Theoretical Perspectives: Conflict Theory And Structural Functionalism

Cristina Frazier

SOC-102

September 13, 2015

Timothy Larkin

Theoretical Perspectives

There are many ways in which an individual is able to view the world and the three sociological perspectives, conflict theory, structural functionalism, and symbolic interactionism, represent some of these ways. These theories are an important part of sociology and help individuals put the world into their own perspectives and then draw conclusions about how society works as a whole. Once a person is able to do this, they are able to make sense of their interactions and the interactions of others, due to the reasons set forth by their sociological perspectives (Claerbaut, 2015, “Theoretical Perspectives of Sociology”).

It is important then, to understand

the reasoning behind the theoretical perspectives, so that the viewpoints of others in society can be understood. Each of the theoretical perspectives has its own interpretation of how groups or individuals interact and in addition, they have their own ideas about how problems affect society as a whole (Claerbaut, 2015, “Theoretical Perspectives of Sociology”). To begin, the conflict theory is the theoretical perspective that says that society is, “…composed of a number of groups in constant battle over power, prestige, and economic resources” (Claerbaut, 2015, para. 17). In other words, the theory states that power is a limited resource and that there are many people striving to gain it (Claerbaut, 2015, “Theoretical Perspectives of Sociology”). The theory that seems to be in contrast with conflict theory is called structural functionalism. This theory states that society, “…[consists] of many parts called structures (Dobriner, 1969). Within these structures are roles that are performed by people who occupy them” (Claerbaut, 2015, para. 8-9). Instead of people striving for conflict, people function together for society to be developed (Claerbaut, 2015, “Theoretical Perspectives of Sociology”). Lastly, the theory that appears to deal more with individuals than the other two is the symbolic interactionism theory. This theory, “…views society as a collection of relationships among people, relationships that are filled with common meaning and significance. In short, symbolic interactionism looks at society as emerging from social interaction at the micro level (Whorf, 1956)” (Claerbaut, 2015, para. 25). In contrast to the other theories, symbolic interactionism deals more with the individual contributions to society and not the contributions of groups (Claerbaut, 2015, “Theoretical Perspectives of Sociology”). Overall, these theories give many options by which the world can be interpreted and the individual must decide for themselves which theory they think best fits society as a whole.
With these definitions in mind, I was able to decide that symbolic interactionism is the theory that I think best accounts for the societies that I observe.

The reasoning behind this decision is based on experiences that I have had in my society as well as events that I have witnessed in society as a whole as well as worldwide society. To expand, when I interact with people I do not find myself strictly competing with them or strictly adhering to a set relationship or role concerning how I interact which are the main ideas of conflict theory and structural functionalism (Claerbaut, 2015, para. 8-9, 17). I would more describe my interactions as being on an individual and situational basis, which is the key idea behind symbolic interactionism (Claerbaut, 2015, para. 25). For example, in my own life, I have seen people change their interactions on an individual basis when family must resolve conflict to work together, as is what happened when my brother and I would fight and then have to do something for our parents. In this way, people change from conflict to harmony in their relationships constantly, not always conflicting and not always keeping to the same relational structure, and in this way, violate crucial aspects of other theories. In worldwide society, we can see this change in relationship play out and know that changes from conflict to harmony in relationships are not just unique to brothers and sisters. To illustrate, I would point to the relationship between the

United States of America and Iran in the past as well as in its current state. When thinking about the past relationship with Iran, “… years ago Congress voted to wage war on a nation that did not attack us”, the United States of America (Kucinich, 2012, para. 13) Now, Iran and the United States are on better terms, “In remarks that aired live in Iran, Obama hailed hailed the nuclear agreement as a diplomatic landmark that blocks any technological path Tehran may have to a nuclear weapon and promotes stability throughout the Middle East” (Jackson, 2015, para. 7). The relationship between these two countries shows that relationships can change and conflict does not always have to be an option. Possibly because of new leadership, individuals decided to change the constructs of a relationship which in turn changed society as a whole. Over all, in both of these examples, it is demonstrated how individuals influence society and can change their relationships to impact society as a whole. This build up from individuals to society as a whole goes against the ideas of the macro level theories of conflict and structural functionalism, better backing the ideas of symbolic interaction. Taking all of these reasons into account influences me to stay on the track of structural functionalism.
Overall, it is up to the individual person to decide how they want to interpret the world.

For me, I chose symbolic interaction to define society because of the experiences that I have had in society, but others might see experiences and the world differently. In all, society functions with people and those people determine how it develops, either individually, in groups, or in search of power (Claerbaut, 2015, “Theoretical Perspectives of Sociology”). 

Works Cited

Claerbaut, D. (2015). Theoretical Perspectives of Sociology. In Grand Canyon University (Ed.) Our social world: An introduction to sociology. Available from http://lc.gcumedia.com/soc102/our-social-world-an-introduction-to-sociology/v1.1/

Jackson, D. (2015, July, 14) Obama hails nuclear deal with Iran as a landmark. USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/07/14/obama-praises-nuclear-deal-iran/30121643/

Kucinich, D. (2012, October, 2) Iraq: Ten Years, a Million Lives and Trillions of Dollars Later. Huffington Post. Retrieved from

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-dennis-kucinich/iraq-ten-years-a-million_b_1932280.html