Social solidarity, socialisation and anomieĭurkheim believed that too much freedom was bad for the individual – when individuals have too freedom, or when there is no clear guidance about what is right and wrong, individuals suffer from a sense uncertainty and confusion about their place in world, not knowing what they should be doing, a condition Durkheim called ‘ anomie’.ĭurkheim argued that societies needed to create a sense of social solidarity – which is making individuals feel as if they part of something bigger and teaching them the standards of acceptable behaviour. In short, according to Durkheim, society shapes the individual. It is not the consciousness of the individual that directs human behaviour but common beliefs and sentiments which shape his or her consciousness. Social facts include such things as beliefs, moral codes, and basic norms and values which are passed from one generation to the next and shared by individuals who make up a society. Members of society are constrained by ‘social facts’, by ‘ways of acting, thinking and feeling which are external to the individual and endowed with a power of coercion, by reason of which they control him’. Durkheim’s Functionalism Historical ContextĮmile Durkheim (1858 – 1917) was the first ever professor of Sociology.ĭurkheim’s major works were published between 18 –and his writings are mainly concerned with how rapid and dramatic social changes such as industrialisation at that time would affect French society.īelow are just two of Durkheim’s key ideas Society shapes the Individualĭurkheim argued that society has a reality of its own over and above the individuals who comprise it. This post provides an introduction to some of the key ideas of Emile Durkheim and Talcott Parsons, two key functionalist thinkers and some overall evaluations of the Functionalist Perspective. In a successful or ‘healthy’ society, for example, social life is organised so that the family socialises the young and meets emotional needs, school teaches us broader life skills, and the workplace is where we contribute to the economy.įunctionalists generally believe institutions perform positive functions (they do good things for the individual and society), and social institutions work together to provide social order and prevent too much crime and deviance. This value consensus enables people to co-operate and to work together to achieve shared goals.įunctionalists also believe that a successful society has a stable social structure, in which different institutions perform unique functions that contribute to the maintenance of the whole – in the same way that the different organs of the body perform different functions to keep a human being healthy. The ‘ consensus bit’ means that Functionalists believe that a successful society is based on ‘value consensus’ – people agree around a set of shared norms and values. The ‘ structural bit’ means that Functionalists argue there is a social structure that shapes individual behaviour through the process of socialisation. Functionalism is a ‘structural-consensus theory’ This post has primarily been written as an introduction to Functionalism for AS and A level sociology students. Evaluations of Functionalism including criticisms and ways in which it may be relevant in contemporary society.
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