that the family was a universal feature. Murdock suggest that this type of family is an

Important social institution that performs vital functions in maintaining society. Murdock suggests that the nuclear family performs 4 main functions. I'm contrast to this, Talcott Parsons suggest that the family has 2 basic functions that are found in every society. Parsons suggest that the men and women have different roles, where the men go out to work which is known as the instrumental role and the women stay at home and raise the children, this is known as the expressive role. Parsons argues that the monotony of work threatens to destabilize personalities. Parsons believed that the family acts as a warm bath that is aimed at relieving the man's stress and making him feel comfortable

• Social institution

• Murdock

• 2

• Nuclear family

• Talcott parsons

• Subsystems

• Expressive

• 4

• Socialization

• Destabilize

• Universal feature

• Instrumental

• Family

• Warm bath