Sociology Custom Essay

Read the description of structural functionalism vs conflict theory in the text below then choose a Deviance and explain how structural functionalism views deviance e.g ( or race, or gender, or culture) differently

that does conflict theory . It has to be clear from your description that these two theoretical approach have very different political implication.

2 pages doubles spaced!!

4: Contemporary Sociological Theories

how one defines ?contemporary sociological theory? is somewhat arbitrary. The mid-twentieth century is a good starting point because ?the late 1950s and 1960s have, in historical hindsight, been regarded as

significant years of momentous changes in the social and cultural life of most Western societies? (Adams and Sydie 2001: 479). Some of the sociological perspectives had earlier origins, but all matured during

this period. Like their predecessors, modern sociologists developed theoretical explanations that reflected their social and historical contexts such as the women?s rights, gay rights, and anti-Vietnam war

protests during the 1960s and 1970s; the impact of popular culture; and the increasing numbers of women who entered higher education and the labor force.

Sociologists typically use more than one theory in explaining human behavior. The theories view our social world somewhat differently, but all of them try to explain why society is organized the way it is and

why we behave as we do. Four of the most influential theoretical perspectives are functionalism, conflict theory, feminist theories, and symbolic interactionism.

FUNCTIONALISM

Functionalism (also known as structural functionalism) maintains that society is a complex system of interdependent parts that work together to ensure a society?s survival. Much of contemporary functionalism

grew out of the work of Auguste Comte and ?mile Durkheim, both of whom believed that human behavior is a result of social structures that promote order and integration in society. One of their

contemporaries, English philosopher Herbert Spencer (1820?1903), used an organic analogy to explain the evolution of societies. To survive, Spencer (1862/1901) wrote, our vital organs?like the heart, lungs,

kidneys, liver, and so on?must function together. Similarly, the parts of a society, like the parts of a body, work together to maintain the whole structure.

functionalism
(structural functionalism) an approach that maintains that society is a complex system of interdependent parts that work together to ensure a society?s survival.

Society Is a Social System

Prominent American sociologists, especially Talcott Parsons (1902?1979) and Robert K. Merton (1910?2003), developed these earlier ideas of structure and function. For these and other functionalists, a

society is a system of major institutions such as government, religion, the economy, education, and the family.

Each institution or other social group has structures, or organized units, that are connected to each other and within which behavior occurs. Education structures such as colleges, for instance, are not only

organized internally in terms of who does what and when, but depend on other structures such as government (to provide funding), business (to produce textbooks and 1314construct buildings), and medical

institutions (to ensure that students, staff, and faculty stay healthy).

Sociologists typically use more than one theory in explaining human behavior, all of which try to explain why society is organized the way it is.

Functions and Dysfunctions

Each structure fulfills certain functions, or purposes and activities, to meet different needs that contribute to a society?s stability and survival (Merton 1938). The purpose of education, for instance, is to transmit

knowledge to the young, to teach them to be good citizens, and to prepare them for jobs (see Chapter 14).

Some social patterns are dysfunctional because they have a negative impact on a group or society. When one part of society isn?t working, it affects all of the other parts by creating conflict, divisiveness, and

social problems. Consider religion. In the United States, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and British missionaries were responsible for destroying much of the indigenous American Indian culture. The

missionaries, determined to convert the ?savages? to Christianity, eliminated many religious ceremonies and practices that they deemed ?uncivilized? (Price 1981). More recently, religious intolerance has led to

wars and terrorism (see Chapter 18 online).

dysfunctional
social patterns that have a negative impact on a group or society.

