Social Conflict Theories and Functionalism There are three main theories of sociology; functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic interactionism. This paper will focus on two of those theories, functionalism and conflict theory. The objective is to delineate the assumptions of two out of the three theoretical perspectives and apply these assumptions to an analysis of social stratification. How this will be accomplished will be by comparing and contrasting their assumptions and by analyzing the two theories affect on social stratification. Then I will state my opinion on which of the two better fits my personal sociological views. Functionalism is many people's way to view the world sociologically. It states clearly that the objectivity of the researcher is necessary and can be accomplished. There are three main points, which make up a functionalist theory on sociological expression. The first point is that culture is made up of interacting, interdependent parts. Each of these parts has a function in maintaining the society as a system on the whole. The second point states that shared values and expectations(or beliefs) among the members of the society help hold the society together. The third point states that these systems have a need for stability and a need to try to keep all the parts working together congruously in a sort of system. Social change in this system is uncommon, and when it does happen, it is a very gradual change. Conflict theory is centered on the tension, or struggle that goes on in everyday life. There are many different parts, which make up the conflict theorist's view on the sociological perspective. The first main part is that society promotes general differences in wealth, power, and prestige. Wealth... ... middle of paper ... .... Functionalism is much too conservative, and does not have a way to explain major changes in society. The conflict theory does not explain some of the more orderly and stable parts of society. They both make good points, and both have good arguments. I however, cannot endorse one over the other for the simple reason that they are both essentially wrong and right at the same time. A conflict theorist is correct in saying that money and power do give you special considerations, and conflicts are at the base of most social change, however, they are wrong in assuming that all social institutions are unstable. A functionalist is correct in saying that the society is made up of interdependent and interacting parts, but wrong in their conservative assumptions. A blend of the two would probably provide the greatest base for an argument and would probably be the most real.
1.Conflict Theory: Conflict theory is based off of ideas from Karl Marx (Tischler, 2014), and its focus is on the struggle between societal classes to obtain limited resources (Morris, 2015). They believe strongly that those whom are in power will use any means necessary to maintain it (Tischler, 2014), thus reinforcing the “have” and “have not” mentality (Morris, 2015). They act usually not out of benevolence, but with what will get them the furthest ahead, focusing little attention to constancy within society (Tischler, 2014). Functionalist: Functionalism is a macro-level theory (Morris, 2015), that is primarily based off of Durkheim and Spencer (Tischler, 2014). They believe that different groups within society exist in order for us to see
Race is a very interesting subject of sociology, and it is also immensely studied. What is race? Race is presumed common genetic heritage resulting in distinguishing physical characteristics” (Social Stratification). There are three basic theories to explain race in sociology; Functionalist Theory, Conflict Theory, and the Symbolic Interaction Theory.
Functionalist state they do not concentrate on conflict or division within society. However, Durkheim does mention society is together by certain parts of the social system sharing values. If any of the above fails to work together, functionalists explain this as a ‘loss of social solidarity, a lack of integration or a loss of equilibrium’ (Jones 2003 p.38) the key conc...
Walmart can be studied using structure functional theory and social conflict theories. Social functional theory is the relationships among parts of society and how these parts are functional(have beneficial consequences) or dysfunctional (have negative consequences. Most Americans today love to shop at Walmart because they continue to give consumers the best prices on over 120,000 products and are one stop shopping.
Did you know that in 2014, shoplifting and worker’s theft cost the retail industry a loss of thirty-two billion dollars (Wahba, 2015)? According Wahba “a common misperception about shoplifting is that retailers can ‘afford’ the loss of a candy bar or a pair of jeans” (2015). This type of reasoning certainly does make more sense when explained through the context of a criminological theory. For example according to the Rational Choice theory individuals weigh the costs and benefits associated with a criminal and or deviant act and then make a conscious choice. Other criminological theories explain criminal and deviant behavior using a biological, psychological, social, conflict, or multifactor component. Taking that into consideration in this
In sociology we have learned about the three major sociological perspectives which are; symbolic interactionism, functionalism, or conflict theory. Conflict theory is my favorite topic that I learned about this year. Conflict theory was founded by Karl Marx that claims society is in a state of perpetual conflict due to competition for limited resources. Conflict theory holds that social order is maintained by domination and power, rather than consensus and conformity. The main elements in social conflict are that society is created in ways to benefit the higher class, and factors such as race, sex, class, and age are likely to experience social inequality. To a social conflict theorist, it is all about dominant group vs. minority group relations. Karl Marx is considered the 'father ' of social conflict theory. The movie “The Hunger Games” shows many examples of social conflict throughout the whole movie.
