Structural Functionalism Gangs

The social issue I have chosen for this assignment is gangs. Gangs are a major issue, especially in poverty-stricken areas. They can create rivals and add hostility and violence into an area. Gangs are a serious problem that police have a hard time solving. Gangs can recruit young adolescents and send them on a path of crime and detour them from a bright future. Each theoretical perspective (the major three perspectives are structural functionalism, social conflict paradigm, and symbolic interactionism) has a different view on the questions they would ask and the way they would examine this issue.

Structural Functionalism
Structural functionalism is a macro-level paradigm that wants to explain the social structural roles. Structural

functionalism believes that everything serves a purpose and function because if it did not, it would cease to exist. Some of the questions a structural functionalists would ask are the following: What is the purpose of gangs? What are their functions? What are their contributions to the stability of society? Robert Morton, the sociologist who tried redefining the paradigm used by functionalists, would seek to find out the manifest functions of gangs. Manifest functions are the intended functions of the gang, while on the other hand, latent functions are the functions that were not intended or expected. Morton proposed, while social issues and structures can have their benefits, that they can also have their dysfunctions.

Social Conflict Paradigm
The conflict theorists want to explain the conflict throughout social relationships. Unlike a functionalist, a conflict theorist would ask more questions directed to explain the conflict built in social relationships. Questions a conflict theorist would ask include: Who benefits from this social issue? Who has the disadvantage? Which class will suffer in order for the other class to thrive? What conflicts will arise? This perspective is a macro-level paradigm that was brought up by the ideas of Karl Marx. This perspective has expanded, even up until the 20th century, to involve technology and how the rise of it creates conflicts between the social classes.

Symbolic Interactionist
A symbolic interactionist will surround their questions around the social interactions, including the symbols and language used. Among the questions a symbolic interactionist would ask, some of questions are the following: How can being labeled a member of a certain gang affect the way others, and yourself, see you? How will you act differently once labeled as the gang member? Symbolic interactionism will fit well into researching about gangs because of the many symbols associated with gangs. Gangs used symbols such as colors (such as red for the bloods), hand symbols, and tattoos. Symbolic interactionist is a micro-level paradigm that will focus on how people interact through language and interpret symbols.

Research
The seven steps of doing a sociological research are the following: frame your research question, review existing knowledge, select the appropriate method, weigh the ethical implications, collect the data, analyze the data, and then share the results.

The research question I would frame the research project around is “'Does being involved in a gang increase the risk of dropping out of high school?” I would then find existing information around the topic, such as published studies and unpublished papers. The next step would include choosing the research methods; the seven research methods are the following: survey research, fieldwork, detached observation, participant observation, experimentation, use of existing information, and participatory research. The two methods I would choose are fieldwork and using existing information. Fieldwork would be used since other methods, such as surveys, wouldn't give accurate results since gang members might not truthfully answer (such as not admitting they are apart of a gang.) I would use existing information, such as the number of drop outs in an area crowded with gangs and the number of drop outs in an area without gangs, to help my research project. The next thing I would do is make sure the research project fits in the Nuremberg Code; this will make sure the project follows all ethical guidelines. The search will be quantitative, since the risk of dropping out of school due to gang affiliation can be indicated by a percentage, or number, that can be compared to the drop outs of students who are not affiliated with gangs. The last step would be to share my results. This is important so other people can compare their similar research project's results with mine. After many sociology research projects relating to a similar topic, a sociological theory could potentially be

disproved.