Introduction to the theory

SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY

MACRO-SOCIOLOGY MICRO-SOCIOLOGY

Study of Society as a Whole Study of Individuals within

Society

1. Relationship between Auguste Comte

Individual and Society 1. Relationship between
Individual and Society

STRUCTURALISM Max Weber

Society Shapes Individuals
Karl Marx
SOCIAL ACTION
(Max Weber, 1864-1920)
Individuals create Society as
2. Nature of Sociology Louis Althusser they act and interact in
Antonio Gramsci socially meaningful ways
POSITIVISM
(Auguste Comte, 1798-1857) Alfred Schutz 2. Nature of Sociology
Sociology is the study of “Social
Facts” and of the ways in which
Society influences the behaviour PHENOMENOLOGY
of individuals (Alfred Schutz 1899-1959, J.W.B. Douglas 1960’s/70’s, Atkinson)
Social reality is constructed in the minds of social actors.
Sociology is the study of the ways in which individuals interpret
3. Perspectives Emile Durkheim
and create their social world.
Talcott Parsons

CONFLICT/CONSENSUS 3. Perspectives

FUNCTIONALISM
MARXISM (Durkheim, 1858-1917, SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
(Karl Marx, 1818-1883) Parsons, 1902-1979)
Harold Garfinkel Erving Goffman (G.H. Mead, E. Goffman 1922-1988)

Humanist Marxism Structural Marxism N.B. Not all Sociological theories appear on this map,
for example Feminism(s), Post-Modernism and ETHNOMETHODOLOGY
(Althusser, 1918-1990) Structuration do not easily fit here. (H. Garfinkel)
(Gramsci, 1891-1937)
 Sociology

Structural Theory Social action Theory

(Interpretivism)

Consensus Conflict
Symbolic
interactionism

Functionalism Marxism Feminism

Theory can be said to be like looking at society through different

lenses – each give it a different perspective or appearance.
Consensus

Conflict

Structural

Social action
Consensus Assumes society is primarily harmonious and social order
is maintained through a widespread agreement between
people on goals, values and norms of society.
Conflict Opposite to consensus – society is primarily conflict
ridden and unstable and emphasises social differences
and conflict between groups. Concerned with social
inequality and conflicts it produces e.g power and
dominance of groups and classes.
Structural Concerned with the overall structure of society and sees
individuals behaviour moulded by social institutions.
Social action Emphasises free will and choice of individuals and their
role in creating social structure.
What do you agree with from these theories and why?
 Structural Approaches
• Are sometimes called social systems or structuralist
approaches.

• emphasise the power of society over the individual.

• Believe the individual is largely controlled by society.

• Think that society is in us, moulding our thoughts and

directing our actions.

• Argue that we are socialised in terms of the culture of

society,

• Say that our behaviour is shaped by the social

institutions like the family, education, the media and
 CONSENSUS THEORY

•Agreement (also know as CONSENSUS) on what is right and

wrong, is the basis of social life.

•Without CONSENSUS, society would collapse into chaos

where no one would be able to agree on how people should
conduct themselves.

•CONSENSUS and having shared values enables us to co-

operate with each other and this provides unity.

•Having CONSENSUS provides harmony.

 Auguste Comte had
FUNCTIONALIST ideas.
He thought you could
understand how society
FUNCTIONS by comparing it
with the FUNCTIONING of the
human body.
Functionalists argue that just like the
human body, and society has what
Parsons (1951) called functional
prerequisites – basic needs and
requirements that must be met if
society is to survive.

• Production of
What do you food
think these • Care of young
prerequisites people
are? • Socialisation of
new generations
Comte thought there were similarities between how all the organs in
the body had specific individual FUNCTIONS but worked together to
maintain health and life.

What are the FUNCTIONS of the following organs?

The brain?

The lungs? The olfactory

senses?

The spine?
The intestines?
 Religion
What might
these organs
represent in Family
British
society? Economy

Legal system
Education
The FUNCTIONALIST
Health system
idea is that if
all the systems
(organs) in
society are
FUNCTIONING in
harmony it will
remain healthy.
What do you think is a
Religion
consequence for society,
on the failure of these
institutions – why do we Family
need them and what are
we missing when they
Economy
aren’t working properly?

