Essay, Research Paper
AN ANALYSIS OF THE THREE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
Through Analysis, A Compare and Contrast
Of the Three Sociological Perspectives:
Functionalist, Conflict, and Interactionist
Bonnie Gunter
Introduction to Sociology
Dr. Malone
February 17, 2000
Abstract
This paper discusses three approaches that can be taken when studying Sociology. There are many subjects to be studied and discussed in the field of Sociology, and the approach chosen to study a particular subject is called a perspective. There are three different perspectives, and they are functionalist, conflict, and interactionist perspectives. This paper compares and contrasts these different perspectives with one another.
Through Analysis, A Compare and Contrast
Of the Three Sociological Perspectives:
Functionalist, Conflict, and Interactionist
When studying in the field of Sociology everyone is going to approach topics in a different manner. No two people are going to have the exact same view on a particular subject. There are however, three major categories in which people might choose to approach topics. The approaches are know as sociological perspectives and are the functionalist, conflict, and interactionist perspectives. These perspectives name different ways in which different people choose to analyze a subject, and how they look at a society as a whole. The following paragraphs compare and contrast the three, and identify major characteristics of each.
Functionalist Perspective
Definition
“The functionalist perspective is a sociological approach which emphasizes the way that parts of a society are structure to maintain its stability,”(Schaefer & Lamm, 1998). This perspective looks at a society in a positive manner and sees it as stable, with all the parts working together. Under the functionalist view every social aspect of a society contributes to the society’s survival, and if not, the aspect is not passed to the next generation.
Founders
There are two people who where mainly involved in the development of the functionalist perspective, they are Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons. Durkheim contributed to the functionalist perspective when she was studying religion, and how it was responsible for people feeling solidarity and unity in groups. Parsons was a sociologist from Harvard University who was greatly influenced by Durkheim. In return, he influenced Sociology by dominating the field, with his functionalist views, for four decades (Schaefer & Lamm, 1998).
Characteristics
When approaching a subject with the functionalist perspective, manifest and latent functions as well as dysfunctions are looked at and studied. A manifest function of an institution is one that is stated and expected. A latent function is one that is unexpected or can show a hidden purpose of an institution, and a dysfunction is a component of a society that can cause instability (Rothman, 1998). These functions and dysfunctions are use in analyzing a society.
Functionalist perspective is an approach to studying a society on the macrosociological level. This means that a society is studied on a large scale as a whole. The view of the individual in a functionalist perspective is that people are socially molded, not forced, to perform societal functions. Order in a society, as viewed by a functionalist, is maintained when members of a society cooperated with one another. Functionalists view social change as being predictable and positive. The main idea of functionalist perspective is that of stability (Schaefer & Lamm, 1998).
Conflict Perspective
Definition
“The conflict perspective is a sociological approach which assumes that social behavior is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between different groups,” (Schaefer & Lamm, 1998). In contrast to the functionalist view of stability, conflict sociologist see a society as being in constant struggle. The idea of conflict is not necessarily violent; it could just refer to disagreements that are worked out through a mediator (Platt, 1999).
Founders
The two main contributors to the formation of the conflict perspective are Karl Marx and W. E. B. Du Bois. Karl Marx explained that conflicts between classes of society are inevitable, since workers will always be exploited as a result of capitalism. It is through the expansion of Marx’s work that sociologist now apply conflict theory to all aspects of society. Even though there are parallels between Marxist theories and conflict perspective they are not the same. An important aspect of conflict perspective is that it encourages sociologists to look at a society through the eyes of those in the population who does not influence decision making. Du Bois contributed to the conflict perspective by studying society in reference to blacks and their struggles within society (Schaefer & Lamm, 1998).
Characteristics
The conflict perspective sees society as being full of tension and struggle between groups. It also, like functionalist, analyzes society on the macrosociological level. As for the individual, they are perceived as being shaped by power and authority. Social order is viewed as being maintained not through cooperation, but through force. And social change is not predictable, but is constantly taking place. The conflict perspective’s main idea is that there are competing interests between groups and social inequality exists, therefore there is always conflict of some kind.