Manifest and Latent Functions

There are two kinds of functions. Manifest functions are intended and recognized; they are present and clearly evident. Latent functions are unintended and unrecognized; they are present but not immediately

obvious. Consider the marriage ceremony. The primary manifest function of the marriage ceremony is to publicize the formation of a new family unit and to legitimize sexual intercourse and childbirth (even

though both occur outside of marriage in many industrialized countries). Its latent functions include the implicit communication of a ?hands-off? message to suitors, providing the new couple with household

goods and products through bridal shower and wedding gifts, and redefining family boundaries to include in-laws or stepfamily members.

manifest functions
functions that are intended and recognized; they are present and clearly evident.

latent functions
functions that are unintended and unrecognized; they are present but not immediately obvious.

Critical Evaluation

Functionalism is useful in seeing the ?big picture? of interrelated structures and functions. According to some critics, however, functionalism is so focused on order and stability that it often ignores social change.

For example, functionalists typically see high divorce rates as dysfunctional and as signaling the disintegration of the family rather than indicating a positive change (such as people leaving an unhappy situation).

A second criticism is that functionalism often ignores the inequality that a handful of powerful people create and maintain. Instead of challenging the status quo, some contend, functionalism simply describes it.

Some critics have also charged that functionalism views society narrowly through white, male, middle-class lenses. According to some feminist scholars, for example, ?functionalism tends to support a white

middle-class family model emphasizing the economic activities of the male household head and domestic activities of his female subordinate? while ignoring nontraditional families, such as single-parent

households (Lindsey 2005: 6).

CONFLICT THEORY

Whereas functionalists emphasize order, stability, cohesion, and consensus, conflict theory examines the ways in which groups disagree, struggle over power, and compete for scarce resources (such as

property, wealth, and prestige). In contrast with functionalists, conflict theorists see disagreement and the resulting changes in society as natural, inevitable, and even desirable.

conflict theory
an approach that examines the ways in which groups disagree, struggle over power, and compete for scarce resources (such as property, wealth, and prestige).

Sources of Conflict

The conflict perspective has a long history. As you saw earlier, Karl Marx predicted that conflict would result from widespread economic inequality, and W. E. B. Du Bois denounced U.S. society for its

ongoing racial discrimination that results in divisiveness. Since the 1960s, and as you?ll see in later chapters, many sociologists?especially feminist and minority scholars?have emphasized that the key sources of

economic inequity in any society also include race, ethnicity, gender, age, and sexual orientation.

Conflict theorists agree with functionalists that some societal arrangements are functional. But, conflict theorists ask, who benefits? And who loses? When corporations merge, workers in lower-end jobs are

often the first to be laid off, whereas the salaries and benefits of corporate executive officers (CEOs) soar and the 1415value of stocks (usually held by higher social classes) increase. Thus, mergers might be

functional for those at the upper end of the socioeconomic ladder, but dysfunctional for those in the lower rungs.

Social Inequality

Unlike functionalists, conflict theorists see society not as cooperative and harmonious, but as a system of widespread inequality. For conflict theorists, there is a continuous tension between the ?haves? and the

?have-nots,? most of whom are children, women, minorities, and the poor.

Many conflict theorists focus on how those in power?typically white, wealthy, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant males (WASPs)?dominate political and economic decision making in U.S. society. This group controls a

variety of institutions, such as education, criminal justice, and the media, and pass laws that benefit only small groups of people like themselves (see Chapters 8, 11, and 12).

Critical Evaluation

Conflict theory is important in explaining how societies create and cope with disagreements. However, some have criticized conflict theorists for overemphasizing competition and coercion at the expense of

order and stability. Inequality exists and struggles over scarce resources occur, critics agree, but conflict theorists often ignore cooperation and harmony. Voters, for example, can boot dominant groups out of

office and replace them with African Americans (including the President of the United States), Asians, Latinos, and women. Critics of conflict theory also point out that the have-nots can increase their power

through negotiation, bargaining, lawsuits, and strikes.

Some critics also believe that conflict theory presents a negative view of human nature and neglects the importance of love and self-sacrifice, which are essential to family and other personal relationships.

Because conflict perspectives examine institutional rather than personal choices and constraints, they don?t give us insights on everyday individual behavior.