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Criticisms of Functionalism

Functionalism is less popular today than in the 1950s due to its inability to explain diversity and conflict. Criticisms of functionalism include that it overemphasizes consensus and order while failing to explain social conflicts, it ignores individual freedom of choice and presents an oversocialized view of humans, and its view of socialization as always successful cannot explain real social problems like delinquency and drug use. Finally, functionalism is accused of ignoring unequal power distributions in society.

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3K views2 pages

Criticisms of Functionalism

Functionalism is less popular today than in the 1950s due to its inability to explain diversity and conflict. Criticisms of functionalism include that it overemphasizes consensus and order while failing to explain social conflicts, it ignores individual freedom of choice and presents an oversocialized view of humans, and its view of socialization as always successful cannot explain real social problems like delinquency and drug use. Finally, functionalism is accused of ignoring unequal power distributions in society.

Uploaded by

Amber47
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Criticisms Of Funtionalism

Functionalism is far less popular in sociology today than it


was in the 1950's. Part of its decline in popularity is probably
linked to the problems it had attempting to explain all the
diersity and con!ict that existed from the 19"0s onwards.
#riticism of functionalism had been widespread.
Functionalism has been criticised for oer$emphasising
consensus and order% and failing to explain the social
con!icts that characterise the modern world. &e see
ery clear di'erences in behaiour all around us
eeryday% and there may be clear cultural di'erences
present in the same society. (ome Functionalists hae
attempted to explain this by reference to subculture.
)his can be de*ned as a way of life subscribed to by a
signi*cant minority who may share some general
alues and norms with large culture% but who may be in
opposition to others.
Functionalism has also been accused of ignoring the
freedom of choice en+oyed by indiiduals. People
choose what to do $ they do what makes sense to them.
)heir behaiour and ideas are not imposed on them by
structural factors beyond their control. ,n this sense%
functionalism may present 'an oer$socialised' picture
of human beings.
)here may also be problems in the way functionalists
iew socialisation as a postie process that neer fails.
,f this were the case then delin-uency% child abuse and
illegal drug taking would not be the social problems
they are.
Finally% functionalism has been accused by .arxists of
ignoring the fact that power is not e-ually distributed in
society. (ome groups hae more wealth and power than
others and may be able to impose thier norms and
alues on less powerful groups. )he nest few topics
focus on this process.

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