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Functionalism

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Functionalism
Notes of Functionalism,
Structualists are interested in describing and understanding the main insititutions of society
The family
The education system
The health services
The economy
The political insititutions
The media
Functionalism is a consenseus theoy. Consensus means agreement. Funtionaliste believe that society work the way it does because the majority of people have shared norms and values, goals and rules.
Everything serves a purpose or function
The body cannot work without the heart
We need air to breath so out lungs can work
Our lungs works togetherin harmony with our heart, liver and kidneys-this is our internal system
Our internal system will fight against infections
But, our internal system can break down.
What is functionalism?
Functionalism is an understanding behaviour of how individuals function in a society.

Functionalism interprets each part of society in terms of how it contributes to the stability of the whole society. Society is more than the sum of its parts; rather, each part of society is functional for the stability of the whole society. The different parts are primarily the institutions of society, each of which is organized to fill different needs and each of which has particular consequences for the form and shape of society. The parts all depend on each other. For example, the government, or state, provides education for the children of the family, which in turn pays taxes on which the state depends to keep itself running. The family is dependent upon the school to help children grow up to have good jobs so that they can raise and support their own families. In the process, the children become law-abiding, taxpaying citizens, who in turn support the state. If all goes well, the parts of society produce order, stability, and productivity. If all does not go well, the parts of society then must adapt to recapture a new order, stability, and

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