...people in today’s society define education as an essential certificate in life. In almost every job you apply the most typical thing they filter you by is your, qualifications. Every year the government spends £65 billions on education. An average UK citizen spends 15,000- 20,000 hours in education. In society the education system performs various functions, which all sociologist have different and conflicting views (depending the way they see society). According to functionalist they believe you should focus on the functions, which provides structure in society. Some of the functions are; teaching, social interaction, creating jobs. Functionalist use an ‘organic analogy’ to explain how society works (they see society as the human body). They state the structures like; religion, race social class, all shape us in society today. If these structures were to break down so would society itself. This is where the organic analogy fits in, as if the brain was to break down the human body would be dead. All functionalist approach it with a consensus perspective. One functional sociologist is Durkheim he stated that in order for society to exist people needs to share similar norms and values. Which provides social solidarity. Durkheim argues the education systems help to create a social solidarity. So therefore we can norms, which means an accepted way of behaving (structure) for example wearing clothes, going to school, personal hygiene and good manners. Through the education systems...
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...Applying material from item A and your own knowledge, evaluate the usefulness of functionalist approaches to our understanding of families and households (20) This essay will evaluating the usefulness of functionalist approaches such as the families four functions, the distribution of conjugal roles and the symmetrical family, and how these ideas contribute to our understanding of families and households today. The argument of which the family is an essential building block that reflects the wider needs of society is that of the functionalist approach. Murdoch (1949) argues that the family should feature four main functions, which include; stable satisfaction of the sex drive, reproduction, socialisation and economic needs. Murdoch also argues that the nuclear family is the best able to do this so the father can provide for the economic needs, as the breadwinner, and the mother provides socialisation. On the other hand, the feminist and Marxist perspectives identify that this is a ‘rose tinted’ view of the family unit, and a family rarely meets these expectations. Instead, single parents can just as easily serve the needs of their families and society without being a part of a traditional, nuclear family. Within these traditional nuclear families, the roles of husbands and wives are segregated into instrumental and expressive roles. The functionalist view of Parsons (1955) argues that the husband has the instrumental role, and so he is geared towards achieving success at work...
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...In this essay I will assess the functionalist views of the role on education. Functionalists agree that education in the form of institutions, such as schools, is the best way to pass on the skills required in society. They argue that school provides secondary socialisation which is when a child is influenced by the surroundings when they are not with their family. The term 'meritocracy' means that the highest social positions are given to the most able people. This provides equal opportunities and allows schools to recognise individual potential. Emile Durkheim is a functionalist who states that 'school is a vehicle for transmitting norms and values.' He sees the major function of education as the transmission of this. By this he means that education prepares children for life in the real world. He says that school serves a function which cannot be provided either by the family or peer group. This supports the idea of secondary socialisation. The term 'miniature society' was used by Durkheim to describe the education system. This refers to the way the students are being taught in preparation for the world of work. Discipline, sanctions and fear of exclusion are matters that take place in the employment sector as well as in the education system. Also, authority, hierarchy, conflict and friendship count for this. Durkheim was particularly concerned with social solidarity where the social unit is more important than the individual. In school, children must show commitment...
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...Applicability of the Functionalist Theory Anthony Sampson SP2750 Research ITT Technical Institute Carolyn Stevenson Applicability of the Functionalist Theory The functionalist theory is built around a social concept to help give us structure with our everyday lives and groups. Functionalist are looked as top down theory, from the moment we are born we are then introduced to social influences from family, school, work and religion. In the group setting this theory can be very helpful in conforming unity within the group. Since this theory is viewed as a being set to incorporate a structure we can also use it to build a system of agreed upon rules and standards to be followed in the group. The world is run by laws and regulations to set leaders and officials to see to it that as Americans we follow the laws in place or pay penalty for not doing so. This form of policy can also be set up in a group to help keep everyone on the same structured path. It is imperative that a form of structure is implemented and a leader is appointed to inforce the policy and rules to be followed. It is also a good way to keep anyone person from crossing boundaries when dealing with issues and problems in the group. Staying professional is key when working in groups and the functional theory allows for a positive social structure to be formed. In the sense we had a group of 10 people that was part of a group in running and controlling how a business was run and carried out decisions. We...
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...‘A Place at the table' demonstrates a somewhat interchangeable history of native world cultures, focusing on prejudice and inhumane treatment of ancestral members of society. It shows individuals from different cultures displaying intergroup relations and describing similar responses to ancestry hardships with a focus on the same dreams of hope and equality. The group, all though different share many ancestral experiences and tend to have a common bond and shared cultural norms. “Proponents of functionalist theory emphasize that the various parts of society have functions, or positive effects, that promote solidarity and maintain the stability of the whole” (Parrillo, 2014, p. 19). The ancestors of the individuals in the film made it possible for them to see the effects of the future in a different light. They demonstrate and discuss ways to raise awareness and improve interaction patterns between all cultures. In addition to setting goals and taking the necessary step to initiate a revision....
