The three main paradigms in sociology are social conflict‚ Structural functionalism and Symbolic interactionism. These paradigms are known as a set of concepts and theories that guides our perspective on certain concepts in society. If a person applies the theory of social conflict then he/she thinks of the world as a hierarchy of inequalities .They usually sees life as a competition and focuses on the distribution of resources and power. If a person considers themselves as a functionalist then they
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The theory of functionalism and conflict theory differ in several ways. They focus on different values‚ assume different things about society and differ in their explanations of power. Functionalism is defined as ?the analysis of social and cultural phenomena in terms of the functions they perform in a sociocultural system. In functionalism society is conceived as a system of interrelated parts in which no part can be understood in isolation from the whole (Wallace‚ Wolf‚ 18).? On the other hand
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Functionalism as Non-Reductive Physicalism As a human beings we have beliefs‚ desires‚ emotions and other ‘mental states’; and our bodies seems to react to those mental states; for instance‚ if believe that Wynton Marsalis will play a show‚ I will move my body to get the tickets before they sell out. From the completeness of the physics we know that those mental states are physical; but nonetheless‚ the question remains as to how to explain those mental states in physical terms? The identity
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Symbolic Interactionism: Studies of Social Construction Hundreds of years before written word‚ theories have been made about words‚ the symbolism behind them‚ and root meanings assigned by social construction. William Shakespeare can be shown as example of this with posed questions by characters in his writings. In Romeo and Juliet‚ the character Juliet poses questions that reflect the symbolism of the name of her and her star-crossed lover Romeo. “O Romeo‚ Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo. Deny
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The key features‚ similarities and differences of Functionalism and Symbolic Interaction. Sociologists analyse social phenomena at different levels and from different perspectives. From concrete interpretations to sweeping generalizations of society and social behaviour‚ sociologists study everything from specific events‚ the micro level of analysis of small social patterns‚ to the big picture‚ the macro level of analysis of large social patterns. Sociologists today employ three primary theoretical
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Structural Functionalism Parsons divides the social system into four subsystems; community‚ fiduciary‚ polity and economy. These action systems are intended to address the functional requirements that must be met by society. Each of these subsystems are capable of evolving in order to meet the current needs of society. At its core‚ Parsons sought to address the issues of adaption (economy)‚ goal attainment (polity)‚ integration (community) and pattern maintenance (fiduciary). These concepts
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Structural Functionalism & Conflict Theory Karl Marx and Max Weber were the first conflict theorists in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Following Marx and Weber were three mid-20th century conflict theorists: Lewis Coser‚ Ralf Dahrendorf‚ and Randall Collins. Coser draws his theoretical ideas from Simmel. Like Simmel‚ Coser maintains that conflict is healthy for society. In contrast‚ Dahrendorf combines theoretical ideas from Marx and Weber. Dahrendorf sees power as the main feature in all
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Through addressing the issues of mad and Martian pain‚ Lewis effectively bridges the gap between the ideas of materialism‚ functionalism‚ and ultimately the identity theory. By first developing his identity theory and the role of materialism‚ Lewis builds a basis off which to launch his argument. Incorporating functionalism‚ Lewis fills in the gaps created by the dependence of a single theory‚ and creates an alternate theory which encompasses and address most issues at hand. However‚ despite addressing
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Functionalism is the original and still dominant discipline of thought in the social sciences. As a construct of two forms of scientific investigation: the scientific approach and viewing the individual as a part of a social organism or social whole‚ the scientific method considers society as an objectively observable and "real" entity that is suitable for methods and philosophies that guide examination and study of the physical world. The 17th century philosopher‚ Thomas Hobbes‚ believed that humans
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Assess the view that Religion inhibits social change Religion can be seen in two different ways by society. Some theories such as Functionalism and Marxism see it as a force for conservative change‚ however‚ Feminism address it as a force for social change. Some argue that religion can prevent social change in society which is done by using religion as an act for conservative force‚ so keeping the status quo the same. Religion is seen as a conservative force in Functionalism‚ where Durkheim believes
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