Marxism Theory Issues - Essay Example

The strength of the Marxist theory is that it justifies the link between the present economic, political, and legal setup. It also clearly exhibits the domination of a few individuals in society. However, it fails to recognize that the conflict between laborers and capitalists can lead to disorganization in society and this will create chaos and anarchy.

The term hidden structure refers to the authority structure of schooling.

The basic criticism against functionalism is that there is no place for change in society and it views it as static. This is not true in the real world where changes are occurring rapidly. Similarly, it does not attempt to explain the causes of certain effects in society and hence it is of little use where cause identification is necessary. The strength of this theory is that it focuses on unity and it is indeed very necessary for the proper functioning of society. It also talks about cohesion which is fundamental to any society.

The whole society works together in cohesion for the proper functioning or working of the society with each element playing its designated role.

They view education as a crucial part of the socialization process. It reinforces cultural norms, mores, and traditions and prepares children for adult roles that they have to occupy in the future.

Symbolic Interactionism is a theory of social interaction based on pragmatism and micro-scale social interaction in urban and social psychology.

Symbols are important in reinforcing cultural norms, mores, and traditions. They also instill national spirit among people such as national symbols in flags etc. They also reinforce cultural values.

According to this theory, people attach meaning to symbols and then they act according to their interpretation of these symbols and this also guides them in the functioning of society.

The strengths of this theory are that it explains that functioning of the society is a two-way process and is based on social interaction. Since it is based on social interaction, society works in cohesion and unity. The weakness of this theory is that it ignores macro-level issues focusing only on small things. It also believes that institution exerts pressure on individual interaction.

A theory that states that certain characteristics are attributed or labeled as positive or negative to acts, people, or traditions, by people in authority in the society. If education is labeled as something positive then people will try to acquire education so that they are not viewed as deviant. This will result in better jobs and living standards for a person and society will be better off. Read More