Structural-functionalism

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The focus on how social structures determine, and are effective in maintaining the equilibrium is functionalism or structural-functionalism, which is the theorizing of Durkheim and Parsons (Dillon, book, 179). What this means is that we need to look at the structures effectiveness of social structures and make sure that it is at a satisfying state of equilibrium. An example of this would be the human body, we have many different organs and they all work together to produce the fully functional human. What it comes down to is, everything has its own place in society and even if a conflict is introduced, there is a way of working itself out and the society will go back to functioning normally. The functionalists understand the presence of stratification around to place individuals who have the desire to motivate other individuals with in the social structure. These individuals are to fulfill motivation on two different occasions, they are not only in placed in the society to motivate others, but once they are also need to be able to fill there own personal duties. This basically means that they have to look out for not only their selves, but others as well. There are two different types of motivation that involved with stratification, competitive and non-completive, both of which are needed in a system. A competitive system it is more desirable to achieve a position, as to non-competitive where the importance is focused on the motivation of the duties that are included with the position. One of the key points included with the principle of stratification is that some positions require more time and effort to achieve and those are more functionally important in a society. This would include positions that require schooling well beyo... ... middle of paper ... ...res very little training, removes our trash so that we don’t have to do it ourselves, without their service people who have trash piled up in their yards. The system itself makes sense, if you go to school and receive higher education and acquire a large debt from school loans there should be some accommodation as to how much money should be distributed. There in no reason should be anyone who makes a six figure yearly income; a person can comfortably live with less. This is where it becomes a problem there are people who have so much money that they don’t know what to do with it and then there are people who are in more physically or less demanding jobs who are just getting by pay check to pay check. I don’t see how equilibrium can actually be reached while this is occurring, there will always be people who do not get the amount of money they need to live happily.

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