society as a whole. Positivists stress greater importance on society rather than solely focussing on the individual within as society influences individual human behaviour. This has resulted in a variation of different social structures e.g. family‚ education system and religion. Positivists believe the collection of data should be collected objectively and categorised. Data should be expressed in numerical form‚ e.g. percentages‚ statistics‚ questionnaires etc. This means that it can be quantified
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Asses the functionalist view that religion benefits both society as a whole and its individual members. 33marks The functionalist view of religion stems from Durkheim who said that society is like the human body. He argued that that religion reinforces collective conscience that leads to a unity within society as a whole and that each member of the society is joined in solidarity‚ therefore it acts as glue. It does so by reinforcing social norms and values that bring the community together. It
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Assess the Marxist view that the function of the education system is to pass on ideology and reproduce the existing class structure. Claire Jones Education is a vital system in most societies‚ and is compulsory for all children up to the age of 16 in Britain. There are many different ideas as to why education is so important and the functions it fulfills within society‚ some more positive than others. Although some people say that education is only intended to teach the individual enough
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that it provides the same benefits which are security‚socialisation and companisionship. This essay will highlight the different types of family in our society observe the different sociological perspectives of the family by Functionalist‚ Marxist and Feminists. Functionalist writer Durkheim believe that society is like the human body‚as each part has a specific function which contributes to the running and social order of society. Thus it is a value consensus theory as individuals have little control
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perspective on the family. In this essay the functionalist’s perspective will be examined on their viewpoint of the family. Also Marxists‚ feminists and new rights perspective will be taken into consideration. The overall functionalist theory on the family is that it performs positive functions for individuals and society. One of the most influential functionalists was Talcott parson whose understanding of the family was that it provides the primary socialisation of children‚ which means to teach
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A functionalist view of stratification views stratification as necessary for a society to function efficiently which enables it to reach its full potential economically and socially. Functionalists view society as a set of interconnected parts which work together to form a whole. (Haralambos et al 1996) Institutions are part of the social system they are a prime contributor to the maintenance of a society. The functionalist view has been criticised‚ this essay seeks to explore some of these criticisms
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outside the family. It seems to me that I would be more of a functionalist rather than a conflict theorist. In modern societies the boundaries between the functionalist theory and the conflict theory are less clearly defined than in the times of Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim. However the main class groups such as landowners and the working class can still be identified in most societies. It seems to me that I would be more of a functionalist rather than a conflict theorist. As our textbook says‚ "Functional
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Q: Compare and Contrast Marxist and Weberian Theories of Stratification. The purpose of this essay is to compare‚ contrast and critically evaluate Marxist and Weberian theories of stratification. To do this effectively this essay must explain and consider the main features‚ claims and perspectives of both Karl Marx and Max Weber. O’Donnell (1992) defines social stratification as “the division of a society or group into hierarchically ordered layers. Members of each layer are considered broadly equal
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interact and live together. This essay will compare and contrast the Functionalist and Marxist views of the role of the family in the social structure. Functionalist theories operate on the basis of consensus; they believe the family plays a vital role in maintaining the social structure as well meeting the needs of various systems in the society. They see it performing beneficial functions both for wider society and for all its individual members. Functionalists assume the family is harmonious and ignore
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Marxists Views on the Family There are three Marxists views of the family‚ Karl Marx‚ Friedrich Engels and Eli Zaretsky; they all see all institutions such as education‚ the media and the family as maintaining class inequality and capitalism. Marxism is a as conflict perspective as it describes a form of inequality where groups could potentially competes for power. Modern Marxist agrees that: * Families socialise children to be obedient and hardworking‚ which benefits capitalists; * Wealth
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