Legal system
Education
But if one or
Health system
other of these
If you’re struggling, think
vital institutions
about this in terms of having a
starts to
vitamin deficiency. For
malfunction, then
instance, not having enough
society becomes
vitamin C makes your gums
dysfunctional.
bleed and your skin start to
disintegrate.
 Parsons suggested all societies have to resolve
2 sets of problems – instrumental and
expressive.
 The 2 sets of problems are to satisfy 4
functional prerequisites which are then met by
4 related sub-systems.
 Goal attainment, adaptation, integration and
latency model.
Prerequisite Explanation Sub-system
needed
Goal attainment

Adaptation

Integration

Latency
Prerequisite Explanation Sub-system
needed
Goal attainment Selection & definition of
society’s priorities and
aims/goals and providing a the
means of achieving them.
Adaptation Adapting to environment and
providing basic material
necessities for continued human
existence. Sufficient resources to
achieve valued social goals.
Integration Coordinating all parts of the
system to achieve shared goals,
allowing people to have a shared
sense of belonging to society.
Latency Minimising social tensions and
interpersonal conflicts which
mat prevent society working
efficiently.
Prerequisite Explanation Sub-system
needed
Goal attainment Selection & definition of Political system
society’s priorities and E.g. political parties,
aims/goals and providing a the pressure groups,
means of achieving them. government
Adaptation Adapting to environment and Economy
providing basic material E.g. Factories, financial
necessities for continued human institutions and shops
existence. Sufficient resources to concerned with
achieve valued social goals. economic production
Integration Coordinating all parts of the Cultural/ community
system to achieve shared goals, organisation
allowing people to have a shared E.g. the media,
sense of belonging to society. education, religion
Latency Minimising social tensions and Family and kinship
interpersonal conflicts which
mat prevent society working
efficiently.
 Instrumental problems – setting & achieving
social goals; adapting to and achieving basic
needs for survival.

 Expressive problems – maintaining efficient

cooperation and social solidarity; managing
conflicts and tensions between individuals.
 Durkheim suggested people are selfish and society
would fall into chaos unless they learned to share some
common values and show commitment to cooperation
in society. He placed great importance on the role of
the family and education in socialising people.
 Social change occurs when new functions emerge or
society needs to adapt. The change is a slow process as
people adapt and reaffirm commitment to new social
values. A change in one part will result in a change
somewhere else, but the system will remain balanced.
Keywords
 Collective conscience

 Structural differentiation
 Criticised Parson’s view that all social institutions
performed beneficial, positive functions for society and
individuals.
 He recognised in a complex independent social system
there was scope for things to go wrong.
 He introduced dysfunction to describe a situation
where some parts of social structure don’t work as
intended and there can sometimes he negative
consequences with harmful effects on society and some
individuals. Can you think of the functions and
dysfunctions of new technology?
 He suggested there were manifest functions
(recognised or intended outcome of an institution/
individual) and latent functions (unrecognised or
unintended outcomes) What are the manifest, latent
and dysfunctions of a hospital?
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jOZqV
nQmdY
- From the cards pick out the advantages and
disadvantages of functionalism and create 2 piles.
 Can you remember what this is from AS?

A political ideology and an approach to social and

political policies that stresses individual freedom; self-
help and self-reliance; reduction of power and spending
on the state; the free market and free competition between
private companies, schools and other institutions; and the
importance of traditional institutions and values.
 Functionalism is often associated with the New
Right approaches.
 It shares the emphasis on the importance of
socialisation into shared core values for the
maintenance of social stability.
 It lays importance on the role of traditional
institutions such as conventional marriage and
family life and traditional education.
 It condemns anything it sees as threatening
core values or the undermining of core
functions of social institutions.
 What do New Right argue that welfare state has
done to the importance of families?

• Undermined personal responsibility and self-help

• Devalued the importance of support from families and the
traditional functions that families have carried out
• The growing number of female-headed lone parent families
threatens adequate socialisation and disciplining of children
• Emergence of a ‘dependency culture’
• Creating a culture of laziness, workshy underclass who want to
avoid work by living off benefits
• Over-generous welfare state contributes to wider social problems
such as immorality, lack of work ethic, alcohol and drug abuse, anti-
social behaviour and ‘yob culture’, crime, fiddling the benefit
system, exclusions from school and education failure.
 Question – individual opinion

How useful do you think functionalism is as a

theory of society?