Functionalism Revision Notes for A-Level Sociology

Last Updated on August 10, 2025 by Karl Thompson

These Functionalism revision notes bring together everything you need to know for A-level sociology exams. Here is a summary of the key ideas, thinkers, and how Functionalism is applied to different topics like education and crime. Use this guide to consolidate your understanding and prepare for short-answer and 10- and 20-mark exam questions.

You might also like these two related posts…

Functionalism Sociology: A Beginner’s Guide – Perfect if you’re just starting out, this post explains what Functionalism is, how society functions like a system, and introduces key thinkers like Durkheim and Parsons in simple terms.

The Functionalist Perspective: Durkheim and Parsons Explained – A deeper dive into the theoretical foundations of Functionalism, covering Emile Durkheim’s social facts and Talcott Parsons’ value consensus model. Ideal for essay-level detail and evaluation.

Functionalism Summary Mind Map

Introduction/ Society as a System

• Historical Context: the 1890s to the 1950s
• Parsons uses the term ‘organic analogy’ to describe society.
• Parsons sees three similarities between society and a biological organism: both are self-regulating, both have needs, both have sub-systems which perform specific functions.

Emile Durkheim’s Functionalism (1858 – 1917) – The first ever ‘Sociologist’

• Concerned with understanding rapid social change brought about with industrialisation
• Traditional society based on ‘mechanical solidarity’ and strong collective conscience
• Industrial society = more complex causes change and anomie, challenge of modernity = how to achieve ‘organic solidarity’
• Society exists as a separate entity above its members, as a system of ‘social facts’. It affects people irrespective of their individual thoughts and feelings.
• Studied suicide to illustrate the above.

Talcott Parson’s Functionalism

• Society is based on value consensus and social order
• Society needs individuals to be integrated – this is achieved through socialisation and social control
• The social system has four basic needs: instrumental (adaptation and goal attainment) and expressive (integration and latency)
• Social change is gradual and evolutionary/ progressive – societies gradually evolve by moving from simple to more complex and larger structures.

Robert Merton’s Functionalism 

• Merton’s Three Internal Critiques of Functionalism: Not everything is necessary; not everything is interconnected; some institutions are dysfunctional
• Merton’s ideas of Latent and Manifest Functions: Intended and unintended (so functions may be more complex than Parson’s suggests)

Overall Evaluations of Functionalism

• Durkheim’s study on suicide – trends still true today
• Governments view society as a system
• Development theorists view society as a system.
• X – Logical Criticisms – Functionalism is teleological – it explains an institutions existence in terms of its effect, and the effect may not be necessary
• X – Conflict Perspectives – Functionalism ignores power inequality and exploitation
• X – Action Perspectives – Functionalism is deterministic
• X – Postmodernist Critiques – society is not as stable, orderly, or predictable as Functionalists suggest.

Key Studies and Examples you can use to illustrate Functionalism…           

• Durkheim’s 1897 study of suicide, and the fact that contemporary official statistics today show the same patterns
• The EU Referendum and the ‘Immigration Crisis’ (illustrate how we haven’t managed to figure out a way of achieving solidarity based on difference, rather than solidarity based on similarity)
• The Case study of Musharef in Educating Yorkshire shows one school being functional in a similar way to Parson’s view of education
• The way the Police and the media respond to high profile very serious crimes seems to reinforce social integration and
• social regulation at a societal level – for example the social responses to September 11th and other terrorist attacks and to the London Riots.

Functionalism applied to other topic areas within sociology

The Functionalist perspective on the family

• The four universal functions of the family
• Functional fit theory
• Primary socialisation
• Stabilisation of adult personalities
• Traditional gender role

The Functionalist perspective on education

• Secondary socialisation
• Social Solidarity
• Skills for working
• Meritocracy
• Role Allocation

Modernisation Theory (Functionalism applied to development)

• Aid injections and five stages of growth
• Cultural Barriers
• Capitalist/ Industrial model of development

Functionalist and Social Control theories of crime

• Bonds of attachment theory
• Positive Functions of Crime
• Inevitability of crime

Functionalist research methods – Positivism

• Social Facts
• Objectivity
• Official Statistics
• Correlations
• Generaliseablity
• Science

Functionalism Key Ideas in Pictures

Pictures can be a powerful tool for helping remember some of the key ideas within Functionalism, below are some visual representations of some key functionalist concepts….

The Organic Analogy/ society as a system

Institutions in society work together, like  organs in a body

Social Structure

Society’s Structure is made up of institutions

Social Facts

Durkheim theorized that social facts were ways of thinking, feeling and acting which were external to the individual and which constrained the individual.

Value Consensus

Society is based on shared values

Social Evolution

Societies gradually become more complex over time.

Mechanical and Organic Solidarity

Functional Fit Theory

The nuclear family emerged to ‘fit’ industrial society

Socialisation

Individuals learn the norms and values of society, within institutions

Stabilisation of Adult Personalities

Traditional gender roles within the nuclear family provide necessary emotional and psychological support for individuals.

Meritocracy

Individuals are rewarded on the basis of effort + ability. Both meritocracy and role allocation are key ideas in the Functionalist perspective on education.

Role Allocation

Where the exam system ‘sifts’ people into appropriate jobs based on their level of achievement

Social Integration

The more connections people have to others and institutions within society, the more integrated they are.

Social Regulation

Social regulation is the extent to which there are clear norms and value (‘rules’) which guide people in life.

Anomie

Anomie is a state of normlessness, brought on by rapid social change or breakdown. Lack of social integration or regulation can both lead to anomie

💡 Explore More on Functionalism in Sociology:

This summary is part of my complete Functionalist Theory in Sociology page, which links to detailed posts and applications.

Functionalism Sociology: A Beginner’s Guide – Perfect if you’re just starting out, this post explains what Functionalism is, how society functions like a system, and introduces key thinkers like Durkheim and Parsons in simple terms.

The Functionalist Perspective: Durkheim and Parsons Explained – A deeper dive into the theoretical foundations of Functionalism, covering Emile Durkheim’s social facts and Talcott Parsons’ value consensus model. Ideal for essay-level detail and evaluation.

Outline and Explain two criticisms of the Functionalist view of society (10) – this demonstrates how you would apply this material to a simple 10 mark question in the A Level Sociology Paper 3 exam.

To explore other social theories please return to the main social theories for A level sociology page.

Main Revisesociology A level sociology home page