Emile Durkheim and Structural
Functionalism Questions with complete
solution
What is criticized about critical theory and symbolic interactionism
What kind of perspective (macro/micro) does structural functionalism have on
society? - correct answer ✔crit theory: doesnt really explain the genuine
examples of consensus and social order
symb interactionism: doesnt pay enough attention to the internal structures of
shared beliefs
Structural func will take a *macrosociological* look on explaining *social order*
What is the assumption of Structural Functionalism on society? - correct
answer ✔it makes the positive assumption that parts of society work together
productively for the WHOLE.
Everything is good for society.
Both Symbolic Interactionism and Critical Theories see *society as
_____________________* - correct answer ✔*made up of parts that are
fundamentally distinct*
Society is nothing more than *the sum total of the interactions of these parts*
Each part can *theoretically be considered in isolation*- this is how structural
functionalism analyzes society
"When I perform *my duties as a brother, a husband or a citizen...* I fulfill
obligations which are defined in law and custom and which *are external to
, myself and my actions... *Similarly the believer has discovered from birth,
ready fashioned, the beliefs and practices of his religious life; *if they existed
before he did, it follows that they exist outside him.* *The system of signs that
I employ* to express my thoughts, the monetary system I use to pay my
debts, the credit instruments I utilise in my commercial relationships, the
practices I follow in my profession, etc., *all function independently of the use I
make of them*"
- ______________ - correct answer ✔Emile Durkheim, Rules of Sociological
Method
This quote reveals that
Individuals play certain social roles that constrain their action and must work
within social norms
Even for things that we do for our own selves we use collective things; we
can't decide to ignore it or change it at will
Shared symbols are INDEPENDENT of the individual, they are concrete
SOCIAL FACTS
Collective Consciousness - correct answer ✔The shared taken-for-granted
moral beliefs or values that almost all members of society agree on without
*really questioning it*
For Durkheim *the totality of beliefs and sentiments* common to members of
society forms a system with a life of its own- it is termed as *the
collective/common consciousness*
Ex: crime is defined by the conscience collective (we all yuj. assume that
stealing and murder is wrong). The way we should dress or what we eat and
how we treat others falls underneath of collective consciousness as well
When the collective conscious is offended, *we feel like something sacred is
attacked*, thus this horror suggests something ABOVE the individual is
attacked.
Sui generis
Functionalism Questions with complete
solution
What is criticized about critical theory and symbolic interactionism
What kind of perspective (macro/micro) does structural functionalism have on
society? - correct answer ✔crit theory: doesnt really explain the genuine
examples of consensus and social order
symb interactionism: doesnt pay enough attention to the internal structures of
shared beliefs
Structural func will take a *macrosociological* look on explaining *social order*
What is the assumption of Structural Functionalism on society? - correct
answer ✔it makes the positive assumption that parts of society work together
productively for the WHOLE.
Everything is good for society.
Both Symbolic Interactionism and Critical Theories see *society as
_____________________* - correct answer ✔*made up of parts that are
fundamentally distinct*
Society is nothing more than *the sum total of the interactions of these parts*
Each part can *theoretically be considered in isolation*- this is how structural
functionalism analyzes society
"When I perform *my duties as a brother, a husband or a citizen...* I fulfill
obligations which are defined in law and custom and which *are external to
, myself and my actions... *Similarly the believer has discovered from birth,
ready fashioned, the beliefs and practices of his religious life; *if they existed
before he did, it follows that they exist outside him.* *The system of signs that
I employ* to express my thoughts, the monetary system I use to pay my
debts, the credit instruments I utilise in my commercial relationships, the
practices I follow in my profession, etc., *all function independently of the use I
make of them*"
- ______________ - correct answer ✔Emile Durkheim, Rules of Sociological
Method
This quote reveals that
Individuals play certain social roles that constrain their action and must work
within social norms
Even for things that we do for our own selves we use collective things; we
can't decide to ignore it or change it at will
Shared symbols are INDEPENDENT of the individual, they are concrete
SOCIAL FACTS
Collective Consciousness - correct answer ✔The shared taken-for-granted
moral beliefs or values that almost all members of society agree on without
*really questioning it*
For Durkheim *the totality of beliefs and sentiments* common to members of
society forms a system with a life of its own- it is termed as *the
collective/common consciousness*
Ex: crime is defined by the conscience collective (we all yuj. assume that
stealing and murder is wrong). The way we should dress or what we eat and
how we treat others falls underneath of collective consciousness as well
When the collective conscious is offended, *we feel like something sacred is
attacked*, thus this horror suggests something ABOVE the individual is
attacked.
Sui generis
