Structural Functional Theory Vs Social Interaction Theory

Each theory – the Structural Functional theory, Social Conflict theory, and Symbolic Interaction theory- are both similar and different, though the main difference is what each theory effects. The Structural Functional theory, based off of many theorists such as Emile Durkheim and, consists of the idea that society operate through subcultures, such as gender, kinship or ethnicity, and religion. One of the most common analogies used to describe this theory is that society is the “body” and the subcultures it consists of are the “organs”. The Social Conflict theory, based off of Marxist ideals, displays the differences between economic, social, and or societal role a person plays in comparison towards others. This could be the difference between a child raised in an upper class family and a child raised in poverty, the wealthier child is offered more throughout their life and the other is gains less. The social interaction theory, coined by Herbert Blumer, is the idea that people usually give meanings towards situations or things through their own experiences, thoughts, and lifestyle; basically a persons or subgroups connotation towards a situation. These three ideas all contribute throughout the society that we live in.

The Structural Functional theory discusses

Such as people who have been raped tend to fear people of the gender that hurt them, things that remind them of it, or things that happened around or near that time. These connotations could also be described as ‘triggers’, as many people say. These ‘triggers’ are an example of the Social Interaction theory. These people may see strangers as predators, while people who have not been in a predatory situation simply don’t see others as anything other than a stranger. In our society, many people tend to define objects only by one’s experience. This theory pertains to how one sees the