For Durkheim shared religious rituals reinforced the collective conscience and maintain social integration. Durkheim also says that religion helps individuals with cognitive functions, as it teaches us basic concepts. Anthropologist, Malinowski says that religion promotes solidarity. He says it performs important psychological functions in two situations. When the outcome is important but uncontrollable, and at times of crisis.
In this assignment, I am going to briefly explore the definitions of Functionalism and Feminism and how their ideologies affect our contemporary societies. In doing so I will give examples that expand upon the definitions and illustrate that such ideologies are evident and still have an impact on the society we live in. FUNCTIONALISM 1) The theory of design that the form of a thing should be determined by its use. 2) Any doctrine that stresses people. (Sourced form the Dictionary) Functionalism is a sociological paradigm that originally attempted to explain social institutions as collective means to fill individual biological needs.
For example, The Ten Commandments are ‘moral codes’ which influenced both formal and informal control. Another function is social integration and solidarity. Functionalists say encouraging collective worship is particularly important for the integration of society, since it enables members to express their shared values and strengthens group unity. By worshipping together, people develop a sense of commitment and belonging: individuals unite into a group with shared values, reinforcing social solidarity, deviant behaviour is restrained and social change restricted. Another function they believe is civil religion.
Social order enables individuals to live together with understandings of the rules and expectations, that are imagined, and practised in their social existence. We live in a society of shared norms with a clear understanding of what is ok, reading the signals others give and behaving appropriately. This social order is a fundamental aspect that is of interest to social scientists who study many types of order as they coexist, interact and change. Social order is constructed and shaped by society, therefore there can be many different types of order within different environments and cultures, as well as different social orders which co-exist in the same society. There can also be different types of order within the same social groups and individuals can change and adapt, choosing an order to fit in with their needs at the time.
Outline some of the functions that the education system may perform. (12 marks) Education system performs various functions and sociologists hold different and conflicting views. This however depends on their sociological perspective and the way they see the society. According to functionalists, education performs three important functions- creating social solidarity, teaching specialist skills and transmission of values. Durkheim argues that education system helps to create social solidarity by transmitting society’s culture- its shared belief and culture from one generation to next.
the ways in which we are different or similar to others. Functionalists view the education system as a bridge from ascribed status (within the family) to achieved status (within the workplace). Functionalist Durkheim argues that the education system must ensure that everyone has similar norms and values; he described this as ‘cultural homogeneity’. Societies depend on shared values and norms for their survival. In essence, the function of education is to create social harmony.
Functionalists believe religion is a conservative force as it promotes social harmony, social integration and social solidarity through value consensus. It is a functional prerequisite that meets the needs of society and its individual members to ensure survival of society itself. This maintains the status quo, which then reaches social stability. The Functionalist Durkheim says that religion provides beliefs and practices that unite people and bind society together creating social solidarity. Durkheim also argued that ritual and ceremony are essential to bind society together.
Challenges of self to future practice (examples). (b). Personalised knowledge. 1- I can start in talking about the different types of knowledge in social work (use Trevithick’s framework to categorise the different types of knowledge). 2- Then, it narrow down to personal knowledge.
An example of a value which is important to most of our society is going to school, going to church or volunteering. Functionalists see social structure or the organisation of society as more important than the individual itself. They say that people are born into society and become the product if all social influences around them because they’re socialised by different institutions such as family, education, media and religion. Sociologist Talcott Parsons sees society as a system that works together to keep things running smoothly just like the human body. Social consensus is a key belief of functionalism.
Sociology lets us define and explain human behavioralism such as Beliefs. Specific ideas that people in society hold to be true is the root existence of Beliefs. Beliefs are particular matters which people hold to be true or false. Values pertain to beliefs, Values are culturally defined standards that people use to decide what is desirable, good, and beautiful which serves as a broad guideline for social living. People sharing a culture are looking at the same Values to make choices about how to live.