Lecture3 -- Positivist-Functionalist Perspective(student).doc

Soc 488 SP08 Carlson Positvist-Functionalist Perspective Functionalism: The analysis of social and cultural phenomena in terms of the functions they perform in a sociocultrual system. In functionalism, society is conceived of as a system of interrelated parts in which no part can be understood in isolation from the whole. A change in any part is seen as leading to a certain degree of imbalance, which in turn results in changes in other parts of the system and to some extent to a reorganization of the system as a whole. The development of functionalism was based on the model of the organic system found in the biological sciences. (from A Modern Dictionary of Sociology) Because it is concerned with the overall characteristics of social structure the general nature of social institutions, functionalism has a macrosociological focus. individual-level phenomena are not a major concern. The primary concern is with the functioning of the ___________ as a whole and the relationships of its ____________ with one another. In analyzing social systems functionalists emphasize three elements: The general __________, or _____________, of the system?s parts The existence of a ?normal? state of affairs, or state of __________, comparable to the normal or healthy state of an organism The way all parts of the system reorganize to bring thinks back to normal The Early Functionalists: Comte, Spencer, and Durkheim August Comte (1789- 1857) Commonly known as the father of sociology Coined the term ?sociology? although he personally preferred the term ?social physics? Grew-up in the aftermath of the French Revolution, therefore his sociology is very much centered on notions of social order, stability, and progress. Social Statics and Social Dynamics Comte thought that sociology should be divided into 2 categories ? the study of social statics and social dynamics. social statics are the elements of social structure and their relations social dynamics are the patterns of change in social systems over time Comte believed very much that society functioned very much like an ____________ functioning of the whole was dependent on the _______________ of all systems If one system failed or changed it would result in ?______________? which required ___________ or ________________ to return stabilty. Influenced by Enlightenment thinkers thought that societies also must _________________. Basic premise of Comte?s sociology was that as societies develop they become _____________________ (they obtain new ?________? or parts), yet like all organisms they maintain their _________________. But the primary question is how is integration among parts maintained despite increasing differentiation of functions? Potential for disintegration was countered by the power of government maintain fluid coordination among system parts through moral, intellectual, and material means. (kind of like a brain) In sum, He thought social organization was maintained by: Mutual dependence of system parts on one another Centralization of authority to coordinate exchanges of parts Development of a common morality or spirit among members of a population ?The Law of the Three Stages? Concerning social dynamics, Comte viewed society along evolutionary terms and thought that society must pass through three phases: (1) theological, (2) metaphysical, and (3) positivistic. Comte?s ?Law of the Three Stages? System Stages Theological Metaphysical Positivistic Cultural Nature of ideas Essence of phenomena; reject supernatural Spiritual Leaders Structural Most prominent units State I Basis of Integration Attachment to small groups and religious spirit Control by state, military, and law Mutual dependence, coordination of functions by state, general spirit Regarding the stages, Comte proposed several conditions Each stage sets the conditions for the next The course of evolution is additive During the transition from one stage to the next, elements of preceding stages conflict with new elements resulting in a period of anarchy and turmoil The metaphysical stage is a transitional stage The nature of cultural ideas determines the kinds of social structural arrangements Arriving at the positivistic stage, a true understanding of how society operates is possible, allowing for the manipulation of society in accordance with the laws of statics and dynamics Every society must eventually pass through these three stages, but they do so at different rates due to population size and density What to take from Comte? Not much, his theories are incredibly flawed, he never tells us why societies must develop just that they do. Additionally, his theory of stages is more of a historical map of societies that were known to exist. Nevertheless, he was a primary proponent of sociology as a science and his ideas influenced the ideas of later sociologists, most especially, Emile Durkheim Herbert Spencer (1820 ? 1903) Best known for coining the term ?survival of the fittest?, believed that competition directed societal evolution Known as a Social Darwinist, but he wasn?t really (ideas didn?t come from Darwin but other biologists ? Lemark) His ideas were used by the Eugenics movement of the early 20th century Eugenics ? social philosophy which advocates the improvement of human heredity traits through intervention (selective breeding, sterilization, genocide) Generally ostracized and thus ignored because of his controversial views on competition and the evolution of society and ?races?. Contribution to Sociology Like Comte, used the analogy of organism to describe society and also believed that societies evolve Unlike Comte, Spencer actually articulated exactly how it was that societies become differentiated and maintain integration SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT Spencer also understood that the evolution of society was not necessarily an internal process but that ?competition? existed across societies The role of warfare Warfare At early stages of societal development war can be very benefitial ___________________________ Impetus for innovation Creates larger populations ( innovation ( development Modern warfare is bad for society Kills __________________________ Interferes with __________________ Coarsens society ( __________________________ Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) Influenced heavily by Comte (French) Father of modern functionalism and the true founder of sociology ( its first ?real? scientist Considered one of the most influential classical sociologists Known as the ?physician of society? for his pro-social, pro-integration stance Like Comte, Durkheim wanted sociology to be taken seriously and carve a ?niche? for