STRUCTURAL

FUNCTIONALISM
A POSITIVIST APPROACH IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
 STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM

• It is a dominant approach in the social sciences that

sees society as a complex system whose parts work
together to promote solidarity and stability.
• It is a sociological theory that attempts to explain why
society functions the way it does by focusing on
relationships between various social institutions that
make up society. (Government, Judiciary, Religion)
 HISTORY OF
STRUCTURAL
FUNCTIONALISM
How did it start?
 IN THE “BENINGGING”
• Structuralism was the first school of Psychology and
focused on breaking down mental processes into the
most basic components. It can be done through the
process of Introspection. This school of Psychology is
coined by Edward Titchener.
• Functionalism formed as a reaction to structuralism
and was heavily influenced by the work of William
James and Charles Darwin. Rather than focusing on the
structures, this particular school of Psychology
focused on the purpose of consciousness and behavior.
 IN THE “BENINGGING”

• Emile Durkheim discussed the idea of this approach in

his book The Division of Labor in Society and Suicide.
Bronislaw Malinowski and A.R. Radcliffe-Brown also
made an additional idea on this approach by focusing
on the psychological and physiological functions of
cultures.
Key Concepts in Structural
Functionalism

Social Function
Social Dysfunction
Social Equilibrium
Manifest Function
Latent Function
A.G.I.L.
SOCIAL FUNCTION
This refers to results or effects for the
operation of the society in general.
CLASSIFICATION OF SOCIAL FUNCTION

MANIFEST LATENT

This refers to to intentional or This refers to

known, referring to functions unexpected effects
which people suppose to be
of institutions.
fulfilled by the institutions
SOCIAL DYSFUNCTION
This refers to NEGATIVE results or effects for
the operation of the society in general.
SOCIAL EQUILIBRIUM
When conditions of the society are modified,
the consequential changes to social structure
will maintain equilibrium, returning society to
stability.
TALCOTT PARSONS’ STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM

A
Adaptation
G Goal Attainment IIntegration L Latency
A system must cope A system must define A system must A system must furnish,
with external and achieve its regulate the maintain, and renew
interrelationship of both the motivation of
situational exigencies. primary goals individuals and the
It must adapt to its its component parts. cultural patterns that
environment and adapt create and sustain the
environment to its motivation.
needs
 PEOPLE BEHIND
STRUCTURAL
FUNCTIONALISM
Thinkers and Contributors
 BRONISLAW MALINOWSKI
Functionalism is holistic and posits that all
cultural "traits" are functionally interrelated and
form an integrated social whole. But while
structural functionalism stated (in Durkheim's
spirit) that the function of the part was to
maintain the whole, functionalism posited that all
parts of society functioned to satisfy the
individual's biological needs. Functionalism was
thus a less system-oriented theory than
structural functionalism and more oriented
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed towards the individual. It was also more open
under CC BY-SA
toward social change.
 EMILE DURKHEIM
One important contribution of Durkheim was the
struggle to make sociology accepted as a rightful
science. According to Durkheim, collective
consciousness, values, and rules are critical to a
functional society. He focused on functionalism
(society should be analyzed and described in
terms of functions), social facts (laws, morals,
values, religious beliefs, customs, fashions,
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed rituals, and all of the cultural rules that govern
under CC BY-SA
social life), and division of labor (the
establishment of specified jobs for specific
people—benefits society because it increases
the reproductive capacity of a process and the
skill set of the workers).
 A.R. RADCLIFFE-BROWN
He believed that social institutions should be studied
like scientific objects. He regarded institutions as
the key to maintaining the global social order of a
society, analogous to the organs of a body. His
studies of social functions examined how customs
aid in maintaining the overall stability of a society.
He believed that the goal of anthropology was to
carefully compare different societies and formulate
general social laws based on the conclusions of
fieldwork. His desire was to understand how
societies work, and to identify the significant
constituent parts, and the ways that these parts
function together. Rather than studying different
This Photo by Unknown Author is
licensed under CC BY-SA
cultural traits and their diffusion between cultures,
Radcliffe-Brown aimed at studying general laws of
the cultures.
STRENGTHS &
WEAKNESSES
 STRENGTHS
The existence of general agreement on the values and norms
of the society by majority.

The belief that the society is made up of integrated parts that are
bound together, and that if something is wrong with one part it will
affect the other parts.

It tends to seek stability and avoid conflict, thus supporting the

status quo and in effect, maintaining social order.
 WEAKNESSES
Conflict and independence are ignored, since it promotes
integration and consensus.

It tends to support status quo, thus, supporting the idea of

social hierarchy.

It tends to ignore inequality in terms of race, gender, and

class, which causes conflict