Sociological Theories: Functionalism, Conflict Theory, and Interactionism - Coursework Example

Sociological theories Functionalism Functionalism articulates and interprets each part of the society in regard to how each of them contributes to the wellbeing of the society (Isajiw, 2013). Each part is structured in manner that it fulfills the needs of other parts. In fact, functionalists argue that all parts of the society depend on each of them. In the context of the family and an institution or part of the society, functionalists believe that this among the most indispensable parts of the society and which must be supported in order to positively support other parts of the society (Brym & Lie, 2010). In a broader spectrum, functionalists have not only focused on the contribution of the family to the society alone. They have also focused on its members as well. Therefore, the focus is on how the family and its members contribute to the building of the society. Some of the functionalists that have focused on the family as a unit of the society include, George Murdock and Talcott Parsons. For instance, in his study Murdock (1949) concluded that family has got four basic functions; sexual, reproductive, economic, and educational (Isajiw, 2013). The sexual function is viewed as the regulation of sexual activity. The functionalist argued that husband and wives have sexual access to each other. However, there are different norms in regard to sexual activity and which stipulate on the regulation of sex. In this regard, family has the responsibility of taking care of the sexual needs to the members of the society. In another dimension, through different norms of sex in different parts of the society, the family is well regulated on how sex should be conducted. Therefore, these norms regulate the members of the family in order to avoid conflicts especially when this can lead to sex outside marriage. In light of this, family positively contributes in bringing sanity in the society. Reproductive function involves bearing and rearing of the children. In order for the society to grow, people have to be productive in order to have many people that can contribute in building the society. In regard to economic function of the family, with the issue of division of labor, functionalists argue that members of the family and particularly the husband and wife participate in building their families by working. Through sharing of responsibilities, their bond is strengthened thus a happy family. Educational function involves family helping the society to transform its way of life by instituting norms and values to their children. This helps in bringing order in the society. Conflict theory Derived from the works of Karl Marx, conflict theory asserts that social order can only be achieved through power (Turner, 2001). Marx believed that the society is fragmented into sets of people that compete for social and economic resources. In addition, conflict theory believes that social order can only be realized by domination especially by people in power and with the greatest, political, economical and social resources. Conflict theory denotes that the existence of inequality is as a result of people in control of disproportionate share in the society is always in defense of their status (Turner, 2001). In regard to the application of the theory to the family, it is apparent that in most cases, men dominate the family and consider themselves the legitimate owners and controllers of the family. Consequently, the women and children are considered subordinate to men and must, therefore, abide by the rules to have a stable family unit. However, in some instances, especially in the contemporary world, women have been pushing for recognition and the respect of the role they play in the family. Consequences of application of conflict theory in the family units bring about oppression and domination of the women by men. Therefore, women often find it critical to try to reverse the situation. However, the conflict theory has in another dimension been viewed as a solution to conflict that exists in families. This is because when all members of the family share the same social and economical resources and powers, then there would be no one to control the other and that is why men have to defend their domination positions in the family. In light of this, social order is viewed as a concept that can only be achieved in a society with different economic and social status of its members. Interactionism This theory focuses on the issues revolving around what transpires among persons in their everyday life (Andersen & Taylor, 2008). In particular, the theory studies how people interpret symbols not only in regard to their communicative purpose, but to create sense of self deducted from impressions expressed. Through these interactions social life is considered as having complex interactions which shape the life (Andersen & Taylor, 2008). In regard to application of interactive perspective to a family as a unit of the society, members of the family have numerous interactions that shape the family. When children are unhappy, some cry, others keep quiet while others do different things to express their anger. The parents get to understand them slowly until a certain culture is created through which both the parents and the children understand each other. Conversely, parents also have different ways of expressing themselves when communicating different things to children. For instance, when a child asks the parent to give money to buy a certain thing, the parent may just node the head to indicate that he is not ready to do that. In another dimension, apart from the parent wanting to me that he is not ready to buy, sometimes such decisions are as a result of the anger the parent have towards the child because he probably did something wrong. Additionally, the parent may express his happiness to the children by buying them gifts as a way of congratulating them. On the other hand, husband and wife have much to learn from each other for efficient coexistence. This is because husband and wife come from different backgrounds and need to understand each other in order to survive in the marriage for the rest of their lives. For instance, the wife has to induce some gestures when communicating to the husband in order to insinuate something. In turn, the husband has to learn quickly on what the wife intended to say and would also in some instances he would use symbols to reply to the wife. When every member of the family understands each other, a certain culture is created and the members are in a better position to live as per the expectation of other members of the family. Similarities of the theories It is evident that all the above theories articulate on the coexistence of the members of the society and in this particular case, the family. The theories indicate that for the members of the family to coexist, there must be a dominant member (Levinson, et al., 2002). Various ways through which they can coexist are clearly outlined. For instance, in regard to functionalism theory, all members of the family have to contribute in the building of the family in different ways. Parents have the responsibility of taking care of the children. They have to take them to school and feed them. In turn, the children grow to be productive members of the society. In addition, the parents are mandated to mold the behaviours of the children for them to become responsible members of the society. The husband and wife have also to offer sexual satisfaction to their partners as this is seen to be a necessity in the family. Conversely, conflict theory stipulates that there must be a group or members of the society that dominate the others in order to have a social order (Turner, 2001). The man in the family is considered dominant member who controls the affairs of the family. The women have to conform to the orders of the husband for there to be social order. However, women learn different ways of trying to overcome the challenge of being dominated. Interactionism focuses on how people or members of the family can learn from different interactions from other members of the family (Andersen & Taylor, 2008). This helps in understanding one another thus coexisting. Differences While interactionism focuses on ways members of the family can learn each other through interactions, conflict theory focuses on what brings about conflict in the family and offers a solution to the problem by asserting that domination of one member is critical for there to be social change. On the other hand, Functionalism focuses different ways through which members of the family can positively contribute to building the family and the society at large. In another dimension, all these theories differ on the ways of addressing the problem affecting the family. For instance, no theory proposes the same things as the others. The conflict theory is the only theory that focuses on leadership. It focuses on social, political and economic aspects of the society. Therefore, with such deliberations, it is apparent that above theories have different ideologies. References: Andersen, M & Taylor, F. (2008). Sociology: understanding a diverse society. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Turner, J. (2001). Handbook of sociological theory. New York: Springer. Isajiw, W. (2013). Causation and Functionalism in Sociology. New York: Routledge. Levinson, D., et al. (2002). Education and Sociology: An Encyclopedia. New York: Taylor & Francis. Brym, R. & Lie, J. (2010). Sociology: your compass for a new world, the brief edition. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Read More