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...Functionalists view on crime & deviance With the functionalist emphasis on the importance of shared norms and values as the basis of social order, it would appear that deviance is a threat to order and should therefore be seen as a threat to society. Yet a functionalist analysis of deviance begins with society as a whole. It looks for the source of deviance in the nature of society rather than in the individual. They argue that social control mechanisms such as the police and the courts are necessary to keep deviance in check and to protect social order, as well as deviance being a necessary part of all societies and that it performs positive functions for social systems that even contribute to the maintenance and well being of society. They believe crime and deviance should be limited in order it to benefit all. Functionalists believe crime and deviance have positive functions such as crime and deviance acting like a warning device, some acts warn of problems that exist in the system. As a result, action can be taken to address the problem for example a child may skip school due to problems at home. As a result of the truancy the larger problems of abuse or cultural and material deprivation may be addressed and greater problems avoided. Crime and deviance could help society progress: today’s deviants are tomorrow’s innovators as people who challenge existing norms and values help to create better ways of living. For example Emily Pankhurst and the suffragettes helped...
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...Evaluate the usefulness of Functionalist theories to our understanding of crime and deviance (40 marks) A functionalist analysis of crime and deviance begins with society as a whole. It looks for the source of deviance in the nature of society rather than in the individual. Durkheim argued that crime is an inevitable and normal aspect of social life. Crime is present in all types of society; indeed, the crime rate is higher in the more advanced, industrialised countries. According to Durkheim, crime is an ‘integral part of all healthy societies’. It’s inevitable because not every member of society can be equally committed to the collective sentiments (the shared values and moral beliefs) of society. Since individuals are exposed to different influences and circumstances, it is ‘impossible for all to be alike’. Therefore not everyone is equally reluctant to break the law. Durkheim went on to say that crime isn’t only inevitable, it can also be functional. Durkheim argued that it only becomes dysfunctional (harmful to society) when its rate is unusually high or law. He argued that all social change begins with some form of deviance. In order for change to occur, yesterday’s deviance must become today’s normality. Since a certain amount of change is good for society (so that it can progress rather than stagnate), so is deviance. If the collective sentiments are too strong, there will be little deviance, but neither will there be any change, or progress. Therefore the collective...
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...Assess functionalist theories of crime and deviance. Functionalism is a social structural and social control theory. It believes that it is society that causes the individual to commit crime. Social control theory looks at why people do not commit crime as it says that people are controlled by the primary and secondary agents of social control, such as the family or religion, and so should not commit crime. Functionalism is also a Right Wing theory, which believes that agents of social control like the police are fair and just; law reflects the collective conscience; people are biologically selfish and official statistics are valid. Functionalists included in this essay are Durkheim and Merton with evaluation from functionalist subcultural theorists, Cloward and Ohlin, and Marxism. Durkheim said that crime is inevitable: this is because people are not equally committed to the law due to individual differences and each society has its own definitions of what is deviant and so even a ‘society of saints’ will have deviance. He also said that crime is functional for society when there is the ‘right’ amount. The collective conscience needs to be at a moderate energy so that there is not too much or too little crime. When there is the right amount, society can progress as the criminal may be ‘the origin of the genius’ as they challenge societies current values. Durkheim also made the concept of anomie. At times of rapid change, society can enter a state of normlessness, as there are...
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...Functionalist theories of religion Understand functionalist theories and explain the role and function of religion, and how religion contributes to social stability. Durkheim on religion: He believes that it is a central institution for creating and maintaining value consensus and social solidarity. The key feature was not the belief in God, but a fundamental distinction between the sacred and profane found in all religions. The sacred and the profane For Durkheim, the key feature was not a belief in gods, spirits or the supernatural, but a fundamental distinction between the sacred and the profane found in all religions. The sacred are things set apart and forbidden, that inspire feelings of awe, fear and wonder, and are surrounded by taboos and prohibitions. By contrast, the profane are things that have no special significance-things that are ordinary and mundane. Furthermore, a religion is never simply a set of beliefs. It involves definite rituals or practices in relation to the sacred, and these rituals are collective-performed by social groups. The fact that sacred things evoke such powerful feelings in believers indicated to Durkheim that this is because they are symbols representing something of great power. In his view, this thing can only be society itself, since society is the only thing powerful enough to command such feelings. When they worship the sacred symbols, therefore, people are worshipping society itself. Although sacred symbols vary...
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...I have selected option #1: Becoming Deviant: A Computer Pirate Tells His Story. This story is about a good college student by the name of Steve who took a dark turn by participating in deviant behavior. Steve was committing a deviant act when he engaged in computer piracy, he even admitted it himself. The way I can explain Steve’s deviant act is by using the Functionalist Theories (Livesey & Lawson, 2009). This theory comes from three basic ideas: consensus, conformity and control. When it comes to consensus, in our society we all know “bootlegging” movies and downloading music for free is wrong, he violated a social norm. Conformity doesn’t come natural it is something that needs cooperation and orderliness. Steve isn’t naturally-deviant according to the story, didn’t plan on going to college and start being deviant, he knew he was doing the wrong thing and lost control of his actions. Control is last of the three basic idea and it was clear in this story that Steve lost control, he was too consumed in the high of feeling powerful. Steve was downloading movies from the internet for fun and then got carried away, he started to sell the movies and it wasn’t for the money, it was for the power and respect. The activity...