Interactionist Perspective
Definition
“The interactionist perspective is a sociological approach which generalizes about fundamental or everyday forms of social interaction,” (Schaefer & Lamm, 1998). Interactionist perspective focuses on the way that small groups act, in order to understand society as a whole. Interactionists study people in their everyday behavior and how they react to their surroundings. Such surroundings may include material things, actions, other people, and symbols.
Founders
George Herbert Mead is most often credited with founding the interactionist perspective, but Charles Horton Cooley also shared Mead’s views. Mead was a professor at the University of Chicago, and he focused on the analysis of one-to-one situations and other small groups. He paid particular attention to body language such as a frown or nod, and he also asked the questions of how other group members effected these gestures. His students passed down his views after his death, as a result of hearing his lectures (Schaefer & Lamm, 1998).
Characteristics
The interactionist view of society is that we influence each other’s everyday social interactions. In contrast to functionalist and conflict perspectives, the interactionist perspective studies society on a microsociological level. In other words they study on a small scale in order to understand the large scale. Interactionists believe that an individual creates their own social world through his or her interactions, and it is thought that social order is maintained when people share their understanding of everyday behavior. Interactionists say that social change occurs when the positions and communication with one another change. The main idea of an interactionist sociologist is to study nonverbal communication and small groups paying particular attentions to objects and symbols (Schaefer & Lamm, 1998).
As one can tell from reading these three approaches are very different in the way in which they study sociological issues. They all strive to give meaning to why people do what they do, and neither is better than the other, they just go about reaching the same goal in a different way.
Bibliography
References
Platt, J. vcm.es/info/isa/contr1.htm
Rothman, R. A. phptr/ptrbooks/hss_0136128148.html
Schaefer, R. T., & Lamm, R. P. (1998). Sociology. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Другие работы по теме:
Cheers A Semiotic Analysis By Berger Essay
, Research Paper Cheers : A Semiotic Analysis by Berger In Arthur Asa Berger s essay, he conducts a semiotic analysis of the comedy television show Cheers. In his analysis of the show he points out many characteristics that refer to semiotics. Even though one could not agree with all of his findings, many of them are reasonable.
Brown And Black Colored Skin Reaches For
Help Essay, Research Paper On Saturday, Franny Chen and Yao Chen were found dead at their small apartement building in King County, Washington. A call was made to 911 by the couples ten year old son who reported to the police that his father had first Shot his mother and then proceeded to take his own life. The neighbor of the couple informed the officer that Yao Chen moved back in the house against the mothers will and continually abused Franny Chen until the day in which he took both of their lives.
Kive Essay Research Paper
# a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Grapes of Wrath, The – Book Summary and Analysis Grapes of Wrath, The – Book Analysis Grapes of Wrath, The – Joads’ Journey Great Expectations – Powerful Themes in the Novel
Cold War Book Review Essay Research Paper
Political and economic perspectives should not dominate the analysis of communist rule. Analysis of the social aspects and results of communist rule are necessary to achieve a full understanding of the effects of such government. Slavenka Drakulic produced How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed, an appealing work with this fresh social approach.
Philosophy Of Relgion Essay Research Paper Philosophy
Philosophy Of Relgion Essay, Research Paper Philosophy of Religion In this essay I will attempt to defend the sociological theory of religion attacking John H. Hick s view of a non proven verdict of the subject. I will defend the theory, and explain how it is philosophically interesting. In the 3rd chapter of John H.
Analysis Of Paulo Freire And John Berger
Essay, Research Paper Perspectives in the Arts The stories behind a piece of art are infinite. The reasons the artist produced the piece is only one explanation behind the work. Even so, who is to know the specific thoughts the artist was thinking at the time? As each art critic may conclude his own analysis of an artwork, who is right and who is wrong? Just as students challenge the information that is supposedly deposited in them by the teacher in the classroom setting, art challenges the belief- that information can only be used as it was intended, which is highly rare in our day and age.
