Sociology - 1025 Words

Asses the contribution of ‘functionalism’ to an understanding of society. Functionalist often use an organic analogy; they say society is like a biological organism. Parsons (1970) identifies three similarities between society and a biological organism. He argues that the organisms such as the human body and society are both self-regulating systems of inter-related, interdependent parts that fit together in order to work successfully (for example, the education system and the state.) They also have a series of needs or the organisms will die, for example, it members must be socialised if society is to continue. However it could be argued that the education system has changed and in some cases, the private system is not linked to the†¦show more content†¦Traditional society was based on ‘mechanical solidarity with little division of labour, where all its members were fairly alike. A strong collective conscience bound them so tightly together that individuals in the modern sense did not really exist. However in modern society, the division of labour promotes differences between groups and weakens social solidarity. It brings greater freedom for the individual, but this must be regulated to prevent extreme egoism destroying all social bonds. Similarly rapid change undermines old norms without creating clear ones, throwing people into a state of anomie or normlessness that threatens social cohesions. These ideas are echoed in the functionalists concern with social order and value consensus. Another contribution of Durkheim’s is the idea that society exists as a separate entity over and above its members; a system of external ‘social facts’ shaping their behaviour of individuals to serve society’s needs. This is similar to Parsons’ idea of a social system with its own needs. Similarly, Durkheim’s belief that social facts can be explained in terms of their function is the basic principle of functionalist analysis on society. In contrast, conflict perspective critics provide us with a contrasting view on society as a whole, for example, Marxists argue that functionalism is a conservative ideology that seeks to justify the existing social order as inevitable and desirable. In conclusions, functionalism seeks to answerShow MoreRelatedSocial, Sociology, And Sociology857 Words   |  4 Pagesindividuals who need that extra support. Social work as a subject area includes elements of psychology, law and sociology. Social policy is the study of various areas of policy, within political or governmental setting, and is concerned with everything from the welfare state, to social services. Social policy is an academic study of theory, rather than current policies and draws from psychology, sociology, philosophy, and economics. What A Levels do I need? Each university will ask for varying grades and tariffRead MoreSociology : The Function Of Sociology951 Words   |  4 PagesSociology Observation Essay Sociology is the study of development and functioning of humans in society, in other words how a person reacts in a certain situation. Although hard to understand, sociology has many important points that add into the development of someones personality, values, religion, education, etc. As Pierre Bourdieu once said â€Å"The function of sociology, as of every science, is to reveal that which is hidden.† In this case, the social group that I had studied for 24 hours had manyRead MoreThe Basic Tools Of Sociology And Sociology1034 Words   |  5 PagesArgument: In this piece, Weber outlines the basic tools of sociology and distinguishes sociology as a social science. Weber’s main message in this piece is that that social sciences should be equivalent to natural sciences, and in order to do so, laws should be made within the field. 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An influential journal but little impact on American sociology. Best known product of this school is Baran and Sweezy’s Monopoly Capital (1966). Indeed, Braverman’s analysis of work is predicated theoretically upon Baran and Sweezy’s analysis of ‘Monopoly Capital’ [ie oligopolistic, ‘organized’ capitalism. Read MoreSociology1681 Words   |  7 Pagesfunctionalism) of social class .Following this, it will look at the changes of social class. Finally, it will discuss weather the class of Britain will be dead. Theories of social class There are three basic theories which can explain social class in the sociology history. Marxism was established by Karl Marx(1813-1883).Marx explained that a social class is a group of people who have common relationship to the means of production. For Marx (2008:26), society was characterizes by two social groups: bourgeoisieRead MoreSociology1711 Words   |  7 Pagestake away from this is that you don’t shape reality, culture shapes you and how you view reality. For people who don’t know what sociology is or had no idea what it was before entering the class as I did myself, it can be simply described as a study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. A way of understanding sociology can be done through your own sociological imagination. It would be a tool that provides many important perspectives on the worldRead MoreSociology : Sociology And Sociological Thinking978 Words   |  4 PagesSociology and sociological thinking are a vital part of society, and through examining both society and individuals, sociology is able to make changes to areas such as policies, and attitudes that may have usually negatively affected them, and instead gained a positive result through the careful research, and applied knowledge. Sociology is the study of groups and individuals and the cause and effects of each, to each other, and overall society. ‘Sociology is a technical and difficult subject andRead MoreSociology : Social Science And Sociology1386 Words   |  6 Pagesto the history of sociology, it was the nineteenth century that sociology emerged, with the word ‘ sociology ’ appeared in the Cours de philosophie Positive Book 4[ Auguste Comte,1838 Cours de philosophie Positive] by Comte in 1838. The social forces, however, were complicated actually, which included both social, economical, cultural and even a little bit of political or religious elements. This essay explains these factors in the following part. 2.1 Social Science and Sociology The philosophesRead MoreSociology And The Theoretical Perspectives Of Sociology1710 Words   |  7 PagesSociology is seen every day in our lives as humans, it is the scientific study of human behavior and society. The idea of sociology has not been around forever. The term sociology comes from a man named Auguste Comte who takes credit for this study. Not only did Comte come up with this idea but there were several things that influenced the study of Sociology and how we view it today. These influences are called the origins of sociology and they include; new idea or discipline, Industrial Revolution