The Structural Funtionalism Theory

The theory I chose to focus on is structural functionalism theory. The structural functionalism theory “explains the expectations of a society and the inability of the members of that society to stray away from those expectations. It focuses on the organization of a society and the relationship between the social units that make up that society. The theory provides general law and guidelines by which individuals are governed.” (ask.com, 2014) In Applerouth and Edles Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory 2nd edition textbook, there are two theorists that focus on structural functionalism. These theorists are Talcott C. Parsons and Robert K. Merton.
Talcott Parsons’s was known as the greatest contributors, and specialist, of structural functionalism. Parsons’s theory was constructed from the AGIL system which is four functional imperatives. These imperatives include, “(1) The adaptive function, whereby a system adapts to its environment, (2) The goal-attainment function, i.e., how a system defines and achieves its goals, (3) The integrative function, or the regulation of the components of the system, (4) Latency, or pattern maintenance function, i.e., how motivation and the dimensions of culture that create and sustain motivation are stimulated.” (Mcgraw-hill.com) Once he developed this interchange system he began to focus on the evolution of societies.
Parsons believed that action within the society cannot be viewed within isolation, but must be “understood as a “process in time,” or as a system.” (Edles, 2012, p. 328) Parsons’s used a number of terms to explain his theory. One term he used was unit act, which he used to refer to “hypothetical actor in a hypothetical situation bounded by an array of parameters and condi...

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...heorist had strong views on how to obtain and maintain social order, but in the end both theories somewhat achieve the same goal.

Works Cited
(n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2014, from Mcgraw-hill.com: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072817186/student_view0/chapter7/chapter_summary.html
(2014, April 29). Retrieved April 29, 2014, from ask.com: http://www.ask.com/question/what-is-structural-functional-theory
(2012). In S. a. Edles, Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory (p. 328). Thousand Oaks: SAGE.
Funtionalism and Parsons. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2014, from http://uregina.ca/~gingrich/n2202.htm
Parson's Social System (Structural Functionalists). (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2014, from http://faculty.babson.edu/krollag/org_site/encyclop/parsons.html
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_functionalism