structural functionalism vs conflict theory

Societies can achieve stability when they adjust to differing societal conditions. According to him, societies change over time and the strongest one survives. According to Herbert Spencer, it is the capacity of societies to adapt which led to social stability.In contemporary society people belonged to the Parsi community are expected to marry a Parsi and if they marry any non-Parsi they should face the consequences. If we take up the Indian societies, all societies have their own norms and value attached to them and they are socialized accordingly, anything outside that would cause dispute in the social order of the particular society. The social institutions of society play critical roles in ensuring social stability.” (Durkheim and Social Integration, 2018) According to Durkheim” A powerful society needs social stability, and proper socialization and social integration are required for social stability. To preserve the social order of the society, there are multiple roles which are allocated to the members and if the roles are not performed accordingly the maintenance of social order is difficult. The norms and values are something that makes an individual to behave in such a way which is essential for preserving the social order. Social Order and Stability: According to Durkheim, social order means the structure and the behavioral patterns which allows a smooth interaction within minimal effort in the society.They also argued that societal change arises from multiple reasons like population expansion, technology, and external contact. Social Consensus: Functionalist believe that the social consensus holds the society together and that members should work together to achieve stability, order, and equilibrium in society.

In further essay let us explore the main assumptions and concept of the functionalist perspective. According to him, social facts are just like the natural facts. Durkheim in his work “Rules of Sociological Method” which was published in 1895, he proposed a new term called Social Facts and he defined “Sociology as a study of social fact”. Durkheim and other nineteenth-century scholars Herbert Spencer, Talcott Parsons influenced functionalist viewpoint, which examines society through the lens of the human body. Now for a better understanding let us explore deeply into the functionalist and conflict perspective.įunctionalist Perspective- Émile Durkheim (1858-1917), a French professor was mainly accountable for the functionalist perspective in sociology. Sociological lens gives a more scientific approach. It is necessary to be aware of the many sociological viewpoints in order to appreciate the various arguments and assertions made by sociologists. One person who views society from a common-sense perspective and sociological lens is entirely different. Each perspective has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, and it can provide multiple insights on social issues. We can acquire a more thorough and accurate understanding of an issue by viewing it through the lens of multiple sociological views. To understand the society more widely it is very important to look at it from different sociological perspectives. The importance of understanding sociological perspective Wealthy individuals use their wealth to dominate others, maintaining power and influence.

Conflict theorists argue that inequities arise from competition for resources like wealth, power, and status.

According to Marx, society is filled with socioeconomic disparities and conflicts. The main pioneer of the conflict theory is Karl Marx. Conflict theory– It is another theoretical perspective in sociology.According to this perspective, all parts of society serve a certain purpose and work together to maintain social order. Merton are among the notable functionalist thinkers. Herbert Spencer, Talcott Parsons, and Robert K. The main pioneer of the functionalist theory is Emile Durkheim.

Functionalist perspective– One of the primary theoretical approaches in sociology is the functionalist perspective.

Structural functionalism vs conflict theory