Feminist Theory Essay Research Paper Feminists rely
Feminist Theory Essay, Research Paper Feminists rely chiefly on the contention that the traditional analysis of world politics is fundamentally gendered. Gender-sensitive analysis begins with the premise that societal institutions are made by humans and are therefore changeable by humans. Feminists systematically deconstruct the notions traditionally held by realists and taken for granted as how the world works.
Perspectives Of Love Essay Research Paper I
Perspectives Of Love Essay, Research Paper I believe men and women have trouble understanding love because of their different perspectives. I believe this because soon I ll be finding a partner (as will many others my age) to settle down with. I d like an understanding of the males perspective as well as my own.
The Mind Body Problem Essay Research Paper
First and foremost, the field has witnessed the formation of two relatively distinct, yet overlapping, perspectives and paradigms for empirical inquiry into well-being that revolve around two distinct philosophies. The first of these can be broadly labeled hedonism (Kahneman et al 1999) and reflects the view that well-being consists of pleasure or happiness.
Social Conflict Theories Essay Research Paper Conflict
Social Conflict Theories Essay, Research Paper Conflict Theory and Functionalism There are three main theories of sociology; functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic interactionism. This paper will focus on two of those theories, functionalism and conflict theory. The objective is to delineate the assumptions of two out of the three theoretical perspectives and apply these assumptions to an analysis of social stratification.
Ways Of Reading And Jane Tompkins Essay
, Research Paper In the book, Ways of Reading, the authors Bartholomae and Petrosky outline what they describe as a “strong reader”. They characterize the attributes that collectively contribute to this title and then talk about the relations between a strong reader and a strong writer. The perspectives that Bartholomae and Petrosky discuss on ideas and textual analysis are very interesting and in point of fact remind me of the thought process of which I use when analyzing a reading.
The Lottery Essay Research Paper Essay
The Lottery Essay, Research Paper Essay # 1: Sociological Theory “The Lottery” is a short story by Shirley Jackson that was published in 1948 and gave a good example of the definition of the term sociological theory. This theory is a set of ideas on how people behave and how institutions operate. The analysis of this short story and the of the work of Emile Durkheim shows the relationship of the two in the field of Sociology.
Medicalization Of Sociology Essay Research Paper Sociologist
Medicalization Of Sociology Essay, Research Paper Sociologist utilizes several perspectives to explain individual motivations of deviance with an emphasis on biological, psychiatric, psychoanalytic, and psychological terms. The emergence of these ideals temporarily displaced social disorganization theory, which stresses a rapidly changing environment as the cause of deviant behavior.
Antony Analysis Essay Research Paper Antony Analysis
Antony Analysis Essay, Research Paper Antony Analysis Short Essay The beauty of William Shakespeare s writing does not lie in his actual writing, but the themes in which his plays suggest. Almost all of his plays can be connected to a higher theme, one that most people can relate. In the play, Antony and Cleopatra, the theme of manipulation runs ramped.
Social Systems Essay Research Paper WHAT ARE
Social Systems Essay, Research Paper WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURES OF THE CONCEPT OF A SOCIAL SYSTEM? A social system as a concept in sociological theory is one of great importance and indeed necessary. As a theoretical concept and component of theoretical explanation, it highlights the intricate nature of the society we live in. (Craib 1992) Talcott Parsons, a dominant functionalist theorist, focused much of his work on the concept of a social system. (Water 1994) Such a concept is indeed synonymous with his work.
Perspectives On Prostitution Essay Research Paper Perspectives
Perspectives On Prostitution Essay, Research Paper Perspectives on Prostitution Beginning around 1910, many religious and civic organizations in the United States started to develop a nationwide campaign against the immorality of prostitution. Although the government and other organizations may view prostitution as an immoral act, depending on a person s social perspective, he or she may view prostitution as being acceptable in today s society.
