Functionalism is a macro theory which means it looks at a wider sociological view. Sociological Perspectives. The functionalist perspective on social stratification says that because jobs are inherently unequal in difficulty and skill level, they will be compensated differently. According to the functionalist perspective of sociology, each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society's stability and functioning as a whole. From a Functionalist viewpoint social solidarity, value consensus and the interdependence of specialised skills are essential to the survival of society. For example, a functionalist analysis might point to the fact that there are insufficient job opportunities, leading to relatively high unemployment. Conflict in the areas of age, race, gender, and disability is common among the employed as well as the unemployed. September 7, 2018. by Upen. The functionalist perspective continues to try and explain how societies maintained the stability and internal cohesion necessary to ensure their continued existence over time. The conflict perspective, or conflict theory, derives from the ideas of Karl Marx, who believed society is a dynamic entity constantly undergoing change driven by class conflict. Through each perspective, a different approach is used to understand the society. Durkheim believed that pupils, who misbehaved in school and disrupted class, should be given appropriate punishment. The functionalist perspectives of Emile Durkheim are particularly relevant to the British educational system. Conflict theorists suggest that criminalizing prostitution uniquely affects poor women, especially poor women of color, who are overrepresented among street prostitutes. The functionalist view sees the “War on Drugs” as helping some members of our society keep jobs such as police officers, court system as stated above, social workers, and all other first responders. Theoretical perspective Major assumptions; Functionalism: The family performs several essential functions for society. Capitalism and patriarchy foster economic inequality between men and women and force women to view their bodies as commodities. Thereafter, partially integrated states experience increasing momentum for further rou… Structural functionalism, in sociology and other social sciences, a school of thought according to which each of the institutions, relationships, roles, and norms that together constitute a society serves a purpose, and each is indispensable for the continued existence of the others and of society as a whole. Families tighten their budgets. According to conflict theory, work is alienating, and the economic elite uses its control of the economy to maintain their elite position. Outline and Asses Functionalist explanations of social inequality (40marks) Functionalism is a concencus theory that focused on the unity and harmony of society.Functionalists believe that society is a system that works together in order for it to funtction.Inequality is the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions in a society and recurrent patterns … Difference Between Functionalism and Conflict Theory. Functionalism is a ‘structural-consensus theory’. Functionalist theorists adopted a ‘top-down’ approach to analysing the role which institutions, such as schools play in relation to other institutions, such as work, and generally believe that schools form an important part of a society’s structure. ANALYSIS OF THE THREE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES This paper discusses three approaches that can be taken when studying Sociology. Education helps maintain society by socialising young people into values of achievement, competition and equality of opportunity. The basic idea is that a functionalist will look at poverty as the result of a society that has broken down in some way. Functionalist and Neoclassical Economic Perspectives As seen earlier, functionalist theory views men and women as having distinct roles that are important for the survival of the family and society. The nuclear family has evolved, according to the Functionalist perspective because it is best suited to an industrial society, its smallness of scale makes for ease of geographical and social mobility, and it provides a haven for its members. And a new social order, stability, and productivity occur. From the functionalist perspective, parts of the society are meant to work together to contribute to the overall functioning of the society. The ‘consensus bit’ means that Functionalists believe that a successful society is based on ‘value consensus’ – people agree around a set of shared norms and values. Structural Functionalism: Structural functionalism refers to a basic theory in the social sciences. They are therefore, also essential to the survival of the economy. From a sociological perspective, unemployment can be studied through both the Functionalist Theory and Conflict Theory. Functionalism and the conflict theory are two perspectives used in Sociology between which some difference can be identified. Get an answer for ' Compare and contrast the conflict and the functionalist perspective relative to the political system in the United States.' Whereas functionalism understands society as a complex system striving for equilibrium, the conflict perspective views social life as competition. It socializes children, it provides emotional and practical support for its members, it helps regulate sexual activity and sexual reproduction, and it provides its members with a social identity. Functionalism traces its roots back to the work of Plato and Hegel. This means that society operates effectively due to all the parts of society working together. A functionalist will put an emphasis on positive aspects of schools such as socialisation: the learning of skills and attitudes in school. Functionalist perspective on unemployment It also touches upon the results of unemployment in societies and institutions such as family, education, government, and health. The research also analyzes many aspects of “sociological theories” and tries to gauge its effect on “the economy”. To discuss the challenges to the European integration, there is a need to go back to the fundamentals of neo-functionalism according to E.B. regional integration. In the functionalist perspective, societies are thought to function like organisms, with various social institutions working together like organs to maintain and reproduce them. This would allow an advanced division of labour, thus contributing to economy. Sociology is a discipline in the social sciences which studies human society and group behavior in society. The Functionalist Perspective The elements of functionalist thought in sociology are found in the works of Auguste Comte and Emile Durkheim. All sociologists, their actions, ideas, and theories are very important and have helped shape sociology into the science it is today. Neofunctionalists focused their attention solely on the immediate process of integration among states, i.e. He believed that the major function of education was the transmission of societies norms and values. Functionalist perspective, looks at structural theories. Because having people in different classes with different abilities is a way to fulfil different tasks that need to be done …show more content… The main focus of the research is on “sociological theories (functionalism, conflict and interactionism)” and their relation with “the economy”. However, functionalism, as a dominant sociological theory, came to prominence in the 1950s, especially through the works of Talcott Parsons, Robert K. Merton, and their followers. If a part of society, does not function properly then it can affect the rest of society. Provision is also important: education teaches the skills for the economy who are overrepresented street. 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