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How culture drives behavior
How culture drives behavior
Marxism and functionalism similarities and differences
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The Functionalist and Marxist Views on the Purpose of Socialisation Functionalists and Marxists have very similar theories as to the socialisation process. I intend to show this and compare these similarities. There are many well-known functionalists but I am mainly focusing on the views of Talcott Parsons and Emile Durkheim in particular. There are many aspects of the socialisation process to cover both concerning functionalist and Marxist views, these include cultures (made up of many different branches), values (peoples beliefs), and norms (patterns of behaviour). Also primary and secondary socialisation. Functionalists and Marxists both share similar views on the socialisation process. Both viewpoints are based on the substructure of society this is formed by many external influences as follows; the family, media, religion, education and, the state. Both functionalist and Marxists believe that we are the products of social stimuli and are socialised according to our external influences. They both believe in the "top-down" theory seeing society as a stage with all these influences shaping our individual identities. " If society were a stage then we individuals are simply puppets dancing to the tune of the social structures that shape our identities- indeed our lives" (1) Functionalist and Marxists may have similar views but they do not share the same views as to why this process is. I personally believe that in a way we are like puppets, and that we are socialised into what is "right and wrong". I believe the biggest influence to be in the family, because the family are concerned with everything that shapes you... ... middle of paper ... ... a lower class. To me this is wrong, as lower class seems to be putting one in ones place, lower being the operative word. The media do expose people being the positive side but then when one looks at copycat crimes you can't help but blame the media. A lot of influence does come in way of the family but this stems back generations and some adapt quicker to change than others. These too have been socialised by their peers and unfortunately can result in these inequalities in society remaining. However if people did not conform to the norms/values that society thrusts upon them, and there were many deviants, this would surely result in anarchy. But so it is, people do conform, and surely enough society roles on as, as both functionalist and Marxists agree " society is more important than the individuals within it"(12)
Functionalism views society as the stability and assimilation of a range of forces that function within it. While society is a separate entity with a life of its own, there are individual elements contributing to that stability. Functionalism as a sociological theory emphasizes assimilation rather than the dissociation of society. Therefore, the society is seen as a whole that is compromised of parts which give one another their identity and their function. The part, whether that is education, such as a school, or sports, such as a football team, operates in relation to the other parts, and cannot be entirely understood in isolation from the other parts. All the parts are interrelated, and when there is a disturbance in any one of the parts, is when you can see the interdependence. But what is important about this theory is that “there will always be some reorganization and tendency to restore equilibrium” (Wallace and Wolf 17). Functionalist do not believe it’s crucial that the people involved in the society to be aware of this interconnectedness anymore than the brain and heart consciously realize that they work together as an organism.
A functionalist such as Durkheim (1858–1917) believed that deviance was an essential part of a functional society, and that by using the term deviant we were creating our own moral boundaries. Society’s reaction to an individual that crosses these moral boundaries forces people to come together, sharing the collective view of right from wrong. The consensus of these boundaries promotes self restraint and discipline within society. Durkheim theorised that the basis of social order was the shared belief in norms and values. The absence of social order would result in anomie.
The academic essay, “The Social Foundations of Human Experience”, by Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann written in 1966 is an interesting take on the socialization of human beings. It provides a myriad of information and ideas promoting readers to think about how socialization, as well as social structures effect both society and individual beings. The authors argue that human beings experience life based on the socialization process and their innate abilities to interact with each other. Society operates in a distinct way, based on human activity and human interaction. Through examining our course content and reading the essay I have found that the Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann
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...
Structural-functionalist Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore concluded that stratification of society is inevitable because: for society to function its positions must be filled, some positions are more important than others, the more important positions must be filled by the more qualified people, and to motivate the more qualified people to fill these positions they must offer greater rewards. (2012:228) Example of Davis and Moore conclusion is if someone apply for a job as a teacher, they need to be highly qualify in area such as education and experience. For that person to be interest in the job, employer need to offer benefit like retirement plan, vacation time, health insurance, etc… Unlike the position as a teacher, if someone is applying
Structural functionalism is a macro-level paradigm that wants to explain the social structural roles. Structural
.... 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.
