1. Durkheim, Parsons, Merton, Davis & Moore
Key Thinkers
Durkheim, Parsons, Merton, Davis & Moore
Essay Structure
P1 General Intro - Overview of Theory
P2 – General Views
P3 – Education Views
P4 – WPW Views
P5 – Crime Views
P6 – General Views (Higher A/B Students)
P7 - Evaluative Conclusion
Concepts (A01) P1
Positivism
Macro
Consensus P2
Organic Analogy
Value Consensus
Collective Conscience
Social Solidarity P3
Specialist Skills
Role Allocation
Meritocracy
Uni. Vs. Part. Standards P4
See SCB Notes P5
TBC once studied P6
Functional Prerequisites
Pattern Variables
Manifest & Latent Functions
Usefulness (A02)
Evaluation (A03)
Merton
Conflict
Micro
Postmodern
L1 – A01 from PPT (Italic), L2 – Usefulness / Evaluation, Homework – Exam Question
Exam Question
Evaluate the contribution that Functionalism has made to our understanding of society (20 marks)

2. Functionalism
Society works like a human body.
This is known as the ‘ORGANIC ANALOGY’
> The body has Vital Organs whilst society has VITAL INSTITUTIONS.
Emile Durkheim ( )
> These ‘Organs/ Institutions’ work ‘INTERDEPENDENTLY’
> All the small units of the body/ society work as one in order for overall survival & function.
Each Organ/ Institution meets certain FUNCTIONAL
PRE-REQUISITES
for the body/ society

4. Parsons : Functional prerequisites and pattern variables
Functional prerequisites are needs that societies have to satisfy in order to survive-
Adaptation: The ability to adapt economically e.g. some societies are industrialised and others not.
Goal attainment: Attain goals through decision making (there are different ways of doing this) e.g. dictatorship v democracy.
Integration: create social harmony and limit conflict. E.g. through the family and religion.
Latency: Certain individuals / groups who have the beliefs / values to make the above work e.g. (sense of identity and motivation for people to belong.)
The process of society fulfilling these functions is based on the social behaviours of cultures in society – these choices of behaviour are called pattern variables
Affectivity or affective neutrality
Close interpersonal relationships between people / relationships which are value free.
Specificity or diffuseness
Relationships with people either based on one link or many.
Universalism or particularism
Rules either applying to everybody or a select group.
Quality or performance
People treated according to performance (meritocracy) or their social position (linked to the PV above)
Self orientation or collectivity orientation
Whether to stress the importance of individual lives or the happiness of the group as a whole.
Test – Slide 40-42

5. Merton’s Internal Critique A03
Not every part of society is indispensable…
Parsons assumes that everything in society is functionally indispensable in it’s current form. Merton argues that there are possibilities of ‘functional alternatives’ (e.g. one-parent families doing the job of socialisation just as well as the nuclear family).
What ‘functional alternatives’ to religion can you think of?
Not every part of society is interconnected…
Parsons assumes that all parts of society are connected, and function as part of one unit. However Merton suggested that modern societies are more complex, and that parts are not necessarily connected or have unity, they instead have ‘functional autonomy,’ (independence) from each other (e.g. what is the connection between, say, banking and the rules of netball?).
There is no ‘universal functionalism’…
Parsons assumes that everything in society performs a positive function for society as a whole, but Merton suggests some things may be functional for some groups, but dysfunctional for other groups.
How can the education system or the family be said to be dysfunctional for some groups?
Whilst not really a criticism, Merton also thought that Parsons was a little too simplistic…
Manifest Functions
Functions that are intended to produce the thing that people intend to happen, e.g. a rain dance.
Latent Functions
Unintended functions, e.g. the rain dance resulting in an increased sense of solidarity within a community.
Working in pairs, suggest at least one latent function for the following: religious services (e.g. funerals & weddings) and criminal trials.

6. Evaluation of functionalism A03
Recognises the importance of social structure in understanding society and how major institutions like family, economy and education have links between them
It explains why most people conform to the rules of society.
Interpretivist/action theory: too deterministic – passive products of social system that controls their behaviour
Conflict perspective/Marxism: Takes for granted the value consensus in society, values are not consensus but are inflicted on us by dominant members of society.
It ignores/downplays inequalities in our society and the unequal distribution of power
Post-modernism: Functionalism tries to explain everything from a meta narrative (single perspective) but society is so fragmented this cannot work
Does it explain social change effectively – what about periods of rapid change?
Is there really a ‘structure’ that exists independently of individuals? 
It is difficult to assess the effects of institutions – In order to establish whether an institution has positive functions, one would need to accurately measure all of the effects an institution actually had on all individuals and all other institutions. This is extremely difficult to do because it is impossible to isolate the effects of an institution on other things.
Functionalism exaggerates the extent of Value consensus and Social Order – Parsons is criticized for assuming value consensus exists rather than actually proving it
Functionalism is a deterministic theory – Human behavior is portrayed as being shaped by the social system, as if individuals are programmed b social institutions.
 Functionalism ignores conflict and coercion  – Marxists argue that mainstream social values – like those in pattern variable B, are actually the values of elite groups, and thus social order is imposed on the majority by a relatively small group of elite actors.
Functionalism is Ideological  – Functionalism is a conservative social theory. By arguing that certain institutions are necessary – such as the family, religion and stratification systems – they are actually justifying the existence of the social order as it is, also by focussing on the positive functions