According to Functionalism, religion acts as a conservative force by reinforcing social norms and promoting social solidarity. This post is A summary of the key ideas of the main Functionalist theorists of religion: Durkheim, Parsons and Malinowski.
A summary of Talcott Parson’s functionalist perspective on religion
In his work “The Elementary Forms of Religious Life”, sociologist Durkheim proposed a theory of religion based on the sacred, which transcends ordinary life, and the profane, referring to mundane routines. He saw religion as a mechanism to distinguish between these and argued that religious rituals reinforce social bonds and collective conscience. Moreover, Durkheim identified totemic religion, found among Aboriginal societies, as the simplest religious practice. Noting that worship of the totem signifies respect for society, he argued that societies, in essence, worship themselves through religion. Criticisms of his theory include lack of generalizability and less relevance to complex societies.
Positivists prefer to the limit themselves the study of objective ‘social facts’ and use statistical data and the comparative method
Emile Durkheim introduced the concept of social facts, which are external social institutions, norms, and values influencing individual behavior. His analysis, particularly in studying suicide rates, underscores the importance of societal factors over individual actions. Critics, however, question the reliability of statistical data, emphasizing diverse social realities that challenge Durkheim’s views.
Functionalists believe society shapes the individual and that social order and value consensus are good.
These Functionalism revision notes bring together everything you need to know for A-level sociology exams. Here is a summary of
The key ideas of the Functionalist Perspective: social structure, scientific research methods, social solidarity to prevent anomie, the organic analogy and social evolution.
A range of quantitative and qualitative evidence which both supports and criticises the Functionalist view of education.
Born out of the Enlightenment Positivists believe sociology is scientific and that it can be a force for social progress.