Preview

Theoretical Approach

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
393 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Theoretical Approach
Throughout the years, sociologists have come up with various theories to explain the complexity of human behavior, and with some of these being similar or different from each other. These theories and ideas were then simplified and categorized into three theoretical approaches, which are functionalism, conflict, and interactionism (Witt, 2014 pg ). Regardless of the difference in their views, these theoretical approaches help to provide the frameworks for what we observe within the structure of society. These theoretical approaches help us understand more about the way society operates and allow us to recognize things that others might not even seen. Functionalism was developed based on the ideas of Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons and Robert
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Sociological Perspective Analysis
    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Sociological Perspective Analysis

    A structural-functionalist approach discusses that everyone’s lives are formed from their individual social structures, such as their religion, family, or community. These structures continually form our lives and affect the way we act. These social structures contain social functions which affect the whole society, and these functions are the consequences of the society’s actions and beliefs.…

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Unit 3 Theoretical Perspectives Essay
    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Unit 3 Theoretical Perspectives Essay

    Three theoretical perspectives are functionalism, conflict theory, and the insurrectionist perspective, which help serve as a means of helping frame research. Functionalism, also known as structural functionalism, sees society as a complex network working together in balance. Those who study functionalism examin society by contemplating what each separate part of the network does to help society work in harmony. Functionalist view society as a well-functioning self-sufficient machine. The functionalism theory is very broad in that it tries to explain all the parts of human society . Functionalism serves a very important part in sociology because most sections of society have a purpose in the network. The explanation for social change is challenging for functionalist because of “The assumption…

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Functionalism: The Major Sociological Perspective
    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Functionalism: The Major Sociological Perspective

    The major theoretical perspective are known as Functionalist perspective, Conflict perspective, and Interactionist perspective. These three views are the ones most widely used by sociologists, which altogether will approach and provide an introductory look at the discipline. Some iconic sociologists such as Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, Karl Marx, W.E.B. DuBois and many others are major contributors to sociology. Functionalist perspective emphasizes the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability. The functionalist perspective sees stability and agreement while the conflict sociologist sees the world as a continual struggle. Conflict perspective assumes that social behavior is best understood in terms of tension between groups over power or the allocation of resources, including housing, money, access to services, and political representation.…

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Unit 8 Sociological Perspectives In Health And Social Care
    • 1512 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Unit 8 Sociological Perspectives In Health And Social Care

    One of the criticism of functionalism is that they tend to ignore conflict, however it also ignores inequalities of gender, class and race which causes conflict. Another criticism of functionalism is that Durkheim’s work has developed a more…

    • 1512 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Functionalist Perspective On America's Education In The United States
    • 1094 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Functionalist Perspective On America's Education In The United States

    In sociology, functionalism is known as a structural theory. Functionalists see society as a whole being structured like the anatomy of a human body with many interconnected systems that function together to sustain a healthy body. Functionalists argue that in order to have a strong society, each individual must obey the social norms and standards of the society. Each person is socialized into obeying these “social norms” that are at the core that makes up the social structure. Society needs to convey social coherence and education plays a vital role in working to accomplish this.…

    • 1094 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Are The Three Major Sociological Perspectives
    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What Are The Three Major Sociological Perspectives

    The three major sociological perspectives, functionalism, conflict theory, and interactionism, are perception lenses which Sociologists utilize to answer the two basic questions in building theory; what issues should we study? And how should the facts be linked? Essentially, each perspective conceptualizes and analyzes how society influences people as well as how people can influence society. Functionalism or structural-functionalism is sociological perspective that analyzes society on a macro level.…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Conflict Perspective Analysis
    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Conflict Perspective Analysis

    Functionalist, conflict, and interactionist perspectives are all similar in the fact that they are different ways of analyzing sociology. The functionalist perspective is a positive method of analyzing a society and the individuals that work together in order for the society to fucntion properly. For example, a person has multiple body systems and each system must work together in order for the body to function properly. On the other hand, the conflict perspective focuses on individual's behaviors and the factors that may contribute to their behaviors or actions. Conflict focuses on the different classes in a society and the struggles the society may face. I feel that the functionalist and conflict theories are very different in the aspect that one view focuses on a society functioning properly and the other focuses on the differences and struggles of the society. I feel that the interactionist theory fits in the middle of the functionalist and conflict theory. This is due to the fact that the interactionist perspective focuses on the individuals and the individual's understanding or rationalization of certain categories. I feel that the interactionist theory does not label, it is a way of learning and understanding individuals based on their definition of things. Overall, all three views focus on analyzing socioloigy, but i feel that each theory is very different in the approaches and methods that are…