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...Assess the usefulness of functionalist theories in understanding religion theory Functionalist believe that religion is good for society as they believe it creates value consensus in which is a set of shared norm and values that society cannot live without. Functionalists believe that religion plays an important part in creating and maintain social solidarity and order as well as value consensus. They take on the consensus view. The first functionalist to put forward his view on religion was Durkheim who believed that religion was the origin of human thought, reason and science. Durkheim put forward a view of religion that wasn’t about gods or spirits but about the distinction between the sacred and the profane. The sacred is things that are set apart that inspire feelings of awe, fear and wonder. Durkheim said that religion practices rituals in relation to the sacred and these rituals are collective. He argued that because society is the only thing powerful to evoke such feelings, then people were actually worshipping society. Although Durkheim acknowledged different religion worshipped different sacred symbols, all religions perform a function in society in which brings each other into one moral community. Durkheim also did a case study in Australia of the Arunta clan to further his understanding. He talked about the clan having a sacred totem in which they would all come together and worship. Durkheim argued that this reinforced the group’s solidarity and sense of belonging...
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...Examine the view that the nuclear family is universal. 24 The nuclear family is one which is often described as a household, of two parents and their dependent children. This is a view widely accepted by many sociologists, but they also argue that this may or may not be the universal family that all societies base their norms around. George Murdock, claims that this is true and that this type of nuclear family is universal and accepted by all as the 'right' type of family, however other sociologists specifically, Kathleen Gough, reject this claim and say that there are societies that are an exception to the rule. George Murdock in 1949 stated that the nuclear family was universal, this was based on his sample of 250 societies, ranging from small hunting and gathering bands to large-scale industrial societies. Murdock's definition of the family is that it is "a social group characterised by common residence, economic, cooperation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted of the sexually cohabitating adults", this Murdock claimed was the nuclear family that existed in every society, and this family had four main functions. The final way this type of family rejects the claim that the nuclear family is universal is that the husbands and wives did not form an economic unit. Although husbands might give wives token gifts, they were not expected to maintain them...
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...The Functionalist Theory of Socialization Socialization is the process by which individuals become self-aware and learn the culture. Socialization is categorized into two: Primary socialization, which is socialization done in early years of life; and Secondary socialization; which is socialization that continues throughout life. Functionalists see society as based on consensus – a system of shared norms and values. Marxists see society as based on conflict, the conflict is based on differing interest of those with economic power know as bourgeoisie and the masses/working class known as the proletariat. Interactionist consider the meaning individuals give to their actions which arise out of interaction with others, in other words people’s behavior is not the product of external forces such as society. Functionalists see society as a system or structure that operates similar to that of the human body. The system has different parts known as social institutions. The Institutions have useful roles/functions to perform which leads to a well ordered society. They say the purpose of socialization is to unite society in set of shared norms and values which is known consensus. Functionalists, such as Talcott Parsons, saw socialization as vital to the process by which a value consensus is produced in society. Socialization provides people with common goals, and teaching them the appropriate behavior associated with particular roles and allows them to learn the norms of social...
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...Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the usefulness of functionalist approaches in explaining crime. (21 marks) Item A Functionalist sociologists focus on how far individuals accept the norms and values of society. Central to their study of crime is the attempt to understand why people break the rules of society. Despite their focus on the importance of shared norms and values, functionalists see a small amount of crime as necessary and beneficial to society. The publicity given to crime highlights the boundaries of acceptable behaviour. However, the beneficial effects of crime for society are limited; too much crime can indicate problems By taking the perspective of a Functionalist we can consider how crime and deviance, although considered wrong, can be an important component to the running of society, and how it used. Functionalists use the collective conscience (which is a the need to be a working and productive member of society) by drawing attention to criminals and basically says “you don’t want to be like them do you?” as well as reinforce boundaries of right and wrong through the punishment of criminals and in some cases, exemplary punishments where special or extreme criminals get multiple life sentences. These extreme cases will likely be publicized through the mass media which works in two different aspects – strengthening bonds in the population by creating a mutual horror or fear, such as the stigmatisation of paedophiles or terrorist, this is part...
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...Functionalist views are based on that society is a system of interdependent parts held together by a shared culture or consensus. They believe that every part of society performs functions that help keep society running effectively. They use the example of a body to explain the way society runs as each part of our body has to work together in order for us to stay alive this is the same as society according to a functionalist. Education according to Emilie Durkheim (1903) consists of two main functions, creating social solidarity and teaching specialist skills. Social solidarity is the sense of being part of a group or society. Functionalists believe this is key to making education run accordingly as without social solidarity people would only self-indulge in their own desires. Education helps to create social solidarity as it helps transmit societies culture, beliefs and values from ‘generation to generation‘keeping society running correspondingly. Schools also act in preparing children for society in real life by teaching the concepts of working together with people you do not always no. this links with working as in work you have to work coherently with people who you will not know. Specialist skills are having the necessary skills to perform their role in education to the ‘bride way’ towards working life. Education helps children prepare for this through teaching children in different a range of subjects which they will then come to specialise in the subjects they...
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