The Marxists helped contribute to our understanding of the role of education in society in many ways. They went against the functionalists and even opposed one of the functionalist’s theories.…
Religion has held an important role in society since the beginning of civilisation and it has such power over people’s minds and shape the way our world developed. Whilst some sociological theories such as functionalist sees religion as performing a positive function in society as it can lead to social solidarity, integrating people into society, other sociological theories such as Marxist and Feminist totally disagrees with this and would argue that religion leads to instability and conflict in society.…
It is useful to consider how the family supports wider society. Functionalism considers this by deciding what functions the family must perform and therefore which type would suit society best.…
Functionalism also focuses on the functions of the family and how having a stable and functional family contributes to the…
Murdock argues that the family perform four simple functions; which are sexual – this is where you satisfy your needs with one partner, for a reproductive purpose primarily. Also reproductive which is where you reproduce for the next generation, taking into account the basis that you are creating children to benefit society. In addition socialisation which is being able to socialise your children. Murdock argues that such functions are so vital that they have to exist everywhere.…
Functionalists believe that religion is beneficial for both society as a whole and it’s individual members, for example it unifies society, which in turn gives each individual member a source of support when they need it. However some theorists disagree with the functionalist ideology.…
They also say that capitalism exploits the labour of workers and making a profit by selling the products made from their labour for more than it costs them to produce. From a Marxist perspective the family performs ideas and believe that the family ‘socialising the children into accepting hierarchy’ and inequality between the bourgeoisies and the proletariats. However Functionalist believe that no matter what hierarchy the children are born into, their shouldn’t feel disappointed, from their upbringing.…
Murdoch identifies four functions of the nuclear family which are economic, educational, sexual and reproductive. Parsons…
In this essay, I intend to analyse some of the theories behind the functionalist perspective of the family, it is my intention to look at two main theorists in this field, Murdock and Parsons. I to analyse their theories and give objective argument for the pros and cons of the functionalist family. I intend to break this down by looking at the theorists separately and then looking at arguments against the functionalist family.…
Functionalists believe that society is similar to a living organism and that all social institutions perform specific functions in order to help society function effectively. They believe that religion contributes to value consensus and social integration. For example Durkheim sees religion as a method for integrating individuals into a community by instilling into them a set of shared beliefs that gives them a feeling of belonging.…
Which sociological perspective notes the ways in which the family gratifies the needs of its members and contributes to the stability of…
Functionalists have put forward their perspective on religion and how it benefits both society and the individual starting with how religion brings people together harmoniously, creating social cohesion and a sense of belonging as people believe in the same thing and all abide by the same rules. Religion creates and maintains a value consensus whilst giving society social order. By conforming to religious beliefs this allows us to gain morals and therefore Functionalists see religion as a positive aspect to society.…
As previously mentioned, functionalists argue that social order and solidarity to run smoothly – Durkheim argued that there are four main ways in which religion maintains value consensus. One way is through the sacred and profane, he argued that sacred referred to things that are separate from society and create feelings of awe, wonder and fear whereas profane referred to things that were inferior with no real significance. Durkheim therefore argued that the only thing powerful enough to inspire people in the way religion does is society itself therefore meaning people are not worshipping their religion or god, but in fact society – this means that people unite under the same belief, spreading shared norms and values all over and therefore creating consensus within society.…
Functionalists and Marxists are the theorists who claim that religion is a conservative force, functionalists believe that religion promotes a stable society with no disruptions. Marxists on the other hand believe that the Bourgeoisie use religion to maintain their position of power in society, therefore keeping things as they are. Marx claimed that religion was an effective aget of social control, referring to religion as the ‘Opium of the masses’, pumping perception-distorting drugs into the proletariat like a hypodermic needle. For him it was a mechanism of social control, regulating the behaviour of the working class and preventing them from seeing their true situation in society.…
Like the functionalists, Marxists agree that education is functional in that it maintains the dominance of certain powerful groups in society. Unlike the functionalists, however, Marxists do not believe that it works for the…