The book displays two social concepts, conflict theory and structural-functionalism. Conflict theory is defined as “a theory propounded by Karl Marx that claims society is in a state of perpetual conflict due to competition
The functionalist paradigm focuses on the integration of society, and how society how its own groups which has their own functions to help improve the peoples lives. Functionalist paradigm fits in the category of macro-sociology, because it focuses on the patterns that shape an entire society. Functionalists believe that society is maintained through the thought of trust and consensus on moral values for ideal behavior. Working together will result in a stable social environment that will create equality. Conflicts or dysfunctions will be view as a disease in the social system. Social conflict paradigm believes that society is divided into many groups that have their own goals, and that certain parts of the world have the luck of benefiting economic dominan...
"The functionalist perspective is a sociological approach which emphasizes the way that parts of a society are structure to maintain its stability,"(Schaefer & Lamm, 1998). This perspective looks at a society in a positive manner and sees it as stable, with all the parts working together. Under the functionalist view every social aspect of a society contributes to the society's survival, and if not, the aspect is not passed to the next generation.
Based on reading the chapter, sexuality is a very controversial subject. In reading the chapter, the Social-Conflict Theory especially stood out to me as evidence of sexuality being constructed by society. This theory "links sexuality to social inequality." This means that, in some cases, men dominate over women by making them out to be sexual objects (Feminist Theory). This shapes sexuality because some women begin to seek a level of equality, which may end up being with a female. If this is the case, society has shaped these individuals because they don't want to be looked at as sexual objects. One way that men make women sexual objects is by looking at pornography. The book hits the nail on the head when it says pornography "typically shows
Functionalists and conflict theorists have contradictory views on inequalities. Functionalists have a positive outlook on inequalities, whereas the conflict theory believes that any type of inequality leads to a disruption in society.
A structural functionalist would say that society is not working together and that the problem is that we all don’t share the same values and that the bullies who obviously are not socialized property should be removed from society and that would solve the problem. A social conflict theorist believes in nine things society is like a pyramid, The elite are at the top of the pyramid and the masses are at the bottom, those on the top of the pyramid hold all the power, Those with the power determine the values for society, the glue that holds society together is force, societal members learn the values of the powerful through the socialization process, society is always in a state of conflict, different people and groups will always be struggling to gain power, those with the economic and political power will shape society to their advantage. A social conflict theorist would say that this topic proves that society is always in a state of conflict because people don’t get along and that different people and groups will always be struggling to gain power because the different people are the masses which are at the
The study of the social interactions of society led to some very prominent theories on the social structure of a given society. Karl Marx, who was considered to be the father of conflict theory, claimed that in any society there is a division of social classes, where one group gets and maintains control of the other groups, oftentimes exploiting those of lesser social standing. This consequently leads to a conflict of the social classes in a struggle to gain or maintain power. The names of these distinct social classes have changed over time but their defining characte...
Structural Functionalism or what I call just functionalism, is just another theory that has society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. This approach looks at society through the macro-level of orientation, which is a broad focus on the social structures that shape society as a whole, and believes that society has evolved like organisms. This approach looks at both social structure and the social functions. Functionalism has society as a whole in terms of the function of its constituent elements; namely norms and customs, traditions, and institutions. There is a common analogy, popularized by Herbert Spencer that presents these parts of society as "organs" that works towards the proper functioning of the "body" as a whole. In the most basic terms, it simply emphasizes "the effort to impute and the rigorously as possible, to each feature, custom, or even practice the effect on the functioning of a supposedly stable and cohesive system.
The structural-functionalist perspective looks at society as a complex system composed of various parts much like a living organism. Each aspect of society contributes to society's functioning as a whole. Social institutions play a key role in keeping a society stable. All societies need certain things to survive (Newman 2010).