Sociological Perspectives In Sociology: Functionalism And Conflict

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Sociology is defined by the Oxford Dictionary (2017) as ‘the study of the development, structure and functioning of human society’. It looks at how society has changed and developed over time and how every part of society works with one another to function effectively. Simply put, sociology is the study of how society is organised and how individuals function within it. There are several sociological perspectives within sociology; symbolic interactionalism, functionalism conflict and feminism (radical or liberal). This essay will explore functionalism and conflict before critically evaluating sociology concepts, including socialisation, norms, values, roles and status. How family and family structure can make a difference as to how children are socialised will also be discussed. Functionalism, first proposed by Durkheim is a theory which views society as a system of interlinking institutions, for example education, family and government which are reliant on each other to maintain balance and order within society (sociology twynham). Functionalists believe these institutions …show more content…

Marx identified a large inequality between upper class and working class in areas such as health, education and pay. Conflict theory sees society to be in favour of one minority group and therefore not beneficial to the majority of the population (thoughtco). This theory also believes that systems put in place to try and reduce inequalities are the reasons why people believe now a day that they are worse off than others. For example, through tracking, standardising and high expectations people are beginning to put inequalities in place where it might not be necessary to. The conflict theory argues order in society is maintained through power and domination, rather than through agreement and shared

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