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Functionalism theory
By: Maryam
Mohammadi &
Pooneh Safaiyan
What is
functionalism?
Functionalism is the oldest, and still the
dominant, theoretical perspective in
sociology and many other social
sciences.
According to the
functionalist
perspective, also
called
functionalism, each
aspect of .society is
interdependent and
contributes to
society's functioning
as a whole.
Structural functionalism
Structural functionalism is a broad perspective in sociology and
anthropology which sets out to interpret society as a structure with
interrelated parts. Functionalism addresses society as a whole in terms
of the function of its constituent elements; namely norms, customs,
traditions and institutions
1.Functionalists see the social world as "objectively real“
2. Many of these ideas go back to Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), the
great French sociologist whose writings form the basis for
functionalist theory.
Durkheim`s thought
Throughout his career, Durkheim was concerned primarily with three
goals. First, to establish sociology as a new academic discipline.
Second, to analyze how societies could maintain their integrity and
coherence in the modern era, when things such as shared religious
and ethnic background could no longer be assumed; to that end he
wrote much about the effect of laws, religion, education and similar
forces on the society and social integration. Lastly, Durkheim was
concerned with the practical implications of scientific knowledge.
The importance of social integration is expressed throughout
Durkheim's work.
Key Words in Durkheim's theory
 Anomie:
Anomie describes a lack of social norms;
"normlessness". It describes the breakdown of social
bonds between an individual and their community
ties, with fragmentation of social identity and
rejection of self-regulatory values. It was
popularized by French sociologist Émile Durkheim in
his influential book Suicide (1897).
 Social
integration: Social integration, in
sociology and other social sciences, is the
movement of minority groups such as
ethnic minorities, refugees and
underprivileged sections of a society into
the mainstream of societies. Social
integration requires proficiency in an
accepted common language of the
society, acceptance of the laws of the
society and adoption of a common set of
values of the society.
 integration
does not require assimilation
and it does not require persons to give up
all of their culture, but it may require to
forgo some aspects of their culture which
are inconsistent with the laws and values
of the society. In tolerant and open
societies, members of minority groups can
often use social integration to gain full
access to the opportunities, rights and
services available to the members of the
mainstream of society.
 Totemism:
Durkheim hoped to discover a pure
religion in very ancient forms and generally
claimed to see the origin of religion in totemism.
For Durkheim, the sphere of the sacred is a
reflection of the emotions that underlie social
activities, and the totem was, in this view, a
reflection of the group (or clan) consciousness,
based on the conception of an impersonal
power.
Herbert Spencer, a British philosopher
famous for applying the theory of natural
selection to society, was in many ways the first
true sociological functionalist; in fact, while
Durkheim is widely considered the most
important functionalist among positivist
theorists, it is well known that much of his
analysis was culled from reading Spencer's work,
especially his Principles of Sociology (1874-96). A
common analogy, popularized by Herbert
Spencer, presents these parts of society as
"organs" that work toward the proper
functioning of the "body" as a whole.
Durkheim was himself one of the first
sociologists to make use of scientific and
statistical techniques in sociological research
(1951).
Durkheim proposed that most stateless,
"primitive" societies, lacking strong
centralized institutions, are based on an
association of corporate-descent groups.
Talcott parsons
Talcott Parsons was heavily influenced by Durkheim and Max Weber,
synthesising much of their work into his action theory, which he based
on the system-theoretical concept and the methodological principle
of voluntary action.
Parsons determined that each individual has expectations of the other's
action and reaction to his own behavior, and that these
expectations would (if successful) be "derived" from the accepted
norms and values of the society they inhabit.[As Parsons himself
emphasized, however, in a general context there would never exist
any perfect "fit" between behaviors and norms, so such a relation is
never complete or "perfect."
Robert Merton
Robert K. Merton was a functionalist and he fundamentally agreed with Parsons’
theory. However, he acknowledged that it was problematic, believing that it was too
generalized. Merton tended to emphasize middle range theory rather than a grand
theory, meaning that he was able to deal specifically with some of the limitations in
Parsons’ theory. He identified 3 main limitations: functional unity, universal
functionalism and indispensability (too important to be without.
.
Mertone`s theory of anomie
Merton’s theory of deviance is derived from Durkheim’s idea of anomie(the lack of
social or moral standards).


Merton believes that there are 5 situations facing an actor.

Conformity occurs when an individual has the means and desire to achieve the
cultural goals socialised into him.

Innovation occurs when an individual strives to attain the accepted cultural goals
but chooses to do so in novel or unaccepted method.

Ritualism occurs when an individual continues to do things as proscribed by
society but forfeits the achievement of the goals.

Retreatism is the rejection of both the means and the goals of society.

Rebellion is a combination of the rejection of societal goals and means and a
substitution of other goals and means.
What are the strenghts and weaknesses of
Functionalism?
One of the strengths of Functionalism is that
it asserts that there are purposes for social
conditions or facts. For example, under a
functionalist point of view the newspaper
deliverer and the worker all contribute to
the function of the entire unit--without
serving these purposes, the social
structure would not function properly.
One of the weaknesses of this perspective, however,
is that some could arguably assert that poverty
serves a function in such a society. Another, more
general criticism of functionalism is the argument
that it is somewhat "naive" in that it assumes that
there is consensus: that everyone in the structure
holds the same norms and values; that we all
essentially believe in and work for the same thing.
Are you for or against functionalism?