Assess The Contribution Of Functionalism To Our Understanding Of Society

Functionalism sees society as based on value consensus, meaning they see members of society as sharing a common culture. Culture, meaning, a set of shared norms (rules), values, beliefs, and goals. Sharing the same culture produces social solidarity, binding individuals together, telling them what to strive for and how to conduct themselves. Deviance is defined as a disobedience to social norms based on the value consensus, deviance is vital within society in order for it to be cohesive and functional within the community. Functionalists argue that in order to achieve this solidarity, society has two key mechanisms: socialisation and social control. Modern society is very complex, and especially in large cities, there are many people with many different cultures and lifestyles
There are two sides to crime and deviance that help with the functioning of society. Firstly the positive side, this helped society change and remain dynamic. Durkheim believed a certain amount of crime was necessary for any society, (shared norms and values were important). This includes guiding our actions. There are three elements of the positive aspects, including reaffirming the boundaries; this re-affirms social norms and values, for example, people are taken into prison and sent to court for things that are considered breaking the law, in some cultures and religions this is taken to extremes with the use of capital punishment, to use them as an example to other