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P1 Explain The Principal Sociological Perspectives

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P1 Explain The Principal Sociological Perspectives
Amy Davidson, Thursday 18th September 2014
Unit 7: Sociological Perspectives for Health and Social Care
P1 Explain the principal sociological perspectives
Sociological perspectives are used to understand and describe the way societies function and the different behaviours of individuals within these societies. These perspectives can be used to explain the organisation of different areas of society, including social stratification, social mobility, social diversity, socialisation, and social institutions as well as the way each element fits into society. In this assignment I will be focusing on explaining each of the main sociological perspectives in society. The perspectives that I will be focusing on in this assignment are: Functionalism, Marxism, Marxism, Feminism, the New Right, Collectivism, and Postmodernism.
Functionalism:
Functionalism is the sociological perspective that focuses on the institutions, e.g. the legal justice system and the healthcare system, as working in harmony with one another, making specific and clear contributions to the smooth running of society.
Functionalism uses methods of social control to deal with deviant members and groups in society, making sure they don’t disrupt the smooth running of society. An example of social control is the prison system which aims to exclude deviants in order to rehabilitate them.
Talcott Parson, who played a large role in developing functionalism, saw society as a system made up of interrelating social institutions which all work towards its smooth running and continuation. He believed that the main role of each institution was to socialise individuals and ensure they were aware of and understood the values of their society and how to behave in a way that conformed to social norms and values. This ensured that there was order in society and that each person had a role to play.
Functionalism also focuses on the functions of the family and how having a stable and functional family contributes to the


References: • Health and Social Care Level 3: Book 1 BTEC National, Series Editors Beryl Stretch and Mary Whitehouse.
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