Functional Theorists

Functional theorists look for positive consequences for participants such as self-esteem, grades, career aspirations, and the career mobility patterns of former athletes. Functional theorists believe in harmony and that if social change happens that leads to dysfunction and possible chaos; self-correcting mechanisms of the social system can reverse the dysfunction and bring the system status back to the status quo. In other words, everything will work it’s self out for the better, and there is no need to cause more dysfunction in society then already created. Dayton Public school’s new rule can be viewed by both theorists, the functional theorists can look at this new rule change as a positive change to the Dayton Public school’s society. While the conflict theorist will look at it as a negative change that will give most students false hope in life. Functional theorists would look at this rule as a motivational outlet, a way to help the students who
This will help them in not only sports but their education. By putting these kids in sports, they are being shown what it is like to be a part of something a little bigger. These kids will also experience the feeling of achievement. Sports for the youth can show these kids how to put what they learn on the field, court, track, ect. to their education. By giving these kids the feeling of successes, it will show them how to not only have that feeling of winning in sports but how they can also “win” in school by keeping their grades up. It all comes back to motivation, this rule creates a goal for these kids, which builds their motivation to thrive in their education. This rule also keeps more students in school which then helps them continue their education and have a high success rate in their life. In the eye of a functionalist theorist, sports and education go hand in