Sociology Theories Essay

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SOCIOLOGY THEORIES SOCIOLOGY THEORIES _____________________________________________________________________ Functionalism According to the functionalist perspective each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society’s functioning as a whole. The government, or state, provides education for the children of the family, which in turn pays taxes on which the state depends on to keep itself running. That is, the family is dependent on the school to help children grow up to have good jobs so that they can raise and support their own families. In this process, the children become law-abiding, taxpaying citizens, who in turn support the state. Functionalists believe that society is held together by social consensus or cohesion, in which members of the society agree upon, and work together to achieve what is best for the community as a whole. In education, the functionalist view proves that society’s values and expectations are reflected in the system, and social norms are simply learned through interaction with teachers and peers. Functionalism has received criticism for neglecting the negative functions of an event such as divorce. Critics also claim that the perspective justifies the status quo and complacency on the part of society's members. Functionalism does not encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment, even when such change may benefit them. Instead, functionalism sees active social change as undesirable because the various parts of society will compensate naturally for any problems that may arise _____________________________________________________________________ Conflict The conflict perspective focuses on the negative, conflicted and constantly changing nature of society, rather than the more recent developments in other theories, that are often positive. Unlike functionalists, conflict
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