Comparison Of The Functionalist And Conflict Perspective

Poverty in our society is viewed from different theoretical perspectives. This paper will compare and contrast the functionalist and conflict perspectives. Both are on a macro level but are different theories with how the sociologists view the social problem of poverty. An examination of the two theories will show the differences of the functionalist theoretical perspective, which focuses primarily on the positive and some negative, and the conflict theoretical perspective, which focuses on the negative. (Leon-Guerrero, A , 2013) The functionalist theoretical perspective accepts that different amounts of society each have their own function. Each function works together and efficiently forms a whole. “The metaphor often used to describe functionalism is that it views society as a body, with the different parts of society—government, media, religion, the family, etc., and, of course, schools—being like the different organs in a body, each contributing in a different way to keeping the entire body healthy.” (Theories of Society) All
He believed that societies problems were caused by capitalism, which created the social structure. He believed that conflict based on social classes created conflict between workers, proletariats, and owners, the bourgeoisie. He believed that capitalist society created people alienated from who they were. “ Man would become increasingly alienated from his work, the product of his work, other workers, and, finally, his own human potential.” He also believed workers needed class-consciousness so they could bond together and over through capitalism. Ralph Dahrendorf (1959) argued that the presence of the powerful and rich, a very small group, creates a conflict of interest and those in powerful positions will always maintain control. Louis Coser (1956) believed conflict creates cohesion by clarifying the divisions between the groups with positions and boundaries. (Leon-Guerrero, A ,