Difference Between Functionalism And Symbolic Interactionism

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In attempts to explain and understand the social world, sociologists utilize a wide variety of social perspectives which provide different frameworks for analyzing various social phenomena. Thus, different sociological perspectives can be applied to various social issues facing society such as poverty, crime, or modern dating. In this paper, the sociological perspectives of symbolic interactionism and functionalism will be utilized to explain various issues of modern dating. These issues include lying on dating profiles, the anonymity of online dating, and the rise of the “one night stands”. The first perspective functionalism, is a macro perspective which focuses on how society is kept stable through the interaction of various social institutions which work together to keep society functioning. Generally, functionalists view dating as being an instrumental role in bringing individuals together in hopes of starting a family. Symbolic interactionism is a micro perspective which focuses on small scale interactions between individuals in society and through those interactions individuals interpret and act according to the meanings as well as the symbols they attach to those behaviours. Likewise, symbolic interactionist recognize the importance …show more content…

Preventative practices are adopted to prevent others from gaining a negative perception of an individual while Corrective practices are implored when an individual feels that his/her competency or positive self-image is being threatened, correct negative images so that we are left with a positive impressions. For example, individuals will use preventative measures to ensure that their profiles highlight the positive aspects of their persona, and if they accidently give off a negative impression they will use corrective practices usually in the form of a text message to ensure the individual that they are better than

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