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Emile Durkheim's Structural Functionalism

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1. All three concepts that amount to the sociological perspective do not necessarily have one thing in common other than them being different ways we think about the world. However, they all tie together. The sociological perspective in itself is a way of thinking about the world so that we understand sort of why people are the way they are through aspects of nature vs. nurture, social class, and other concepts of that nature. Instead of judging something or someone based off their appearance, it is taking a second to try and understand them as we all should. Sociological imagination and the beginner’s mind have the most in common in my opinion because the whole idea of the sociological imagination is that rather than blaming one’s self for …show more content…

First of all, I feel all three of these men were a bit ahead of their time. During and after the revolutions everything was still being figured out and settled so I feel they were just sort of predicting what could happen in the future at that point. Emile Durkheim’s Structural Functionalism theory also known as the functionalist theory viewed society as a bunch of structures or parts that when put together could form a bit of solidarity. Each “part” or institution plays a different role in society which is still true to this day. If we did not have our school system, we would not be able to obtain the education we need for most jobs of today. If we did not have our jobs we would not be able to provide for our family. Even the government cannot function without a properly running economy hence the occasional threat of a government shutdown. Everything works together really and when institutions begin to fall apart it can become a truly vicious …show more content…

One structure or institution is our family. The family supports one another and typically parents provide for their children until they are of age to either move out or have the financial means to provide for yourself. However, unfortunately there is no such thing as a money tree. Parents probably have or had a job to provide for their child and in today’s society we know that also means they have some extent of an education. Almost all jobs require at least a high school diploma or GED with many requiring some form of degree as well. So, with a parent’s education comes their ability to get a job that not only allows them to provide for their children, but also enables them to put money back into the economy and thus continue life as it is. Of course, there’s the politics that come into play such as taxes, pay inequality, etc. all of which is present in the

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The three main sociological perspectives are conflict, symbolism and functionalism. Conflict is described as competition for insufficient resources; it’s how the elite society control the weak and the poor. Symbolism is uses of symbol in personal interaction, a symbol and details of everyday life. Lastly, functionalism is a relationship the parts of every society, like how aspects of society are adaptive or functional.

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Parents play a big role in their child’s lives because they provide a sense of direction for them. It is natural for a child to look up to his/her mom or dad. If a young adult doesn’t have the help from their parents who have already experienced college then they are already behind the kids who are able to use their parents as a resource. A quote by Nijay Williams in the article says, “My mom stopped school in the ninth grade; my dad stopped in the fourth grade … It makes it harder for me, [and] most of the people I graduated with are not in college, but that’s what I see myself doing; I want to go to college.

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The sociological imagination refers to Mills notion on how social forces can influence an individual. He refers to it as an ability to see situations in a broader social spectrum and see how interactions can influence an individual and situations. It is important in terms of studying society because it is a way to help us see things not how they appear to be on a surface elements but through an alternative perspective. The differences between micro and macrosociology is that micro sociology studies people at an interpersonal way, such as face to face interactions while macro sociology studies people on a much larger scale by looking at the bigger picture. A societal issue that can be studied using both perspectives would be divorce.

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The sociological imagination allows a person to tell apart their personal problems from problems that affect society as a whole, however they can see how the two are connected. In doing this a person can discover that the current social structure and culture that surrounds them can be the root cause of their personal problems. One example is that an individual can see their personal problem of being poor as also the outcome of lack of resources in their community for obtaining higher education. Rather than seeing their problem as only something that affects him, he can see that various elements of his culture and the social structure surrounding him play into his

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In Sociology, “Sociological imagination is a person’s ability to connect his personal experiences to the society at large and to a greater extent, to historical forces. Sociological imagination allows a person to question customs or habits that seem natural to him. It is a person’s ability to think away from the familiar routines people take in everyday life.” (“What is The Sociological Imagination, 2016). In other words, the sociological imagination focuses on the idea of someone understanding on who what why and how certain things shape the way a person lives or interacts with people.

