Sociological Perspectives Of Functionalism And Conflict To Understand Society’s Regularities
Sociology is defined as the study of human society and social behaviour, therefore there are a number of different ways that enables us to take a closer look at society and their social behaviours and what is behind it all. There are four main sociological perspective which include; Functionalism, conflict, feminism and interpretive. However, I argue that the two best contributing perspectives that give you a greater understanding of society’s regularities are functionalism and conflict.
Functionalism shows how everything in society works together to maintain the ‘perfect’ society; this has a large emphasis on the roles that the members of society choose to take on. Functionalism originated from the work of Emile Durkheim, who is one of the most important founding thinkers of sociology. His methods are still extremely useful for researchers today. His main focus was on the shared experiences, values, beliefs and behaviours that pulls us together and allows people to feel as if they belong to a group of which they fit into. These values and norms are passed on from one generation to the next, conserving the way they want things to continue. His theories on functionalism can be compared to the function of the human body, for example; a finger is seen as insignificant compared to the human heart which is keeping the body alive, therefore a doctor would be seen as a more important contributor to the functioning of society rather than a salesperson would be. However, while functionalism is an effective contributor to the ‘smooth’ running of society there is still individuals and groups in which do not operate in the way that is believed they should as they don’t comply with the established norms of behaviour, such as having a steady job. This dysfunctional behaviour can threaten the stability of society and is not in the favour of society as a whole.
Conflict solely focuses on the divisions within society and how people struggle to gain control of their scarce resources. The main conflict theory is derived from the work of Karl Marx, typically known as Marxism. Marx looked at the conflict between the capitalists and the working class and the poor in Europe, he showed how the already scarce resources were distributed unevenly and the capitalists received all the power. Marxists claim that all societies and distribution of resources are managed by those who own industries and large enterprises in order to protect their wealth, essentially members of society whom are extremely wealthy and influential. This inequality and struggle for the working class and the poor leads to people competing against each other for power, therefore this means society is constantly changing and there is social conflict.
The National Care Standards framework states that staff will regularly assess the learning and development of every young child. With the information they have gathered, it will be assessed in order to plan the ‘next steps’ in the young person’s developmental and learning stages and are able to share their findings with the young person, their parent/carer and other professionals who may be involved where appropriate and relevant. These next steps will be inserted into activities that can be played by all children in the centre, allowing the young children to enjoy but also learn new and exciting challenges, in both indoor and outdoor areas. The activities provided by staff could include a variety, such as; both organised and free play, leisure and recreation, including quiet time. Through this, children also have the opportunities to express their views, have choice and, only where possible, influence the programme. All public issues begin from a private problem, whether it be from unemployment to issues among the blighted youth.
One of the most common public issues that effects the family significantly is the blighted youth, as they turn to crime and various other damaging aspects of society in order to rebel against their families. Families are expected to provide values and principles that the child will solely follow and accept these rules without opposing, however, this is not always the case. At first, this would be seen as a private issue which would only affect a certain individual or their immediate family. For example, if a teenager begins to slack and fall behind in their studies as they are not trying or refuse to cooperate when being given help this leads to them being unable to attain the relevant qualifications needed to continue onto university, college or some employment opportunities. Therefore, this leads to the student then skipping class and eventually leaving school as it seen to them as a ‘waste of time. ’ However, as they don’t have the relevant qualifications or experience to gain or have no interest in searching for a stable job it develops and eventually becomes not only a family problem but also societies. As this private issue turns into a public issue, parents are expected to pay for all their child’s expenses, which they may not be able to afford, resulting in their parents falling into debt. In addition, this can the lead to the child and/or family members becoming homeless due to being unable to preserve their current lifestyle. This can also lead to mental health issues resulting in the use of drugs and alcohol abuse. Ultimately, this affects the community as the homeless are now wandering around the streets or are joining gangs, committing crimes as they are unable to pay for destructive habits.
However, the City of Glasgow Council have created an action plan in order to get vulnerable people off the streets and into homes faster. A target has been put in place for the Glasgow Council to free up any temporary accommodation a homeless person may live and provide better help in cases of emergency. Therefore, the Glasgow Council are hopefully providing 4000 settled in homes where homeless people can stay, keeping them off the streets. Staff interventions are also being provided to prevent homelessness in the first instants – via help and advice on their legal rights with their landlord etc. Sociologists review the family structure and the many different roles that are associated due to the family being the prime socialisation agency of society. As a child and a lot of adults who enter parenthood, will find that the experiences associated as the family evolves, are the vastly important ones in an individuals life as with the family is the place everyone is most comfortable. Within the family, sociological perspectives are a large contributing factor, however these traditional perspectives have changed significantly throughout the years. This has been dependent on such things as; age, ethnic group, one or both parents working and whether they have children or not. Functionalists believe that the ‘nuclear’ family is the ideal family setting for everyone.
Sociologists state that a ‘Nuclear’ family is made up of a male and female adult, with their children. The father figure of the family is traditionally the breadwinner, whereas, the mother held the responsibility of keeping their household up to a high standard of cleanliness. These families, according to sociologist theories, provide; financial support, food, shelter, emotional support and comfort for their children, therefore these children should achieve adequate social skills in order to fit into society as their home is seen as a secure and safe place for them to live. Believers of the sociological concepts of conflict claim that within families, arguments and disagreements are healthy and are a normal occurrence in every type of family. However, a large proportion of these believers view the family as a social arrangement that particularly benefits the men rather than the women, it’s presumed that men allocate themselves the ‘position’ as father as it allows them to maintain a great deal of power. This is due to traditional male roles and responsibilities being valued more than the traditional roles being done by their wives. Regardless, women in contemporary society tend to take on a larger workload than men as over 60% of all mothers under the age of 6 are in the paid workforce, despite having to also provide childcare and carry out household chores.
Finally, Symbolic interactionist theorists are convinced that the building of emotional bonds within the family, including marriages and other family relationships, are based around shared activities and having a clear understanding of one another’s needs. Therefore, in single/lone parent families the parent may have a stronger emotional bond towards their child rather than in a reconstituted family as the family breaks up and starts fresh. This could deepen the strain of a relationship within the family. However, in order to regain these bonds and make them stronger they organise family meals or events – such as; meals or holidays.
