Preview

Structural Functional Theory Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
554 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Structural Functional Theory Essay
Structural Functional Theory is one of the frameworks sociologists employs to understand the world. The idea focused on this theory is that society is an intricate unit composed of interconnected parts (Macionis, 2008). Durkheim, a French sociologist based his work on this theory. He argues that deviance is normal and vital part of any society since it adds to the social order. According to Durkheim, deviance fulfills four functions.
Clarify Norms. Assertion of cultural Values and norms: witnessing an individual being punished for a deviant action strengthens what a society perceives as unacceptable or acceptable actions. Passing a judgment of imprisonment to a marijuana dealer or user asserts our culturally perception value that use of marijuana or trading marijuana is wrong (Earleywine, 2003). Having notion that marijuana impairs an individual’s capability to form innovative memories, …show more content…
This means that the behaviors of deviant people aids to merge individuals who are not deviant. The individuals who are not deviant discourage deviant behaviors and if such behaviors exist they react against them. Those individuals without deviant behaviors form an attitude with the respect to the deviants such as us against them. This strengthens their relations with the upright individuals in the society. For instance we find that back in 1950’s Whites, American, and Africans migrated to urban areas in search of jobs and this brought them together. Being together triggered the birth of Rock and Roll. Individuals who are not involved in use of marijuana may discourage the social misbehaving behavior such as stealing, murdering or sexual harassment arising from individuals using marijuana since they are under the control of the marijuana and may not be aware of their actions, deviant individuals may strengthen their relations with the good individuals in the
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    A Non Devient Australia in Accordence to Durkheim's Theory of Deviancy
    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A Non Devient Australia in Accordence to Durkheim's Theory of Deviancy

    The problem with Durkheim’s theory of social deviance is that his idea that a society needs deviancy to change is only looking at the “good” sort of deviant behaviour which leads to a more desirable type of social change. This leaves out the kinds of deviancy such as murder, theft, rape and other sorts of deviancy which damages society. With Durkheim leaving out the sort of deviancy that would cause damage to society he has left himself open to criticism.…

    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Assess the usefulness of functionalist approaches in explaining crime A2
    • 550 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Assess the usefulness of functionalist approaches in explaining crime A2

    Functionalist approach towards crime & deviance is seen as a top down approach as it looks at society as a whole, stating that criminal behaviour is caused by society itself except from being caused through an individual’s biology & psychology. Durkheim sees deviance as inevitable also being necessary for our society, however other perspectives such as Marxist & Feminist may state otherwise.…

    • 550 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Structural Functionalism: The Things They Carried By Robbie O Brien
    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Structural Functionalism: The Things They Carried By Robbie O Brien

    Robbie O’Brien Structural functionalism is the idea that everything that operates in a society has a certain function and role that it plays in order to make a large society work. I think that it can be broken down like a Car. a car has many parts, that all work together in order to make the car go, for example a car has the engine part, but a car won't move without all the other parts that officially makes it a ‘car.’ Just like a society, if we were to just have the giant corporations, and the general public was gone, then we would have no one to buy the goods and society would break down because a major part of it is missing, Now if one part were to break down, and it wasn't as big, for example the car loses one wheel, it will still be able to move, turn, and function, just not nearly as good and it is unsafe. That is what structural functionalism is, the idea that every part has a role that makes society work.…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Outline & Evaluate the Functionalist Approach to Crime & Deviance
    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Outline & Evaluate the Functionalist Approach to Crime & Deviance

    The majority of Functionalist's ideas on crime derive from the work of Durkheim. Durkheim believes that crime in inevitable because not every member of society shares the same values and norms; every society has crime, particularly the most advanced industrial societies. Crime is seen as not only inevitable, but functional to society because it allows for change, which is vital for society to function. Durkheim argues that crime brings society together, as in the case of the Soham murders. From this point of view it can be questioned what the function of punishment is, Durkheim believes punishment is a form of social control and act as a signal to people. A.K Cohen developed Durkheim's ideas further, providing further possible functions of deviance. Firstly deviance can act as a safety valve providing an expression of discontent. Cohen uses the example of prostitution, he believes this protects the institution of the family and provides a release from the stress of family life without undermining family stability because the relationship between prostitute and client has no emotional attachments. In other words it is fine for a man to use a prostitute, but not to have an affair because that would jeopardise the family! Cohen believes that deviance acts as a warning device too indicate that an aspect of society is malfunctioning, thus drawing attention to it and allowing the problem to be resolved. An example of…