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Marx, through his communist manifesto, believed that “modern industry has converted the little workshop of the patriarchal master into the great factory of the industrial capitalist”, taking society from one epoch of social stratification and forced labour to Capitalism, under which the inequality between the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat grew and became more evident. On the other hand, Durkheim saw industrialisation as a mainly positive occurrence which, along with the division of labour, provided the necessary institutions are in place to maintain it, as it causes society to change and develop and thus “civilization develops because it cannot fail to develop” (Durkheim: 1933: 337). Yet despite differences in their views of the effect, both Marx and Durkheim used the process of industrialisation to explain how society progresses and how society is held together or broken, with Durkheim, in particular, looking at just how much the structure of society changes as the division of labour progresses (Morrison:

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The Sociological Imagination Sociological imagination is a "quality of mind" that allows one to grasp "history and biography and the relations between the two within society.” (Elwell). Sociological imagination is understanding your situation while taking into consideration the broader society. It allows us to see our own society-, and the people within it- from an alternative perspective that of our own personal experiences and cultural biases. It therefore links society and the individual.

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The Creation of Society Through the Lens of Durkheim and Rousseau There are various theories across the spectrum of the social sciences that address the birth of society. The focus of this essay will be on two French sociologists, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Émile Durkheim who share different ideas of how the creation of society came about. Durkheim was a functionalist who has very fundamental views on the formation of society. Durkheim theorizes that society is natural and happens through shared experiences. He believes that society makes the individual “whole” by providing them with knowledge.

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Emile Durkheim thought that society was multifaceted system of consistent and co-dependent parts that work together to maintain stability. One important thing that Durkheim believed held society together was social facts. He thought that social facts consisted of feeling, acting, and thinking externally from the person and coercive power over that person. These things could include social institutions, rules, values, and norms. They have control over an individual’s life.

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Holly Kinsella 13528163 Q.2 Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim developed very different sociological theories of how society evolves over time. Marx brought around the conflict theory and became the head of the sociological discipline of Marxism. Durkheim was a French Functionalist, meaning he looked at society in a scientific way. Although Marx and Durkheim had different ways of thinking about society, both have contributed significantly to the way we study sociology today. Karl Marx was a German philosopher who became the head of the sociological discipline of Marxism.

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The Sociological Imagination The sociological imagination is a concept that was first described by the American sociologist, C. Wright Mills, in 1959. His publication of the sociological imagination is considered a seminal piece, and is still considered relevant to society today. Through reference to the publications of C. Wright Mills, A. Giddens, M. Draper, and P. Christie, this essay will explore the sociological imagination critically and apply the various aspects of the sociological imagination to education in South Africa. This essay will also critically examine the challenge of increased suicide rates in schools in South Africa, illustrating this challenge as a ‘public issue’ and a ‘personal trouble’.

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Durkheim was the first functionalist and he believed in social order, which means that society has shared expectations and everybody performs their role in society. This can also be known as capitalism and communism. Durkheim believed that society needs solidarity to function. A society will only operate if the necessary roles are filled and performed efficiently. Generally, without social solidarity community life and teamwork would be impossible as individuals will chase their own selfish desires (Markedbyteacher, 2014).

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Sociological Imagination The sociological imagination is the ability to look beyond one’s own everyday life as a cause for daily successes and failures and see the entire society in which one lives as potential cause for these things. Many individuals experience one or more social problems personally. For example, many people are poor and unemployed, many are in poor health, and many have family problems. When we hear about these individuals, it is easy to think that their problems are theirs alone, and that they and other individuals with the same problems are entirely to blame for their difficulties. Sociology imagination takes a different approach, as it stresses that individual problems are often rooted in problems stemming from aspects

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Emile Durkheim developed a theory called functionalism, which explained how the individual and society were related and how society changed over time. According to functionalism, society is a system of interconnected parts that work together in harmony to maintain a state of balance and social equilibrium for the whole. Durkheim believed that society should be analyzed and described in terms of functions. Society is a system of interrelated parts where no one part can function without the other. These parts make up the entirety of society and therefore, if one part changes, society is impacted.

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