Posted: September 2nd, 2022

Functionalism originated from Emile Durkheim

Functionalism
Functionalism originated from Emile Durkheim. It states that different social structures have to work together for the stability of society. These social structures include institutions such as schools, religious institutions, and the government. If one fails to operate efficiently, it brings about instability and disorganization and society has to seek another way out to reinstate the stability. Herbert Spenser compares functionalism to the human body. All the parts have to work together for effective body functioning. If one part fails it affects the others.
Conflict theory
Conflict theory was developed by Karl Marx. According to him, there is always conflict in society because of limited resources. Conflict is inevitable. Groups and individuals are always in conflict with each other in the struggle for resources. Karl states that economic institutions are divided into two. The ruling class and the working class. The ruling class has power and a lot of wealth, while the working class is poor. The ruling class continually develops rules and social institutions that grow their power and wealth and oppress the poor. Conflict theory is based on four assumptions; war, structural inequality, revolution, and competition.
Classical theory
According to Randall Collins, sociology contains different paradigms of social classical theory. He argues that it can be categorized into functionalism, utilitarianism, interactionism, and conflict theory. Modern social theories developed from these four. Raewyn Connell argued that Social Darwinism is forgotten among the traditional theories. It explains how people and societies evolved biologically. Classical functionalism is one of the traditional American sociology theories. It was developed by Herbert Spenser, William Grammar and Lester Ward.
Symbolic interactionism
Symbolic interaction looks at the relationships between human beings and how they communicate meanings. It was developed by George Herbert. Although he did not publish his work, it was published by two of his students known as La Rosa and Reitzes. Constructionism, an extension of symbolic interaction highlights that people construct reality and set meanings and believes that are widely accepted in society through interaction. It also explains deviance which ranges across different social and societal settings.
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is also known as the exchange theory. It argues that individuals always seek to satisfy self-interest. According to John Whitford, an individual knows about alternatives, beliefs, and consequences of the alternatives. He is also able to arrange preferences based on outcomes and choose the best alternative. Herbert Simon and James March argued that individuals make decisions based on the setting. Utilitarianism was developed by Peter Blau, George Homan, and Richard Emerson.
Structuralism
Structuralism was developed by a French philosopher known as Claude Levi Strauss. It seeks to understand the underlying and unobservable structures that bring about observable effects and behaviors in society. Structuralism uses qualitative, phenomenal and interpretive analysis to understand these structures. For instance, language and the human mind are not observable. However, structuralism use texts, myths, and beliefs to understand and discern them. This theory influenced the works of several writers such as Jean Piaget, he used structuralism to study psychology. Jacques Lacan also used it to study psychoanalysis. French philosopher Michael Foucault also used this approach in corporal punishment. He realized that the abolishment of corporal punishment was replaced with control of the behaviors of prisoners and society in general.
Post-structuralism
Post-structuralism was developed by several philosophers. It goes beyond structuralism that studies underlying structures. Post-structuralism focuses on the power of discourse in shaping perceptions and reality. It is the opposite of structuralism and closely related to postmodernism. Post-structuralism was based on assumptions such as viewing the self as a body that comprises of conflicting tensions and knowledge, and interpretation of meaning is based on perceptions about self.
Subjectivity and objectivity
Objectivity and subjectivity have a wide range of meanings and explanations. Subjectivity is associated with the individual, for example, individual intentions and interpretations. Objectivity is associated with the public and the outcomes. Subjective things exist in the mind. They include things like dreams, beliefs, feelings, and emotions. Some philosophers argue that subjectivity is formed through interactions with society. It, therefore, distorts a person’s point of view and their judgment. Objectivity is based on truth.
Structure and agency
The structure is the social structure of a society. Agency represents an individual and the ability to act independently. Several theories explain the structure and agency. Structuralism, functionalism, and Marxism argue that individual behavior and activities are affected by society. Phenomenology, sociology and symbolic interaction base their explanations on the belief that individuals can construct meaning and build their worlds. Other approaches view structure and agency as correlated. They argue that the agency contributes to the structure and vice versa.
Synchrony and diachrony
Synchrony is the study of language at the present moment to understand its inner functioning. Diachrony is the study of the origin and development of language. These linguistic views were developed by Ferdinand de Saussure in Geneva between 1896 and 1911. They were later used by other writers such as Roland Barthes and Jacques Lacan in psychoanalysis. Saussure critiqued linguistics for focusing on language changes and not what caused the change. Language includes both words and signs used to communicate meaning.
Pax Wisconsana
It is described as the golden era when sociologists agreed on two things. First, a theory has to be good and easy to use in thinking, failure to it should be rejected. Secondly, a grand theory is not essential. This age came by after conflicts in theoretical approaches. It was developed by several philosophers such as Omar and named by John Martin to represent the era of theoretical unity.
20th-century social theory
Due to the reduction of social-cultural theories. Chicago school dominated in sociology in the United States. After World War 11, Harvard, Columbia and Wisconsin School opened up sociology departments. However, Columbia, Wisconsin, and Chicago were unable to produce a good number of graduates who were interested in general theories from 1936-1945. This prompted Talcott Parsons of Harvard University to develop an interest in these theories. It led to the Parsonian structural-functionalist movement. In the late 1960s and 1970s, conflict in theoretical approaches led to third-generation theories such as structuralism, symbolic interaction, and post-structuralism.

Order | Check Discount

Tags: Functionalism originated from Emile Durkheim