Functionalism

FunctionalismBy: Aurrora Greening & Christina Watt

Callum helped I guess

Functionalism sets out to interpret society as a structure with interrelated parts.

It is a part of both Sociology and Anthropology. Functionalism is focused on the importance of everyone working together for the

betterment of the society. This form of society is comparable to the human body, all parts much function

collectively for the success of the whole, the same can be said about a clock, where individuals are cogs in the wheel who must all work together for the common function.

What is Functionalism?

Basics Of Funtionalism and Purpose of Institutions

Law, Crime, Institution, Education, Religion

All institutions provide a function that is needed for society to work.

– Examples: School, Hospital, Police Station, City Hall, etc.

Purpose of Instutions

Purpose of Instutions

Purpose of Crime

Purpose of Law

The way to allow social change when needed

Example: prohibition, people collectively going against current social norms in order to change society.

To enforce the social norms

- Example: Police, Judge, Prison, etc.

To deem some actions deviant

Purpose of Instutions

Purpose Of Education To socialize children

according to current social norms.

- Teaching everyone in society to pledge allegiance

To maintain social role- Trains the young to fulfill

roles To create division of labour - Sorts students into skill

groups

Purpose of Institutions

Purpose of Religion

Maintains social order. Discourages deviant

acts a.k.a. sins Gives source of

personal fulfillment, belonging, love, etc.

E. E. Evans-Pritchard

E.E. Evans-Pritchard

Studied at Oxford and the University of London

Studied the lives and cultures of African Societies.

However he failed to treat women as a whole within the functionalist society.

He ultimately became a humanist rather than a functionalist.

Sir Raymond Firth

Sir Raymond Firth

Attended and received his undergraduate degree at the London School of Economics

Did extensive field work in Tikopia

His greatest contribution was his distinction between social structure and social organizations.

Social organization has tended to be used loosely to refer to the sum total of activities performed in a given social context.

Social structure has usually been used for the social context itself, or more accurately for the set of social relations which link individuals in a society.

Distinction Between Social Structure and Social Organization

Lucy Mair

Lucy Mair

Attended the London School of Economics. Mair’s fieldwork was in Uganda Her studies focussed on social change and

public affairs Her most notable work was the contemporary

processes of Colonization.

http://www2.lse.ac.uk/library/archive/online_resources/anthropology_at_lse/Firth.jpg

http://www.greatarchaeology.com/archaeologist/EE-Evans-Pritchard.jpg

http://www.bookrags.com/tandf/social-structure-and-social-1-tf/ http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2525/3983645756_35205dea37_m.jp

g http://businesslaw.newark.rutgers.edu/images/BooksandGavelA.jp

g

http://www.iep.utm.edu/natlaw/ http://www.helium.com/items/828793-crime-according-to-marxism

-and-functionalism http://classof2014.blogs.wesleyan.edu/files/2010/08/crime-prevent

ion.jpg

Works Cited/Consulted