The functionalist perspective differs from other perspectives because of its belief in social structures, while the feminist and conflict perspective hold true to their belief in conflict, and the interactionist perspective believes in interaction within society. With that being said, if there was any type of good order and discipline, such as laws to keep people on the straight path, society would break down from the viewpoint of the functionalist. Where as in that same scenario, feminist and conflict perspectives would say society would grow stronger due to conflict. From the interactionist perspective without laws people would have to depend on one another more for different resources causing more interaction within society. All of these perspectives take a different look at society as a whole and they also look at problems within society completely different which means their answers to resolve one issue differ tremendously. What could be consider a problem into society to one perspective may not be as important as another problem to a different perspective, like homelessness.
Structural functionalists believe that society leans towards social order and equilibrium. Institutions such as education are like important organs that keep the society/body healthy and well that is how structural functionalist view education. Social equilibrium means the same as social order, and is guaranteed when nearly everyone accepts the general moral values of their society. Hence structural functionalists believe the aim of key institutions, such as education, is to socialise children and teenagers. Socialization is the process by which the new generation learns the knowledge, attitudes and values that they will need as productive citizens. Although this aim is stated in the formal curriculum, it is mainly achieved through "the hidden
According to Marx his theory of alienation is a result of the capitalist mode of production and the cruelty of money. In the world of capitalism, the realization of labour appears as a loss of reality for labour workers. The worker turns foreign to the world he lives in thus, alienation leading to social classes. Marx considers there are four different types of alienation: “Alienation of the worker from the product where the worker is alienated from the object they produce because it is owned by the capitalist; alienation of the worker from the process of production where the process of production is not determined by the producers or the consumers but the by the Capitalist class for profit; alienation of the worker from his/her species-essences
Ø In particular with Durkheim’s work, it is too optimistic and maintains the idea of social solidarity as the main theme, and simply believes pathologies can be solved through simple social reform, ignoring any problems or conflict and the affects. Ø Marxists argue that the modern family is organised to support and benefit the ruling class and the capitalist economy, rather than benefiting all of society. In particular, they accuse functionalists for ignoring the fact that power is not equally distributed in society. Some groups have more wealth and power than others and may be able to impose their norms and values as less powerful groups.
Both victims and offenders of crimes of violence tend to be of a younger demographic, and incidents tend to be concentrated in poor neighbourhoods. Therefore, it is important to determine the process through which adolescents come to participate in violent behaviour and the conditions particular to disadvantaged neighbourhoods that foster adolescents’ propensity for violent behaviour. Sutherland’s theory of differential association is particularly useful for explaining the process involved in engaging in deviant behaviour, and it is helpful in explaining why disadvantaged neighbourhoods have the conditions that encourage deviant behaviour. Therefore, by applying socialization theory to crimes of interpersonal violence, this paper will argue
Socialization is defined as the “process of through which an individual learns to become a member of society (LaViolette & Barnett 2000).” The learning process can be from observations of others’ behavior and one’s cognitive thoughts (LaViolette & Barnett 2000). Even before the time we are born, gender plays a role. What the baby will be named and what sex the parents would prefer. For example, the parents decorate the nursery. Blue if the baby is a boy and pink if the baby is a girl. Also, females are considered “second sex” (Matlin, 2008). Most couples want their first born to be male. Also, females are often represented as being inferior to males.
A highly valued view of building the community is that students must have the capability to motivate themselves and the likelihood to be active in both educational and social experiences. Socializing contains a variety of features from transferring messages to self-disclosure. Online professors can support the socialization by making a forum for discussions. The term ‘water cooler forum’ came from workers gathering at a water cooler to socialize with one another. For the online professor, this concept of socializing is done in an online forum where both student and the professor participate.
Socialization is another essential function and contents in the process of family communication both in the same and different family of cultural group (Keller, 1998). As, (Newman, 2006), mentioned the structural functionalist perspective point out that the fundamental task of any society is to reproduce itself, to create members whose behavior, desires. It also develop distinct orientation to social action which is characterized of families culture and society (Keller, et al., 1998) . These goals have corresponded to those that the particular society deems appropriate and desirable. According to Benokraitis;