Sociological Theories: Consensus vs. Conflict

Flashcards defining vocabulary and key terms related to Functionalism, Marxism, Consensus Theories, Conflict Theories, and key sociologists.

Theory

A system of ideas intended to explain something, helping explain how society works and what causes societies to change.

Consensus Theories

Sociological theories emphasising that society is based on agreement, working best when members agree on fundamental principles and share common norms, values, and beliefs.

Functionalism

The most influential consensus theory in sociology, which analyses social institutions in terms of the functions, roles, or purposes they perform for society.

Structural Theory

A sociological perspective, such as functionalism, that views parts of society as linked together in a system of parts that work with each other.

Talcott Parsons

A key functionalist sociologist (1902-79) who emphasised the role of socialisation in creating value consensus and identified three ways society resembles an organism.

Socialisation

The process through which a person acquires a society's norms, values, and culture.

Norms

Guidelines for acceptable behaviour in a society.

Values

The ideas behind acceptable behaviours in society.

Value Consensus

The idea that individuals in society broadly agree on the main values a society holds.

Organic Analogy

A concept used by functionalists comparing society to a human body, featuring self-regulating systems, survival needs, and institutions serving specific functions.

Emile Durkheim

An early functionalist sociologist (1858-1917) who focused on how social solidarity is created and warned of the dangers of anomie in modern societies.

Social Solidarity

A feeling of belonging and unity to a larger community along with a shared identity.

Anomie

A sense of normlessness, described by Durkheim as a condition where society provides little moral guidance due to broken social bonds between individuals and the community.

Conflict Theories

Sociological theories asserting that society is based on disagreement, inequality, and struggle between dominant and subordinate social groups.

Ideology

A system of ideas containing values, expectations, and ideals used by powerful groups to justify their actions, position, and institutions.

Karl Marx

A German writer and political revolutionary (1818-83) who formulated Marxism, arguing that historical societies are divided by social class divisions under capitalism.

Capitalism

An economic system based on the pursuit of profit, divided into a ruling class of capitalists and an exploited working class.

Bourgeoisie

The rich capitalist or ruling class who own wealth, capital, and the means of production to make a profit.

Proletariat

The exploited working class or subject class who have little or no wealth and must sell their labor for wages.

Means of Production

Resources such as land, factories, and machinery used to manufacture goods.

Exploitation

In Marxism, the capitalist practice of underpaying workers for their labour and keeping the difference as profit, which Marx regarded as theft.

Alienation

The feeling of being disconnected from the meaningful outcomes of one's labour due to repetitive, monotonous tasks in a capitalist division of labour.

Antonio Gramsci

An Italian Marxist who introduced the concept of hegemony to explain how ruling class ideas maintain control over the working class.

Hegemony

The ideological control that the dominant ruling class exerts over the masses through social institutions.

Superstructure

Societal institutions, including family, education, mass media, and religion, that filter ruling-class ideology to the proletariat.

False Class-Consciousness

A state created among the proletariat when ruling-class ideology is filtered through the superstructure, keeping workers from recognising their exploitation.

Communist Society

A predicted classless society where workers take over the means of production to run them for everyone's equal benefit without capital or money.