Essay About Sociological Perspectives And Moore Et Al

Sociological Perspectives – Essay – Sally Williams
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Sociological Perspectives
Select two sociological perspectives (e.g. Marxism, feminism, functionalism) and:
Give an overview of each perspective
Outline each perspective’s approach to understanding the family
Evaluate the perspective and its approach to the family
An overview of the functionalist perspective
The functionalist perspective, also referred to as functionalism, is one of the main theoretical perspectives in sociology. It is a structuralist theory which is concerned with the overall structure of society and the range of social institutions within it in order for society to work together and function in a fundamentally harmonious and stable way (Crossman, 2015). In order to achieve this, society is constructed of a range of social institutions such as the family, the education and government system as well as religious institutions.

In order for society to function in a co-operative way their needs to be a general agreement around the values and norms on which most people feel to be important and worthwhile. This is commonly known as value consensus. Emilie Durkheim (1858-1917) a founding figure in the field of functionalism stated that value consensus, order and integration are key beliefs of functionalism which help to create and maintain social order. (Browne, 2013). Thus resulting in minimal conflict between people and groups and creating a healthy working society.

Functionalists use an organic analogy to compare society to the human body and social institutions such as the education system to the organs within the body. According to Moore et al (2008), functionalists propose that in the same way an organ works together to keep the body alive, institutions work in a similar fashion in order to maintain a level of consensus e.g. if one organ stopped functioning correctly then the rest of the human body would be affected. Similarly when one part of society becomes dysfunctional then the whole system would cease to work as they are all co-dependent on each other. = 288

An outline of the functionalist perspective to understanding the family
For functionalists, the family plays a vital role in maintaining the social system and believe that it is a crucial, yet fundamental institution which contributes to maintaining social order (Painter, 2013).

Functionalists believe that a family is a beneficial institution, which provides various positive functions to society. Firstly the family socialises children into the shared norms and values of society which enables the enforcement of other institutions and provides a link in sending children of an admissible age to school. It is also within this unit that other basic needs are met, such as providing safety, food, health as well as other primitive requirements such as emotional support, a sense of belonging and personal attributable identity. (Browne, 2013)

Murdock (1949) provided a theory for the universal functions of the family and believed that the nuclear family performs four essential functions for society and its members. There are termed the sexual, reproductive, economic and educational. His research however is somewhat limited as it does not examine alternatives to the family nor does it consider whether its functions could be attributed to other social institutions. POTENTIALLY DELETE DUE TO WORD COUNT

The second theorist, Parsons (1959) who developed a more modern application of his theory within the family, provided two ‘basic and irreducible’ functions. These are primary socialisation of children and the stabilisation of adult personalities (Haralambos and Holborn 2008). The primary socialisation of children occurs in the early years of child development which educates the next generation with basic skills and society’s values. Stabilisation of the adult personality enables adults to release tensions so that they can return to their place of work and perform their roles efficiently. Parson’s identifies segregated conjugal roles between a husband and wife whereby the husband has the instrumental role and is therefore expected to provide for his family whilst the wife has the expressive role and is expected to nurture her children. This is referred to as the warm bath theory whereby the wife provides warmth and emotional support alleviating stresses which threaten to destabilise the husband’s personality. = 329 (Moore, et al, 2008) or =300 with bit removed

Evaluation of the functionalist perspective and its approach to the family
Moore, et al, (2008) states that functionalists all agree that the nuclear family is the best to fit society’s needs and offers a positive consensus view on the beneficial aspects of institutions and

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(2015, 12). Sociological Perspectives. EssaysForStudent.com. Retrieved 12, 2015, from
“Sociological Perspectives” EssaysForStudent.com. 12 2015. 2015. 12 2015 < "Sociological Perspectives." EssaysForStudent.com. EssaysForStudent.com, 12 2015. Web. 12 2015. < "Sociological Perspectives." EssaysForStudent.com. 12, 2015. Accessed 12, 2015. Essay Preview By: Sally Williams Submitted: December 13, 2015 Essay Length: 1,662 Words / 7 Pages Paper type: Essay Views: 357 Report this essay Tweet Related Essays The Sociological Perspective There are many different perspectives in sociology. There are three main views that are used by almost all sociologists, though. These are the functionalist, 549 Words  |  3 Pages The Sociological Perspective The Sociological Perspective Chapter One Outline I) Sociology is the systematic study of human society. a) Sociological perspective is seeing the general in the particular. 661 Words  |  3 Pages Movie Review of the Summer of Sam - Using the Sociological Perspective For this assignment I chose to watch the movie вЂ?summer of Sam’. As I watched the movie I specifically tried to analyze the serial killer 414 Words  |  2 Pages Sociological Perspective of Consumer Behaviour SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR (KAREN A. BLOTNICKY) The study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, 543 Words  |  3 Pages Family:a Sociological Perspective The family is the central institution in human societies, or as B. K. Malinowski, a renowned twentieth-century anthropologist argued; it is the “basic building block 1,544 Words  |  7 Pages Similar Topics Comparative Perspective On Organized Crime Sociological Perspective Paper Get Access to 89,000+ Essays and Term Papers Join 209,000+ Other Students High Quality Essays and Documents Sign up © 2008–2020 EssaysForStudent.comFree Essays, Book Reports, Term Papers and Research Papers Essays Sign up Sign in Contact us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Service Facebook Twitter