Functionalism
Functionalism is the idea that institutions and individuals have functions in society that work interdependently to contribute to the wider running of society.
Definitions
Functional pre-requisites- the basic requirements needed for society to function such as the socialisation of new generations and the production of food.
Organic analogy- society is made up of various institutions that act like the organs of the body so all need to be functioning properly to allow the body (society) to function.
Value consensus- a general agreement around the main values and norms of any society of which an absence creates anomie (state of normlessness).
Social facts- values, cultural norms and social structures that transcend the individual and can exercise social control.
Social control- the extent to which people are prevented from behaving in an anti-social manner.
Social solidarity- the idea that members of a cohesive society have been socialised into its shared norms and values.
Primary socialisation- learning the particularistic values of family and community through family that occurs at a young age.
Secondary socialisation- learning the universalistic values of wider society through education, media and other institutions that occurs at an older age.
Organic analogy that describes how functionalists view society as working
The organic analogy describes society as working like a human body. Vital organs (institutions) meet functional pre-requisites. Small units within these vital organs work as one for the body (society) to function. These small units and vital organs work interdependently.
Émile Durkheim (1858-1917)
Lived through the most stable time in France’s history and then died of a stroke a few years after his son.
He was a structuralist, meaning he looked at how institutions and structures affect socialisation and society instead of individuals (like Marx).
As he was one of the first sociologists, he felt compelled to back up his findings with statistics and used them as his primary mode of argument in his studies of suicide rates in religious communities.
He found that Protestants had higher suicide rates than Catholics as they were more individualistic than Catholics, who had a more collective community.
Social facts
Social facts consist of manners of acting, thinking and feeling that are external to the individual which are invested with a coercive (positive as keeps society together) power by virtue of which they exercise control over him.
Social facts are external to us and we therefore have no say in them/control over them. They make us act, think and feel (affect all aspects of our lives) in ways we wouldn’t otherwise.
Examples: politics, holiday celebrations, beliefs about right and wrong and laws.
Social dysfunction
Social dysfunction is best described as a disease of society (society ceasing to function as it should).
Crime does not cause social dysfunction as it exists in all societies (inevitable) and contributes to the functioning of society. The treatment of criminals sets a precedent to the rest of society, proving boundaries of acceptability. However, too much crime (to the point of society not functioning) is social dysfunction.
Functions of different parts of society
The family
Support system/community
Primary socialisation- interactions/behaviour inside and outside of the home, speech acquisition
Caring for basic needs
Setting boundaries
The education system
Respect of elders/respecting hierarchy/concept of authority
Developing understanding of the world: literacy, numeracy, interactions with peers
The workplace
Developing dedication and reliability
Providing stability
Further importance of obeying authority