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Structural Functionalism
    • 73 Words
    • 1 Page

    Structural Functionalism

    The definition of structural functionalism in a society is to have various subsystems that work to serve a larger purpose for society as a whole. Canada is a perfect example of this as our society relies on these subsystems to work properly in order to meet its main goal of maintaining a strong, rich and healthy country, preserving our natural resources as well as providing a safe place for our citizens to live.…

    • 73 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    the 1950s can be seen as a period of great prosperity for the people of britain
    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages

    the 1950s can be seen as a period of great prosperity for the people of britain

    Functionalists see the source of crime as located within the structure of society and they believe society produces an individual and many of these functionalists also believe that crime serves a positive function in society. Functionalist supporters like Durkheim claim some crimes are inevitable in society and are impossible to vanish completely, and he believes these crimes can become a positive in society because when punishments are handed out to criminals this portrays a stern message that crime is wrong and won’t be tolerated and therefore discourages others in society to commit crimes and ultimately raises awareness of crimes.…

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Mythical Norms Of The Canadian Judicial System
    • 1513 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Mythical Norms Of The Canadian Judicial System

    Norms are made by historical ideals that have gained power once becoming part of the society. They continue to grow in strength, due to society’s belief that they cannot change what has been made in the past. All norms have a positive and negative impact; they are…

    • 1513 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Unit 7 Sociology perspectives for health and social care Concepts and models of health

    • 3743 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Unit 7 Sociology perspectives for health and social care Concepts and models of health

    Functionalism is a macro approach it contains a variety of institutions in society and how they are all dependent on each other; if one begins to fail it effects the rest of society. It is often referred to like 'the human body' society being the body and the organizations being the organs. When the organs (organizations) begin to fail due to deviant behaviour it effects the body (society) which can be fixed. Sociologist analysis the institutions of society as functioning smoothly and concord; as they contribute clear factors to society to make it function accordingly. Functionalism is beneficial according to (George Murdock 1897-1985) as it consider our values, so when crime or 'deviant behaviour' is publicized society comes together in mutual shock and disagreement which is why crime is heavily exposed in the media, Judicial system is heavily exposed as well, so society can carry out their roles and know the norms and laws and achieve that society is running smoothly. It also teaches the younger generation appropriate behaviours in society. The formation of boundaries; as society changes individuals become unsure about values and too much uncertainty in the public is bad for social cohesion. So when extreme fashions of deviances enables individuals to create moral boundaries, like sexuality functionalist argue that same sex couples are integrated part of society but should not be frustrated when conflicting their marriage rights, The economic function ensures that family has the reassurance and can provide food, shelter and be financially secured.…

    • 3743 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Deviance In Criminological Analysis
    • 3090 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Deviance In Criminological Analysis

    Durkheim suggests that there is a purpose to the existence of all social phenomena, the necessary purpose of deviance being to bond the social group. This is difficult to imagine because it treats society as a living thing, an object which forces individuals to follow, like sheep or robots, the wider social pattern 2. His influence on sociology has been immense and even those who disagree with him have generally fallen into dialogue with his views. 3. He does not explain why certain people are more likely to commit crimes than others. 4. It is difficult to test the theory of crime. It seems to be a ‘have your cake and eat it theory’, where crime may invalidate the functionalist claims of social stability, but it seen to ‘really’ function to create such stability by showing people how not to behave. Thus functionalists are able to ‘prove’ stability in life, even where conflict is shown to exist 5. He seems to ignore the concept of power. It is generally accepted that in all societies some groups have greater ability than the bulk of the population to influence the law making process. 6. Functionalism fails to provide an answer to the question ‘Functional for whom?’. 7. Durkheim’s work was perhaps the first to analyse deviance in terms of a broad sociological theory. Resources Used Heavily…