No One
’s A Mystery Essay, Research Paper Career choice, for many individuals in our society, is a sociological issue. (Brooks-Gunn & Schempp-Matthews, 1979). We tend to imitate what we see that we
The Old Man And The Sea An
Analysis Essay, Research Paper The Old Man and The Sea: An Analysis I read this book for the first time in high school and I remembered it just as well as if I had read it yesterday. As I read it again I remembered some of the
Evaluate Different Socological Approaches To Poverty Essay
, Research Paper Evaluate different sociological approach to the definition of poverty The definition of poverty is the centre of a farce debut. This is if the definition is absolute or relative poverty. The farce intensity of this debut became prominent in the late part of the 19th century and the early parts of the 20th century.
Durkheim Essay Research Paper Durkheim
Durkheim Essay, Research Paper Durkheim’s Theory of Ritual and Eliade On Mythology and Ritual [ send me this essay ] A 6 page paper that considers the implications of Durkheim’s perspectives on ritual as they relate to the arguments presented by Eliade as he outlines the impact of myth and the development of ritual in a social context.
Compare And Contrast Two Sociological Perspectives On
Health Essay, Research Paper “Compare and contrast two sociological perspectives on health” I have chosen to compare the postmodern perspective on health and the biomedical model. The biomedical model view of the body is mechanistic. This point was argued by Engels, who said that the body was a machine and the breakdown of this machine was disease. he also beleived that the the doctor was the only one who could fix the machine. this point leads to many biomedical views.
Ideology History And Classical Social Essay Research
Paper Ideology, History and Classical Social Theory Sociology is a very important discipline to study. When you ask yourself where the term, classical sociological theory derives from, the reading Sociological Theory written by David
Soil Analysis Report Essay Research Paper Soil
Soil Analysis Report Essay, Research Paper Soil Analysis Within the next few paragraphs, I will tell you all about the soil sample I collected and did tests on. I got some soil from out of one of my mom’s gardens. This one had a lot of flowers from Florida. This is a summary of what all I did to work on finding everything about my soil.
Four Perspective Of Feminism Essay Research Paper
Q.1(b) Feminist approaches to sociological theory have developed out of historical sites of struggle for equality. Describe the strengths and weaknesses of four (4) different feminist theoretical orientations.
Things Fall Apart An Analysis Essay Research
Paper Things Fall Apart: An Analysis The culture of the Umuofia society before the colonial infiltration, may be hard to understand but we are forced by Achebe to realize it has traditions and
Psychology Perspectives Essay Research Paper In psychology
Psychology Perspectives Essay, Research Paper In psychology there are six modern psychological perspectives. These perspectives are behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive, sociocultural, and biological. Each perspective has its own unique way of explaining the human behavior. I believe to truly explain the complex mental processes and behavior, each perspective must be examined and not limited to just one.
Comparitive Sociology Essay Research Paper This paper
Comparitive Sociology Essay, Research Paper This paper is an attempt to do something that is probably not a good idea. I am going to try and take the ideas of some of the most prominent postmodern Sociological thinkers and mesh them together in some sort of coherent format. The purpose of this paper is to provide a starting place for people interested in postmodern Sociological thought.
Sociological Immagination Essay Research Paper Dave Bradley
Sociological Immagination Essay, Research Paper Dave Bradley Sociology 1A Jason Defay 12-6-99 My Sociological Imagination In my words, Sociological imagination is a way for a person to look at their life as a result of their interaction with society. It can explain why a life is lived with way it is lived and all events, decisions, successes, and failures that have occurred.
The Sociological Quest Essay Research Paper THE
The Sociological Quest Essay, Research Paper THE SOCIOLOGICAL QUEST – SUMMARY OF CHAPTERS 3 & 4. The term ’sociology’ is an amalgam of the Latin and Greek word meaning reasoning about the social’. Sociologists attempt to find the quest for sociological understanding through explanation and reasoning.