Pictures are a powerful tool for simplifying key concepts in A-level sociology. In this post I select what I think are some of the most relevant pictures which represent some of the key concepts relevant to the Functionalist perspective on society.
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
Functionalism in pictures final thoughts
This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list of concepts, or definitive definitions, the idea of this post is to ‘simplify to the extreme’. For more in depth posts on Functionalism, please follow the links on my Theory and Methods page!
Competition …. Win REVISE tokens!
Post a picture in the comments of a picture which you think represents a Functionalist concept, along with a short (20-100 words) explanation of why it’s a relevant picture.
Prizes
Prizes will be awarded purely at my own sole discretion.
- First prize – 50 REVISE
- Second prize – 30 REVISE
- Third prize – 15 REVISE
- First ten entries all receive 2 REVISE each, just for entering!
- If you submit a hand-drawn original work of art or photo as part of your entry I’ll gift you 10 REVISE!
I’m going to make this a 6 month rolling competition and these prizes are going to be awarded EVERY MONTH – from December 2019 until May 2020.
WTF are ‘REVISE’ tokens?
The REVISE token is ‘ReviseSociology.com’ token. It’s basically a crypto-currency I’ve conjured out of virtual space which you can use on the site.
REVISE tokens can be redeemed for money off my revision resources and revision Webinars, all for sale in my Sellfy shop.
You’ll need a Steem account to receive your REVISE tokens. Steem is a decentralised, censorship resistant cryptocurrency based social media platform. You can sign up here, or drop me an email if you’d like a free account. Once you’ve got an account, I can send you your tokens!
NB signing up is a bit of a mission, but I’m on Steem myself and can thoroughly recommend it. Unfortunately there isn’t a viable way for me to truly integrated this Word Press site and my Steem account, so at this stage this is all separate. Integration will hopefully come in the future.
It’s just a bit of fun at this stage!
Redeeming REVISE tokens
ATM this process isn’t automated (it would cost me a fortune to pay someone to integrate all of this!) but if you want to purchase something and you’ve got some REVISE, just contact me (on here, on Steem, or via mail), tell me what you want to purchase and I’ll sort out a discount based on how many REVISE you’ve got!
You’ll need a Steem account to send me back the REVISE tokens so I can issue you the discount voucher.
If you would like a FREE INSTANT steem account, drop me a line, I’ve got about 100 free accounts I can give away!
The redeemable value of the revise token is a % off your purchase. So if you have 50 Revise then you get 50% off the purchase price. If you have 10 revise tokens, you get 10% off the purchase price.
This is up to a maximum discount of 100% of the purchase price!
You can also buy (and sell!) REVISE tokens on steem-engine.
Good luck with the competition and all the technicalities and working out the math!
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