Functionalist Theories of Society

During WWII individuals became functionally integrated into American society in a way that had never occurred before. The dire need for production created jobs and society became centered on doing whatever it took to win the war. This period in history reflected the principles of functionalist theory, which believed that each part of society served a place and contributed to the stability of society as a whole. The post WWII generation was predisposed to resonate with the theories of Robert K Merton, a sociologist who emphasized middle range theory, criticized grand theorists in sociology, and exemplified functionalist theory.
The “organic” metaphor in functionalist theory looked at society as a giant organism that could be understood through the use of one unified science. This appealed to social scientists because it united social science with other prestigious sciences such as biology. At the time Western civilization was beginning to explore societies with pre-modern cultures. Rather than compare and contrast these newly encountered cultures with Western culture the functionalist approach provided a new perspective. It allowed social scientists to analyze the functions of these cultures and try to understand how each part contributed to society. Merton believed that middle range theory was the driving force for creating a tower of truth in sociology. Middle range theory connected the micro face-to-face level to a broader macro level of institutions and allowed scientific analysis. Merton viewed middle range theory as the path to creating a scientific sociology through the use of theory to formulate hypotheses. Like empirical research, middle range theory was also driven by theory and Merton believed that it could one day lead to a generalized united theory.
Merton heavily criticized the work of Radcliffe-Brown and Malinowski, anthropologists that he believed to be grand theorists. Merton saw inconsistencies with their three postulates and overall