STRUCTURAL

FUNCTIONALISM
MICHAEL S. BAUTISTA, MAED
STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM
• Structural- relating to the way something is built or organized
• Functionalism-a theory that stresses the interdependence of the
patterns and institutions of a society and their interaction in
maintaining cultural and social unity.
• Functionalism- also called structural-functional theory, sees society
as a structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the
biological and social needs of the individuals in that society
• Structural Functionalism- it is a sociological theory that attempts to
explain why society functions the way it does by focusing on
relationships between various social institutions that make up
society
PROPONENTS OF THIS THEORY
• August Comte- Father of Sociology (scientific study of society)
“He believed that sociologist would develop a scientific knowledge of society and would
guide society in a peaceful, orderly evolution”
• Herbert Spencer- an Englishman and has a different view of how society works
“He said that society can be compared to a living organism because each part contributes to
the survival and health of the one’s survival. He also coined the phrase “Survival of the
Fittest” which means rich, powerful, or otherwise successful people”
• Max Weber- a German sociologist. “He said that Individuals always interpret the meaning
of their own behavior and act according to these interpretations.
• Talcott Parsons- an American sociologist of the classical tradition, best known for his social
action theory and structural functionalism. He is considered as one of the most influential
figures in the development of sociology in the 20th century. Together with Robert Merton
they were the two leading structural functionalists.
PARSON’S STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM (THE “AGIL” SCHEME)
• Adaptation- a system must cope with external situational
exigencies. It must adopt to its needs. It must adapt to its
environment and adapt environment.
• Goal Attainment- a system must define and achieve its primary
goals.
• Integration- a system must regulate the interrelationship of its
component parts. It must also manage relationship among the
other three functional imperatives.
• Latency- a system must furnish, maintain, and renew both the
motivation of individuals and the cultural patterns that create and
sustain the motivation.
PARSON’S FOUR ACTION SYSTEMS
• Action system- handles adaptation function by adjusting to
and transforming the external world.
• Social system- copes with the integration by controlling its
component parts.
• Personality system- performs the goal attainment function
by defining system goals and mobilizing resources to attain
them.
• Cultural system- performs the latency function by providing
actors with the norms and values that motivate them for
action.
FUNCTIONAL REQUISITES OF A SOCIAL SYSTEM
• Social System- interaction of two or more actors or individual, a person in a
social behavior, power, trust or communication are coming to play.
• It means “A thing that every society has to accomplish in order for them
to survive”.
• Reproduction
• Socialize new member
• Distribute goods and services
• Preserve order
• Provide a sense of purpose
• Requires language in order to survive.
PARSON’S ASSUMPTIONS ON STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM
• Systems have property of order and interdependence of parts.
• Systems tend-toward self-maintaining order, or equilibrium.
• The system may be static or involved in an ordered process of change.
• The nature of one part of system has an impact on the form that the other
parts can take.
• Systems maintain boundaries with their environment.
• Allocation and integration are two fundamental processes necessary for a
given state of equilibrium of a system.
• Systems tend forward self-maintenance involving the maintenance of the
relationships of parts to the whole, control of environmental variations and
control of tendencies to change the system from within.
KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE
• Interdependency- one of the most important principles of functionalist theory is that
society is made up of interdependent parts.
• Function of social structure and culture- closely related to interdependency is the idea
that each part of the social exists because it serves some function.
• Social structure- refers to the organization of society, including its institutions, its social
positions, and its distribution of resources.
• Culture- refers to a set of beliefs, language, rules, values, and knowledge, held in common
by members of a society.
• Consensus- society have tendency towards consensus, that is to have values that nearly
everyone in the society agrees upon.
• Cooperation- inability to cooperate will paralyze the society and people will devote more
and more effort to fighting one another rather than getting anything done
• Equilibrium- the characteristic of the society when it has achieved the form that is best
adapted to its situation.