    • 3090 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Sociology- Criminology Essay Jan 2011
    • 1608 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Sociology- Criminology Essay Jan 2011

    One of these approaches is Merton’s Strain theory whose key idea is that deviance is the product of a delinquent subculture with different norms and values from the rest of society that provides an alternative opportunity structure for those denied a legitimate chance to succeed. According to Merton, deviance within society is a result of the culture and structure of society itself because he believes all members of society share common values and goals but do not always occupy the same economic and social positions. Therefore, they do not have equal opportunities to realise those goals. One example Merton uses is the ‘American Dream’ to illustrate his theory. The philosophy behind this believes anyone can achieve their goals of the American Dream regardless of their social background through normal means including hard work, determination etc. However, Merton argues that the pressure from society to achieve financial success actively pushes individuals to commit crimes because they want to achieve…

    • 1608 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Norm Paper
    • 1373 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Norm Paper

    A norm is a principle of right action binding upon the members of a group and serving to guide, control, or regulates proper and acceptable behavior. Social norms are group-held beliefs about how members should behave in a given context. Sociologists describe norms as informal understandings that govern society’s behaviors, while psychologists have adopted a more general definition, recognizing smaller group units, like a team or an office, may also endorse norms separate or in addition to cultural or societal expectations. The psychological definition emphasizes social norms' behavioral component, stating norms have two dimensions: how much behavior is exhibited and how much the group approves of that behavior. The people living in the society develop social norms. These norms have its importance and pay a vital role in the socialization of an individual and molding of personality. There are some important functions of social norms, which play essential part in the smooth of the society. These are control behavior, harmonize the society, and law and order.…

    • 1373 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Structural Strain Theory
    • 2387 Words
    • 10 Pages

    The Structural Strain Theory

    The Functionalist Theory believes deviance is needed by our society in order to create social cohesion. Emilie Durkheim asserted that our society needs deviance to stabilize our society as a whole. Social bonds are stronger from those who identify and punish deviant behavior. Social structure is where the functionalists focus their attention. Structural strain theory is related to the functionalist theory because it shows what can happen when social goals cannot be meant through legal ways (MindEdge, 2015).…

    • 2387 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Introduction of Sociology
    • 294 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Introduction of Sociology

    * Functional Analysis (Functionalism, and structural functionalism) each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society's functioning as a whole. This basic approach can be applied to any social group, whether an entire society, a college, or even a group as small as a family. Nevertheless, when any social group loses function, functionalism does not encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment.…

    • 294 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Structural Functionalist
    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Structural Functionalist

    As time goes on, more and more people are suffering from a mental illness. In the United States, mental health typically is defined as one's psychological, emotional and social well-being. Research shows that in the last year, at least a quarter of college students has either been diagnosed or treated for a mental health problem (Mooney, Knox, and Scacht, 2016, p. 35). My initial thought was that 25 percent students seems to be too high to be true. However, I myself have narcolepsy, depression and social anxiety disorder. Many of my friends have disorders such as dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactive disorder and different anxiety disorders. The structural-functionalist, conflict and symbolic interactionist reflect on different perspectives that people believe connect to mental illness.…

    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Compare and Contrast Any Two Sociological Theories and Briefly Evaluate Them.
    • 2075 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Compare and Contrast Any Two Sociological Theories and Briefly Evaluate Them.

    Functionalism has a macro-structural approach to society. It looks at society as a whole and is known as a consensus perspective i.e. everyone agrees on social norms and values and people work together to maintain society. These norms and values are learned by social institutions such as the family, education, media, religion, law and work. Functionalists believe society is arranged similar to the human body and its vital organs. If one should malfunction, then the others will be affected. This organic analogy keeps society functioning and these institutions have functional dependency on each other. These ideas go back to Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), the French sociologist who is considered to be the founding father of functionalist sociology and whose writings form the basis for the functionalist theory(McClelland 2000).…

    • 2075 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics