Structural Functionalism, a Framework for Building Theory 
Structural functionalism
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Major category: Sociology v t e Structural functionalism is a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability.[1] This approach looks at society through a macro-level orientation, which is a broad focus on the social structures that shape society as a whole. [2] This approach looks at both social structure and social functions. Functionalism addresses society as a whole in terms of the function of its constituent elements; namely norms, customs, traditions and institutions. A common analogy, popularized by Herbert Spencer, presents these parts of society as "organs" that work toward the proper functioning of the "body" as a whole.[3] In the most basic terms, it simply emphasizes "the effort to impute, as rigorously as possible, to each feature, custom, or practice, its effect on the functioning of a supposedly stable, cohesive system." For Talcott Parsons, "structural-functionalism" came to describe a particular stage in the methodological development of social science, rather than a specific school of thought.[4][5] The structural functionalism approach is a macro level type analysis, with a broad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Sociology
Portal
Theory · History
Positivism · Antipositivism
Functionalism · Conflict theory
Middle-range · Mathematical
Critical theory · Socialization
Structure and agency
Research methods
Quantitative · Qualitative
Historical · Computational
Ethnographic · Network analytic
Topics · Subfields
Cities · Class · Crime · Culture
Deviance · Demography · Education
Economy · Environment · Family
Gender · Health · Industry · Internet
Knowledge · Law · Medicine
Politics · Mobility · Race and ethnicity
Rationalization · Religion · Science
Secularization · Social networks
Social psychology · Stratification
Categories · Lists
Journals · Sociologists
Article index · Outline
Major category: Sociology v t e Structural functionalism is a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability.[1] This approach looks at society through a macro-level orientation, which is a broad focus on the social structures that shape society as a whole. [2] This approach looks at both social structure and social functions. Functionalism addresses society as a whole in terms of the function of its constituent elements; namely norms, customs, traditions and institutions. A common analogy, popularized by Herbert Spencer, presents these parts of society as "organs" that work toward the proper functioning of the "body" as a whole.[3] In the most basic terms, it simply emphasizes "the effort to impute, as rigorously as possible, to each feature, custom, or practice, its effect on the functioning of a supposedly stable, cohesive system." For Talcott Parsons, "structural-functionalism" came to describe a particular stage in the methodological development of social science, rather than a specific school of thought.[4][5] The structural functionalism approach is a macro level type analysis, with a broad
Bibliography: Barnard, A. 2000. History and Theory in Anthropology. Cambridge: CUP. Barnard, A., and Good, A. 1984. Research Practices in the Study of Kinship. London: Academic Press. Barnes, J. 1971. Three Styles in the Study of Kinship. London: Butler & Tanner. Holy, L. 1996. Anthropological Perspectives on Kinship. London: Pluto Press. Kuper, A. 1988. The Invention of Primitive Society: Transformations of an Illusion. London: Routledge. Kuper, A. 1996. Anthropology and Anthropologists. London: Routledge. Layton, R. 1997. An Introduction to Theory in Anthropology. Cambridge: CUP. Leach, E. 1954. Political Systems of Highland Burma. London: Bell. Leach, E. 1966. Rethinking Anthropology. Northampton: Dickens. Levi-Strauss, C. 1969. The Elementary Structures of Kinship. London: Eyre and Spottis-woode. Coser, L., (1977) Masters of Sociological Thought: Ideas in Historical and Social Context, 2nd Ed., Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., pp. 140–143. Craib, I., (1992) Modern Social Theory: From Parsons to Habermas, Harvester Wheatsheaf, London Cuff, E Davis, K (1959). "The Myth of Functional Analysis as a Special Method in Sociology and Anthropology", American Sociological Review, 24(6), 757-772. Holmwood, J., (2005) “Functionalism and its Critics” in Harrington, A., (ed) Modern Social Theory: an introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 87–109 Homans, George Casper (1962) Hoult, Thomas Ford (1969). Dictionary of Modern Sociology. Lenski, Gerhard (1966). "Power and Privilege: A Theory of Social Stratification." New York: McGraw-Hill. Lenski, Gerhard (2005). "Evolutionary-Ecological Theory." Boulder, CO: Paradigm. Maryanski, Alexandra (1998). "Evolutionary Sociology." Advances in Human Ecology. 7:1-56. Maryanski, Alexandra and Jonathan Turner (1992). "The Social Cage: Human Nature and the Evolution of Society." Stanford: Stanford University Press. Marshall, Gordon (1994). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Sociology. ISBN 019285237X Merton, Robert (1957) Nolan, Patrick and Gerhard Lenski (2004). Human Societies: An Introduction to Macrosociology." Boulder, CO: Paradigm. Parsons, Talcott (1951) The Social System, Routledge, London Parsons, T., & Shils, A., (eds) (1976) Toward a General Theory of Action, Harvard University Press, Cambridge Parsons, T., (1961) Theories of Society: foundations of modern sociological theory, Free Press, New York Perey, Arnold (2005) "Malinowski, His Diary, and Men Today (with a note on the nature of Malinowskian functionalism) Ritzer, G., (1983) Sociological Theory, Knopf Inc, New York Sanderson, Stephen K Turner, Jonathan (1985). "Herbert Spencer: A Renewed Appreciation." Beverly Hills: Sage. Turner, Jonathan (1995). "Macrodynamics: Toward a Theory on the Organization of Human Populations." New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. Turner, Jonathan and Jan Stets (2005). "The Sociology of Emotions." Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1. ^ ^ Macionis, Gerber, Sociology 7th Canadian Ed. (Pearson Canada Inc., 2010)pg.14 2 3. ^ Urry, John (2000). "Metaphors". Sociology beyond societies: mobilities for the twenty-first century. Routledge. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-415-19089-3. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ogyDBobOHVEC&pg=PA23. 4 11. ^ Macionis, John J. "Sociology". (Toronto: Pearson, 2011), 97 12 13. ^ Gerber, L., Macionis, J. (2011). Sociology: Seventh Canadian Edition. pp. 13-14. 14. ^ Gerber, L., Macionis, J. (2011). Sociology: Seventh Canadian Edition. pp. 10. 15. ^ Gertrud Lenzer, ed., Auguste Comte and Positivism: The Essential Writings (New York: Harper, 1975). pp. 71-86.] 16 17. ^ Macionis, John J. (2012). Sociology 14th Edition. Boston: Pearson. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-205-11671-3. 18 19. ^ Macionis, Gerber, Sociology 7th Canadian Ed. (Pearson Canada Inc., 2010)pg.14 20 21. ^ Nolan and Lenski, 2004; Maryanski and Turner 1992 22 23. ^ a b Parsons & Shills, 1976:190 24 25. ^ Craib, 1992:40 26 27. ^ Cuff & Payne, 1984:44 28 33. ^ Gingrich, 1991 34 35. ^ Davis, Kingsley and Wilbert E. Moore. (1970 [1945]) "Some Principles of Stratification." American Sociological Review, 10 (2), 242-9. 36. ^ de Maio, F. (2010) Health & Social Theory. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 29-30. 37. ^ Tumin, M. M. (1953). "Some principles of stratification: a critical analysis." American Sociological Review, 18, 387-97. 38. ^ Macionis, John (2011). Sociology. Toronto: Pearson Canada. ISBN 978-0-13-700161-3. 39 40. ^ Macionis, Gerber, Sociology 7th Canadian Ed. (Pearson Canada Inc., 2010)pg.14 41 43. ^ Macionis, J., and Gerber, L. (2010). Sociology, 7th edition 44 45. ^ cf. Kuper, 1988:196, 205-6 46 51. ^ Cassell, Philip The Giddens Reader (1993) The Macmillan Press Ltd, pp. 6 52