Tag: Functionalism
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Evaluate the View that Crime and Deviance are Inevitable and Beneficial for Individuals and Society as a Whole
One answer to this AQA A-Level Sociology crime and deviance exam question drawing on Functionalist, Marxist and Labelling Theory perspectives.
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Dear England…. Football and the Collective Consciousness
Gareth Southgate used the sociological term ‘collective consciousness’ in his pre-Euro tournament letter to the nation, referring to the fact that he reminds the England team that they are creating collective memories and representing the entire nation every time they play a match. And now that England have reached the final, whether or not ‘we’…
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What are the functions of the family today?
How have the functions of the family changed? Are the functions of the family in decline?
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Public Opinion on Labour’s Policies – Far from Value Consensus?
Some recent opinion polls really seem to suggest that the British population have very different political views, suggesting there really is no such thing as value consensus around key issues, as key Functionalist thinkers suggested many decades ago. According to The Week (30 November 2019) the following rather large differences in opinion have emerged from…
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Is Religion a Source of Consensus or Conflict?
Functionalism is the only perspective which has traditionally argued that religion is a source of value consensus, all other perspectives disagree with this in one way or another, but not all believe that religion is necessarily a cause of overt conflict in the world. Functionalism Functionalists generally argue that religion promotes value consensus in a…
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Structural Differentiation and Religion
According to Talcott Parsons, the disengagement of the church from social life might not necessarily mean that the church is any less important at a social level. Parsons argues that societies evolve through a process of ‘structural differentiation’ – as societies become more complex, a greater variety of more specialized institutions evolved. Parsons accepts that…
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Religion and Social Change
Functionalists and Marxists argue religion prevents change, Max Weber and others disagree!
