Assess the contribution of functionalist theory to our understanding of society

Authors Avatar

Assess the contribution of functionalist theory

to our understanding of society

Functionalism sees society as a system, that it is a set of interconnected parts which can work together in unison to form a whole. The early functionalists drew an analogy between society and an organism, i.e, the human body. They said that an understanding of an organ of the body involves understanding its relationship with every other organ and its contribution to the organism as a whole; therefore they said that this could also describe society, that every part requires its own analysis to see what it contributes to the society as whole. Functionalists have also continued this argument to say that just like an organ has simple basic needs to survive, so does society, and that if one part fails it will all diminish. Thus social institutions such as the family and religion are analysed as a part of the social order rather than isolated units.

Functionalist analysis has focused on the question of how social systems are maintained. With the functionalist concern for investigating on how functional prerequisites (basic needs or necessities of existence) are met. This emphasis has resulted in many institutions being seen as beneficial and useful to society. But this view has led critics to argue that functionalism has a built-in conservative bias which supports the status quo.

Within society the functionalists  what they call , these are what society requires in order to exist. Some functionalists believe that these prerequisites are institutions such as family or social . They are easily identified in every  of society even though they can vary, like the  in  varies a great  from our own stratification system but affects the whole society and makes it functional which fits their definition of a prerequisite. This view is held by s such as Davies and Moore (1967) and  (1949). However this does not show how much these prerequisites can differ between societies and satisfy a different . Opposing this is the functionalist Marion Levy (1952) who says that the prerequisites are essential s for society like , also that every essential  in society is carried out contributing to the .

Join now!

The concept of functionalism is what the functionalists  to describe the relationship between the individual s of society in relation to the whole. They outline all institutions as  but  as indispensable as well, which in modern sociology it is still the . The functionalists do not talk about many dysfunctional institutions but do say they exist, in line with  views about society. The three indispensable institutions are , social stratification and the . All three are present in all societies and under a  view they are all considered  and functional. Inline with this way of thinking they are not ...

This is a preview of the whole essay