it as an independent discipline. Most importantly he wanted to separate sociology from ____________ (and prove sociology was more important to understanding people than ______________). Like all early functionalists, Durkheim takes the organismic analogy of society very seriously concerned less about progress and societal evolution. ___________ and consequences of _____________ the primary focus of his work Durkheim?s major works The Division of Labor in Society (1893) The Rules of the Sociological Method (1895) Suicide (1897) The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912) Social Facts For Durkheim, social facts were the subject matter of sociology Social fact ? Things which are external to, and coercive over, individuals. Social facts may exist within individuals, but do not derive themselves from the individual Two types Material social facts ( _________________ Non-material social facts ( ______________ Durkheim believed he could separate sociology from psychology through the use of social facts. The problem of Integration While not truly concerned with the manner in which society evolves, Durkheim was concerned with how social integration was maintained as society changed. Like his predecessors, Durkheim derived a theory of social change (very similar to Spencer) SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT However, unlike Comte and Spencer, Durkheim was not sold on the notion of government as the manager or regulator of integration, Durkheim believed that as society evolved the way in which ______________________ also evolved. Solidarity Durkheim noted that as societies evolved they become more ______________ and that this ______________ necessitated new methods of maintaining cohesion or ?____________? Organic Solidarity For Durkheim cohesion was maintained via the _______________ of individuals on one another through the ___________________ in society think about organs in a biological system ( Hence the term ?organic? Because modern society is very complex, individuals undertake ______________ tasks. But because people in modern societies specialize in only one occupation, we increasingly rely on the _________________________ in order to survive Mechanical Solidarity Unlike modern societies, primitive societies do not have a very complex division of labor, therefore Durkheim insisted that they must be ______________ by something entirely different. individuals in these societies ________________ things (____________________) ______________________ which held society together. It is this commonality that he termed the ?____________________________? The Collective Conscience Collective conscience ? the ideas shared by members of a collectivity such as a group, a tribe, or a society. The collective conscience is a __________ social fact. The collective conscience does not come __________ individuals, rather it comes from ___________ itself. People are born ______ the collective conscience and ____________ by it. Problem of the chicken and the egg? The essence of the collective conscience is its _______________ over society?s members. It is the ___________ which are to be followed and worshipped extremely __________ in nature religion and religious dogma = manifestation of a society?s collective conscience; means in which to instill the importance of the collective conscience in the group Ramifications of violation ( punishment from the gods In ___________ societies the collective conscience is extremely important (primary means of maintaining solidarity) and violations of the collective conscience are detrimental to society. In _________ society, violations of the collective conscience do not have the same repercussions (society held together by _________________). Example: Change in law: repressive( restitutive Durkheim believed that a weak collective conscience, such as those found in modern societies, was not necessarily a good thing. He felt that even though society was integrated materially (division of labor), a weak collective conscience may result in serious problems for ______________ comprehensive educational system and labor collectives (unions) could help to maintain a strong collective conscience in modern societies Anomie Durkheim thought that without a strong collective conscience that individuals would lack _____________ and ______ to guide their __________ behavior and a growing sense of _____________ what one is expected to do would emerge. He labeled this feeling anomie. Translated from French, anomie literally means ?normlessness?. Given that anomie is a non-material social fact, Durkheim set out to show that it does indeed exist. wants to separate sociology from psychology very close friend had recently committed suicide Durkheim viewed the study of suicide as a primary means of testing his sociological theories and concepts show that sociological theory could explain something that most people would attribute as a purely psychological phenomena. In Suicide, Durkheim set out to show that too little (and also too much) social integration may be determinental to society. collected information on suicide rates in Europe during the 19th century, and broke those rates down both within and across country and other dimensions which he felt represented social solidarity (like social class). In Suicide, Durkheim further clarifies the concept of social solidarity that he develops in The Division of Labor by stating that there are two components to social solidarity Structural Attachment ? feelings of ____________ to the collective Moral Regulation ? limits on individual ___________ and ____________ Therefore he identifies 4 types of suicide based on too little or too much of each Structural Attachment Too little ( ____________________ Excessive individualism, no attachment to others Too much ( ___________________ Individual so attached to group that they commit suicide for the good of the group Moral Regulation Too little ( ___________________ Deregulation of individual?s desires and passions; no rules to guide behavior Too much ( ____________________ Excessive regulation of behavior; no individual freedom to act Durkheim?s Legacy Emile Durkheim, while he didn?t coin the term sociology, should be considered in every sense of the word, the first real sociologist. He spent the majority of his adult life establishing his discipline as a unique science, and for all intents and purposes he succeeded. While many of his concepts have fallen by the way-side, the theoretical tradition he established ? functionalism ? is the most established and commonly used means of explaining sociological phenomena. His work has, in one way or another, shaped all of the functionalist ideas which have followed.