Knowra Structural functionalism Structural functionalism Structural functionalism is a sociological perspective that explains social institutions and practices by the functions they perform in maintaining social order and continuity.
Social structure : The patterned relationships and institutions that organize social life. Structural functionalism treats these durable patterns as the framework whose persistence needs explaining.
Manifest and latent functions : A distinction between intended, recognized consequences of an activity and unintended, unrecognized consequences. This distinction lets functional analysis identify effects beyond an institution's stated purpose.
Auguste Comte : A French philosopher who coined sociology's name and advocated a scientific study of society. His analogy between society and an organized whole helped establish early functionalist thinking.
Conflict theory : A sociological perspective that explains social life through conflict over power, resources, and competing interests. It challenges functionalism's emphasis on shared order by foregrounding inequality and contestation.
AGIL paradigm : Parsons's framework that identifies adaptation, goal attainment, integration, and latency as system requirements. It shows how Parsons organized functionalist explanations into four recurring requirements for social systems.
Social institution : An established set of norms and practices organized around recurring social needs. Institutions are the main structures whose contributions to social order the perspective examines.
Dysfunction : A consequence of a social practice that disrupts or undermines a social system or its members. The concept prevents functional analysis from treating every consequence as beneficial to social order.
Émile Durkheim : A French sociologist who studied social facts, solidarity, and the conditions of social order. His accounts of institutions and collective life became central foundations for functionalist sociology.
Marxist sociology : A sociological approach that analyzes society through class relations, production, and material power. Its account of institutions as shaped by class interests contrasts with functional accounts of system needs.
Social change : A transformation in social structures, institutions, or relationships over time. Functionalism's emphasis on stability prompted questions about how it accounts for major transformations.
Show all 27