Marie Barraza

Dr. T. S. Alvarado
Soc 1
July 8, 2016
Project 1 DVD Analysis: Sociological Perspective
This documentary entitled Happy features people from around the
world and looks at how and why they are happy. Many of the people featured
in the documentary face harsh adversity, dealing with everything from
accidents, to personal loss, isolation, and even poverty and still are able to
find happiness. In looking at what makes some people happy and others less
so the documentary also looks at the effects societal and economic structures
have on their citizens. The resounding theme is that people need to be
allowed to pursue their strengths and have strong bonds with one another in
order to be fulfilled. The film ultimately showcases the need to live a life
where social connections and activities are prioritized over material wealth in
order to achieve and promote happiness. From a social perspective lens I
believe he functionalist paradigm is best represented in this documentary
because of the focus on the different roles humans need to play in society in
order for it to thrive. The functionalist paradigm is unique in that it holds that
varying parts of society come together in order to promote the advancement
of the collective society. In achieving this Durkheims functionalist theory
maintains that society strives for homeostasis over conflict. In the film there
is special attention placed to how these varying functions can increase our
ability to support one another as a society, in turn allowing for increased
happiness.

One example of the functionalist perspective is where the film

highlights the role senior citizens play in society. The film takes viewers to a
small town in Japan where health rates and lifespans amongst elders are far
above the average. The key here is that the senior population in this town is
extremely active and involved in many social activities. In this specific town
this generation of elders were forced to endure the extreme hardship of World
War II. In response to the losses suffered from the war many of the villagers
formed strong support groups. Also of interest was that as the elders aged
and retired they continued to be vital parts of their town because of the
knowledge, wisdom, and connection to traditions and customs that only they
offered their community.
The second example of functionalist perspective in the film comes from
an in depth profile on a Danish family dealing with divorce. What is so unique
about this family is that in dealing with the divorce, the mother is referred to
a sort of co-operative community. It is in this new community that the family
embraces their new in-group roles as residents; they are now assigned duties
that support the shared macro community versus the family alone. I believe
this example bests highlights the functionalist perspective because varying
members of the community are relied upon and rise to the occasion, in this
setting daily burdens are disbursed. Instead of parents spending hours
preparing a single meal and cleaning up after their family on a daily basis,
communal meals are prepared by different members of the co-op on a
rotating basis so parents can focus on spending more time with their children
and cutting back on role strain. In doing so providers do not have to focus the
majority of their evenings on time consuming tasks of meal preparation,

cooking, and cleaning up on a regular basis, instead they are tasked with only
performing such tasks on a bi-weekly basis.
The film also goes on to showcase how in the Western world as more
and more emphasis is placed on individual wealth and a culture capital
mentality is adopted there have been grave consequences. In one scene the
story of a Japanese family is told, the father turns out to be the victim of what
the Japanese describe as Karoshi, or being overworked to death. In this
case the father is the sole breadwinner in the family and is taken advantage
of by a system of social stratification where he is forced to work excessive
hours in order for top earning executives and corporations to exceed profit
margins. This example goes on to underline the deep isolation created in
urban societies where an emphasis is placed on the self, described by
Durkheim as anomie.
To conclude, social integration is an integral part of Durkheims
functionalist theory and is highlighted in the film Happy as a means for
living a more fulfilled life. It is clear that when different members of society
work together, much the some way different systems within the human body
function in synchrony to support the overall health of body, society operates
at its happiest.