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introduction to sociology topic video on function
functionalism is often discussed as one
of the grand narratives or big theories
of sociology but what is functionalism
functionism is a sociological
perspective that evolved from the ideas
of philosophers and sociologists in the
late 19th century including one of the
most prominent emil durkheim
is a structural consensus theory one
that examines the bigger picture in
society but also looks at how different
parts of society work in harmony to
provide for the individual the
collective needs of people in society
functions prefer to examine society
objectively in a more scientific manner
than some other theories and try to
formulate laws about human behavior
in this video we're going to introduce
some of the key concepts and theorists
we've already mentioned emil durkheim
but who was durkheim
he is seen as one of the founding
fathers of sociology along with others
such as karl marx and max weber
he is also often seen as producing one
of the first scientific studies into
human behavior in the field of sociology
by examining how society shaped people's
decisions to commit suicide
while this study was criticized in later
years he advanced the discussion of
durkheim was prolific in examining
social institutions and is covered in
many different aspects of sociology
courses with his work on crime education
and religion particularly significant
one of his key ideas was that society
was held together through social bonds
things that people had in common such as
their shared heritage or history
and that these were reinforced through
society instilling a sense of social
solidarity in people through education
functionists view society in a positive manner
manner
unlike more critical theories such as
marxism and feminism
they believe that society functions for
the benefit of all
they have suggested that society
operates in the same way as a human body
what is often referred to as the organic analogy
analogy
each social institution plays a role in
making society work
much as different vital organs in the
body perform functions for an
individual's health
these social institutions perform
specialized functions that enable the
individuals in society to fulfill their
functional prerequisites or basic needs
if one institution were to fail such as
family or education
this could cause irreparable damage to society
society
in the same way that humans would suffer
if their liver or kidneys were unable to function
so how does this happen
well each social institution performs
vital functions in order for society to
function harmoniously
for example a family
it socializes children into the norms
and values of society so they can take
on a role in the future
without this socialization it would be
unable to perform those roles and this
would lead to an imbalance
furthermore the family reproduces the
next generation without which society
would fail to survive whilst it also
provides economic support for the family
usually through males working and this
means that there is less reliance upon
the state to support individuals and
less poverty in society
this is similar with other social
institutions with education providing
skills religion providing valuable
psychological functions and work
providing purpose for individuals
for functionists society is delicately
balanced and reliant upon the successful
functioning of these key social institutions
other functions such as telcot parsons
have reinforced these ideas particularly
through parsons systems theory
furthermore parsons examined the role of
male and female in society through his
sex role theory which focused how social
institutions such as the family
socialize children into their gender
appropriate roles
finally parsons argued that society was
in harmony because of its shared norms
and values
what he referred to as the value consensus
consensus
and this helps society to run
functionism is less influential in
contemporary society than it was in the
early to mid 20th century but is one of
the first sociological theories to try
and understand society and the behavior
of humans within it as a whole and
produce a coherent one-size-fits-all
theory of social behavior what some call
a meta-narrative
however with the rapid social changes in
the mid 20th century functionalism fell
out of favor and is generally seen as
outdated in its explanations because of
the diverse nature of human experiences
in the 21st century
however many functions theories still
have relevance particularly in the
fields of crime and education
and functionism has also influenced
other theoretical viewpoints such as the
new right
which demonstrates its value in the
that concludes this cheetah to you
introduction to sociology topic video
looking at functionalism
