Functionalist Theory

Powerpoint: Connor Whitworth

Functionalist Theory

is a theory that looks at the overall system and its institutions and how they function and affect human behavior

Termsinstitutions: social structures such as the law, economy and the family that by preforming assigned function enable societies to carry out the function requisites

status: specific position within a social group

role: the set of behaviors that an individual is expected to demonstrate within a status

norm: the most prevalent behavior that occurs; consistent behaviors

macro level: the bigger picture concerned with overall society and not individuals

expressive roles: emotional, or integrative roles, equated with females, emotional specialist and nurturer

instrumental roles: goal oriented roles associate with males, task specialist and economic provider

What does it Explain?structures within the family

importance of maintaing structures to keep society continuing

that change can occur if the structures are able to adjust to maintain equilibrium in the society, but change will happen slowly

Areas of Focus

the roles of the individuals inside a greater institution

the family

institutions that lead people positively into the future

Basic Concepts

discover social facts and their impact on human behavior

cause and effect

gender differences, relationship between different people

determine the rates at which various behaviors occur

macro level of thinking

The History of the Familyby Beth Mackenzie

There were two different roles given to parents in a family. You were either considered to be in an instrumental role or an expressive role. The husband was given the instrumental role; task specialist, economic provider, while the wife was given the expressive role; emotional specialist, nurturer of husband/child. This is how families worked in society until things changed. Parson stated that a change in a social institution causes other institutions to adapt to the changed conditions. One thing that changed society and family structure was the Industrial Revolution. It was thought by Parsons that only extended families existed before the Industrial Revolution, and that families only became nuclear after. This however was wrong; many nuclear families existed before the Industrial Revolution. However, Parsons was correct when she stated that the organization for the production of goods did change, and that this change affected the family unit.

Child Abuse

If a child is abused it causes so many conflicts. It can cause conflicts in society, between multiple people and it can also cause conflicts within the child being abused. A child that is abused can feel neglected and this causes problems in school. It can make them have concentration problems and it can also cause physical disabilities, such as broken bones or bruised bodies. This can lead to other, more major, problems in there, and others, lives. They may end up becoming a criminal or abusive to others. It can also cause that person to be bad with relationships, causing them to feel different and alone in life. When something bad happens when you’re a child it can cause problems later on in work, love and life.

Legalization of Marijuana

The functionalist sociologists see drug users and dealers as people that are not accomplishing all that they can in society. They see them as being in charge of causing avoidable stress for the other parts of today’s world. The functionalist theory inspects the subject from a point of view that society as a whole feels the same way about the matter. It believes everyone’s ideals are identical.

Adolescent Behavior

Functionalists believe that adolescents act out a lot more on the issues going on in their life than an adult would. Adolescents do not fully know how to deal with all their problems in a rational way. For example, a teenager’s parents are going through a divorce. That teenager is more likely to start using drugs or drinking a lot because they want to forget what is going on at home and they see all this influence from their peers and the media about partying. An adult is less likely to handle things like that. Adolescents do not have as much life experience so their decisions are not always the best ones.

Quick Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IwR8S-SZu8