Functionalism: Meaning and Key Concepts
Functionalism is one of the major theoretical perspectives in sociology which holds the
belief that society is relatively stable, which means that things occur in society for a
specific function and those functions help maintain stability.
For this reason, social institutions such as family, political system, educational system,
and the economy are critical for society to function properly as each of them is designed
to fill different needs. In fact, according to the functionalist theory, an institution only
exists because it serves a vital role in the functioning of society. Thus, if a social
institution no longer serves a role, it will die away. And when new needs evolve or
emerge, new institutions will be created to meet them.
As we can see, in functionalism, the society is viewed as a system of interrelated parts.
Here, the adherents of functionalism stress the importance of interdependence
between and among all behavior patterns and institutions within a social system to its
long-term survival. Thus, the functionalists suggest that a society’s values and norms
provide the foundation for the rules and laws that it creates and these norms must
regulate the relationships between and among social institutions.
This explains why the functionalists don’t like conflict and chaos. For the functionalists,
the society must be kept intact and must be functioning well. In fact, the main questions
in functionalism are:
1) What keeps society functioning smoothly?
2) What are the parts of society and how do they relate with each other?
3) What are the intended and unintended outcomes of an event?
The functionalist theory, therefore, focuses on the macro-level of social structure,
rather than the micro-level of everyday life.
The leading proponent of functionalism was the French philosopher and sociologist
Emile Durkheim. As Durkheim famously writes: "The totality of beliefs and sentiments
common to the average members of a society forms a determinate system with a life of
its own. It can be termed the collective or creative consciousness." The Division of
Labour (1893)
Functionalism is one of the major theoretical perspectives in sociology which holds the
belief that society is relatively stable, which means that things occur in society for a
specific function and those functions help maintain stability.
For this reason, social institutions such as family, political system, educational system,
and the economy are critical for society to function properly as each of them is designed
to fill different needs. In fact, according to the functionalist theory, an institution only
exists because it serves a vital role in the functioning of society. Thus, if a social
institution no longer serves a role, it will die away. And when new needs evolve or
emerge, new institutions will be created to meet them.
As we can see, in functionalism, the society is viewed as a system of interrelated parts.
Here, the adherents of functionalism stress the importance of interdependence
between and among all behavior patterns and institutions within a social system to its
long-term survival. Thus, the functionalists suggest that a society’s values and norms
provide the foundation for the rules and laws that it creates and these norms must
regulate the relationships between and among social institutions.
This explains why the functionalists don’t like conflict and chaos. For the functionalists,
the society must be kept intact and must be functioning well. In fact, the main questions
in functionalism are:
1) What keeps society functioning smoothly?
2) What are the parts of society and how do they relate with each other?
3) What are the intended and unintended outcomes of an event?
The functionalist theory, therefore, focuses on the macro-level of social structure,
rather than the micro-level of everyday life.
The leading proponent of functionalism was the French philosopher and sociologist
Emile Durkheim. As Durkheim famously writes: "The totality of beliefs and sentiments
common to the average members of a society forms a determinate system with a life of
its own. It can be termed the collective or creative consciousness." The Division of
Labour (1893)
