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Sociological Theory SA502

Topic #4 - Functionalism and Role Theory

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Image sources: Wikipedia.com

This week we will examine one of the foundational theories in Sociology. For Functionalists... 

  • The social system is like a body

  • All of the parts work together for the benefit of the whole

  • Each aspect of society has a function – and systems work to maintain equilibrium (balance) 

  • We learn these functions through socialization – (norms, roles and values)

  • Traditional functionalist (and conflict theorists)  see the world objective.

  • Facts exist and it is the role of the researcher to uncover those facts. Reality is real and exists outside of the individual. Functionalists don't construct their own reality.

  • Society sets up sanctions to keep us in check or consensus.  

  • We can understand people’s behavior  through scientific study (positivism , the scientific method and value free) 

  • Functionalists note that we are so accustomed to social order, and norms that when our society is disrupted we experience a sense of normlessness, anomie. 

  • The parts of society are interconnected and interrelated. So problems in one area (like the family) have ripple effects throughout the entire system.

Readings

Assignments for this Topic

Discussion Question

Discussion Questions #3: Durkheim and the functionalist look at society in terms of social order and social functions. How would Durkheim or other Functionalist explain the current changes, problems and challenges in modern American families? Are "families" still "functional" according to Durkheim's analysis? Do you think the families have become more "dysfunctional" as Merton would suggest? Are there certain "functions" missing in current families that existed in traditional families and when did this change?

Functionalism is one of the easiest Sociological theories to understand. We do live in a social world where we "agree" to the rules. There is a great deal of social consensus regardless of the civilization. But is that all there is?

 

When reading the information consider the "domain assumptions" of functionalism.

 

What constitutes the system?

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What happenes when things don't function? 

 

Who decides what is functional?

 

How did some neofunctionalist like Merton address these questions?

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Can you test most of the functionalists theories outlined in the book? 

What are theories of the middle range?

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Videos

Robert Merton Strain Theory

During this section we will also talk about Robert Merton's ideas. Although Merton was a functionalist he realized that everything in society is not always accessible or functional for everyone and he tried to explain how this reality impacted everyday people. He asked the question “Functional for whom”? He argued that traditional functionalism (Talcot Parsons) was too broad and not verifiable. He advocated for theories of the "middle range". Merton notes that socially DEVIANT BEHAVIOR IS LINKED TO SOCIAL STRUCTURE – the gap between societal goals, like wealth, and people’s realistic means to reach those goals can you find real life examples?

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The process according to Merton

  1. Cultural Goals → Success, wealth, achievement

  2. Institutional Means → Education, hard work, lawful paths

  3. Blocked Access → Social inequality, discrimination, poverty

  4. Strain → Frustration and pressure

  5. Adaptation → Conformity or deviance depending on response

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Robert Merton’s most important contribution to criminology is his development of Strain Theory, a foundational framework that explains how social structures create the conditions for crime. His work shifted criminology away from individual pathology and toward structural explanations of deviance, making him one of the most influential criminologists of the 20th century.

Merton showed that crime is not random or purely psychological, it is structurally patterned. He built on Émile Durkheim and redefined anomie as the breakdown between cultural goals and institutionalized means. This helped criminologists understand why crime increases during periods of rapid social change. He also illustrated how social norms weaken under economic pressure

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Role Theory

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Reading

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Assignment #4: Write up an essay explaining the Achieved and Ascribed statuses that you occupy. What would you define as your master status and why? (2-3 pages typed.) You may make this a visual essay and add images.) (100 points) Same as above. 

Assignment

Im very lucky, Dr. Biddle was one of my advisors in graduate school and I even served as a teaching assistant for several of his classes. We talked many times about how people play out their roles and how hard it was to break free from some established roles or expectations. I credit my love and understanding of  Social Psychology to these conversations. 

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Biddle's book looked at the nature and structure of roles. It book outlines how they are carried our and some of the problems or conflicts that come with playing out our roles in society. Our roles and statuses changes as we pass through the different stages of our lives.  Other variables like gender, race, physical ability also impact roles and expectations.

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OK, so what's the problem with Role Theory? The major criticism of Role Theory was that it wasn't really a "theory". Many critics argued that it was a series of empirical observations about what people did any how they did it. 

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 I have also attached a link to his 1986 article "Recent Developments in Role Theory".

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There are two lectures for this week. Please click on the lecture links in canvas. I decided not to post them to the webpage now. 

Videos

Let's Talk 🙃

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