Structural Functionalism

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Structural Functionalism

• January 19, 2007

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• Society is
• An organism, a system of parts, all of which
  serve a function together for the overall
  effectiveness and efficiency of society.

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Key Theorists

• Talcott Parsons
• Robert Merton
• Herbert Gans

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Key Terms

• The AGIL Model (Parson)
• Adaptation - the problem of acquiring
  sufficient resources
• Goal Attainment - the problem of settling and
  implementing goals
• Integration - the problem of maintain
  solidarity or coordination among the subunits of
  the system
• Latency - the problem of creating, perserving,
  and transmitting the system's distinctive culture
  and values

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Typology

• Adapation -- Organizations oriented to economic
  production -- Business firmsGoal Attanment --
  Org's oriented to political goals -- Government
  agencies, banksIntegration -- Integrative
  Organizations -- Courts, political parties,
  social-control agenciesLatency -- Pattern
  -maintainence organization -- museums,
  educational org's, religious org's.

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Goal Attainment

• Four kinds of decisionsPolicy Decisions --
  deciding what goals to pursue and how they will
  be attained (Gg subsector)Allocative Decisions
  -- allocation of resources and responsibilities
  among personnel (Ga subsector)Coordinative
  Decisions -- how personnel will be motivated and
  contributions coordinated (Gi subsector)Supporti
  ng Values -- values that serve to legitimate and
  authorize decision-making rights in system (Gl
  subsector).

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Levels of organizational structure

• Highest Level - institutional system, whose
  function is to relate the organization to the
  larger society.
• Middle Level - managerial system, who mediates
  between the organization and the task environment
  and administer the internal affairs
• Low Level - technical system, where the actual
  product is manufactured (workers, teachers in
  classrooms, scientists in labs, etc.).

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Parsons Key Concepts

• Social action is structured through three
  systems
• the social system
• the personality system of individuals
• the cultural system
• These three systems interact and become
  integrated in order to maintain equilibrium. In
  other words, personality systems (through
  socialization or social control) adapt to norms
  of the social system and the cultural system.
• Structural stability of a social system depends
  on value consensus or shared values among its
  members.
• A social system maintains equilibrium by
  performing the four functions of the AGIL Model.

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Equilibrium

• The assumption here is that any human system will
  resist change

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Mertons Paradigm

• There is often a discrepancy between the cultural
  goals in a society that define success, and the
  means available to individuals to achieve those
  goals.
• People adapt to society in five different ways
  (one is conforming and four are deviant) based on
  the match or mismatch between societys goals and
  their means of achieving those goals.

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Modes of adaptation

• conformity,
• innovation,
• ritualism,
• retreatism
• and rebellion

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• The manifest (intended) functions of society may
  lead to latent (unintended) functions or
  consequences such as deviant modes of adaptation.

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Gans Key Concepts

• The Positive Functions of Poverty poverty
  serves numerous economic, social, political and
  cultural functions for society.
• If we really want to do away with poverty, we
  have to find alternatives to the functions that
  the poor now perform.