    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    sociology chapter 5 research
    • 325 Words
    • 1 Page

    sociology chapter 5 research

    When using the sociological imagination in everyday life, for instance noticing a coworker’s performance lacking in the quality or quantity that it used to possess. It would be important to consider using the symbolic interactionism approach. This style of observation and thinking allows the observer to focus on the interaction of a person in a typical setting within their society, and also focuses on the individual (micro).The symbolic interactionism approach may determine whether the success rate of the coworker is due to an outside cause such as negative peers or whether they are no longer gaining satisfaction from employment within the company. It could very well be a combination and looking at the case as a whole would also incorporate functionalism. Functionalism is the approach sociologists use to view society as a whole system of parts that work together. (Carl, 2011)…

    • 325 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Explain The Principal Sociological Principles
    • 649 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Explain The Principal Sociological Principles

    Functionalism: Functionalism (or structural functionalism) is the perspective in sociology according to which society consists of different but related parts, each of which serves a particular purpose. According to functionalism, sociologists can explain social structures and social behaviour in terms of the components of a society and their functions. Auguste Comte helped develop functionalism in the 19th century, and functionalist Emile Durkheim later compared society to the human body. Just as the body consists of different, interrelated organs that enable it to survive, society consists of different components that enable it to survive and which depend on each other. For example, judicial systems help maintain order, and schools teach children. Problems in a single part of society can disrupt the whole.…

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

    Theoretical Perspectives Of Sociology
    • 275 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Theoretical Perspectives Of Sociology

    There are three main theoretical perspectives that sociologists have used to examine society. The three theoretical perspectives include symbolic interactionism, functionalism, and conflict theory. People who share territory and culture are society. These sociological perspectives are used to “understand human behavior by placing it within its broader social context” (Henslin 4). Each of these perspectives have a level of analysis. Symbolic interactionists use the micro level to focus on symbols, while functionalists and conflict theorists use the macro level. Micro-level analysis examines small scale patterns of society and macro-level analysis examines large scale patterns of society.…

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

    Introduction to Sociology
    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Introduction to Sociology

    To begin, symbolic interactionist study how people use symbols to develop their views of the world and to communicate with one another. Symbolic interactionist analyze how our behaviors depend on the ways we define ourselves and others. Everything is a symbol and without symbols humans would be no more advanced than the animals that surround them. The next sociological perspective is functional analysis. The central idea of functional analysis is that society is one “whole” unit made up of interrelated parts that work together in harmony. This perspective means that society is composed of many different parts, in which, each part has a role to fulfill in order for society to function normally. There are three types of functions: manifest, latent, and dysfunctions. The manifest functions are deliberate actions that help the system. Latent functions are unexpected functions that help the system. The last function of functional analysis is dysfunctional function. These functions are damaging but, inevitable to society. The third sociological perspective is conflict theory. This perspective on social life basically means that society is composed of competition. This competition or conflict is not always expressed, but it just lies beneath the surface waiting to sprout at a moments notice. When I think about conflict theory I tend to think of the old cliché, “Survival of the fittest.”…

    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Sociology
    • 1432 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Sociology

    Each perspective uniquely explains society, social forces, and human behavior. “Functionalist perspectives are based on the assumption that society is a stable, orderly system” (16). They say that the majority of members share a common set of values, beliefs, and behavioral expectations (16). I believe that our society has to have certain people, things, and parts to function properly. This is where the functionalism would come in. We need one thing to keep the other things going. Each part that is contributed serves as a function and provides stability for the society. Our societies develop certain things or institutions to make the society stronger as a whole; helping the society survive and not fail. These institutions include the family, education, government, religion, and the economy. If anything bad were to happen to one of these institutions, all other parts would be affected and the system would no longer function properly (16). One criticism that functionalism faces is suicide. Sometimes people feel like that it wouldn’t matter, or no one would notice, that they were gone; so they kill themselves. The society needs to think of a way where everybody can feel like they are needed to keep the society stable.…

    • 1432 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sociology and Coffee
    • 891 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Sociology and Coffee

    Functionalism is another social theoretical approach which emphasizes the study of social activity as society functions as a…

    • 891 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Existence of Social Order Today
    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Existence of Social Order Today

    In addition, Talcott Parsons and Emile Durkheim, two functional sociologists also shed light on how social order exists in modern society. Functionalists believes that society is like the human body in that it is combined of different institutions working together to make it function. Thus, Durkheim believed that all members of society contributed to maintenance of order by their individual tasks. These tasks make up a ‘value consensus’ in which most members of the society share the same common values and goals and this leads to social order. For example, it is the parents’ role to give their children an opportunity to be educated and to provide them with food, clothing and shelter. When this does not occur social order is broken as the kids may now become a nuisance to society.…

    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better 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