Conflict Theory and Functionalism - Essay Example

Conflict Theory and Functionalism Name: Institution: Conflict Theory and Functionalism Social change is a concept that all types of sociological theorist try to define and analyze. Nonetheless, in reference to functionalist and conflict models of social change, it is evident that the theorists are in agreement with what causes change in the society. Conflict theorist perceives social change as being caused by infighting between the society social classes. Even though it is evident that most revolutions have been caused by the wake of group/class conflict, the functionalist theorists have a different view. Functionalists apply more tactical factors in their argument and include elements such as technological advances and population growth as the charge for societal change. According to functionalists, population growth, which is more of inherent impetus or natural, causes technical advances an aspect that in turn expands awareness and understanding of the surrounding environment thus contributes to gradual societal change. There are three major theories of sociology symbolic interactionism, conflict theory and functionalism. This will essay will focus on two of the aforementioned theories. These are conflict and functionalism theory (Plummer, 2010, p. 78). Functionalism is people’s way to perceive the world sociologically. The theory has three key points, which make up the functionalist theory to be viewed on sociological expression. The first one is that culture is comprised of interacting and independent parts. Independent and interacting both has a role in maintaining the society as a whole system. The second part states that the shared expectations and values among society members assist in holding the society together. The third point highlights that the established system require stability and the importance of ensuring that all parts work together in a kind of a system. In this system, social change is not common. However, when it does take place, the change is gradual (Plummer, 2010, p. 91). However, conflict theory is mainly centered on struggle or tension that is evident in daily life and there are many parts, which form the view of conflict theorists on the sociological perspective. The first one is that society mainly promotes general differences not only in power and prestige but also in wealth. Prestige, power and wealth are some qualities that everyone desire. According to Turner, Beeghley & Powers (2007, p.129), some segments of the society are likely to benefit from social arrangement that make the less privileged groups to be disadvantaged. The central concern of the conflict theory is in the group that has the power. The second part of the theory argues that distinct parts of the of the social system i.e as a whole are intertwined. This is not because of the shared social value system but because of the fact that one group is powerful/dominant over the other. The dominance occurs when the group, which is regarded as dominant, takes control over the available resources. The third assumption of the conflict theory is that society does not have needs but groups and individuals do have needs. However, because groups can access prestige, wealth and power, it is possible to define and regard their needs as system needs. The fourth part of the conflict theory asks the question, who is the beneficiary of the existing social arrangement? On any societal issue, there are individual who benefit and there are the disadvantaged. The resulting conflict makes the stronger part to be advantaged. The fifth part of the conflict theorist argues that it leads to competition, hostility, competition, disagreement, and tension over values, and violence in the society. However, the issues are always not negative but they can act as an adhesive to assist in joining groups together in pursuing a positive goal (Turner, Beeghley & Powers, 2007, p.129). The sixth part of the conflict theory holds the assumption that in order to understand the society, it is important to discover the person who holds the power and the ability to make use of it. According to conflict theorists, it is possible for the major characters to cause defined conflicts. These include the following groups; that in authority vs. those in not, the old vs. the young, racial and ethnic groups and goods producers vs. consumers. The mentioned conflicts are based on organizations of similar concerns and interests. Nonetheless, functionalist theory holds the view that social stratification is based on their views that make the theorists to promote their standpoints. The theory states that function is a consequence that adds to the system stability. Therefore, a dysfunction is a consequence that removes stability from social stratification system and hence contributes to social change. However, there are particular institution that among them includes political system, sports, economy, military, religion and family among others that assist society structure. Therefore, the mentioned institutions working in harmony and in order will improve the social stratification stability. The functionalist theory argues that the institutions despite being independent of each other, have shared value system that not only guide them but also assist them to hold the society together. In order to find out what function every institution plays in the social stratification system, it is important to know the consequences of every institutions contribution towards social stratification of the society wholly. Additionally, the conflict theorists also have their viewpoints on social stratification. This can be gauged by who benefits from the existing social arrangements. However, it is important for one to have authority in order to discover the benefits. In the today’s society, power elites include Protestants, White and Anglo-Saxon. The mentioned power elites not only control the wealth but also impose their will on the individual who lack control on the wealth/resources. The mentioned class of social stratification system can be drawn from the days of John D Rockeffeler and Andrew Carnegie who were owners of big businesses and hence controlled the lives of their workers. This makes the power elite to be in power whenever they want to be. Additionally, the business leaders have the authority to set the wages of the workers. The mentioned social stratification will result into the predetermined conflict. The conflicts can entail social institutions. Such conflicts can include racial conflicts between whites and minorities and owners vs. labor unions. It can be argued that there is no means of controlling the mentioned. This is because they are bound to happen (Turner, Beeghley & Powers, 2007, p.128). The base of the above arguments is that the perspectives of the two theorists are flawed. Functionalism is more conservative and does not critically explain the changes that occur in the society. On the other hand, the conflict theory fails to explain the stable and orderly society parts. The two theories clearly show how they influence society. The functionalist perceives society as composed of distinct parts working together. On the other hand, conflict theory view society as different interests and groups competing for resources and power. The conflict theory further explains numerous aspects of our social world. This is realized by it looking at the groups that have power and how particular social arrangement not benefits them. For example drawing from the feminist theory, people live in a patriarchal society, a society whereby men control social arrangement. Even though, there are numerous social theory varieties, it can be argued that feminism demands that existing political, social and economic structures need to be changed (Turner, Beeghley & Powers, 2007, p.127). The origin of conflict theory can be traced to Karl Marx classical works. According to Karl Marx, every society goes through various stages of economic development. Societies have changed from being agriculturalists to industrialists. Additionally, people’s concerns have shifted from survival to making profits and growing wealth. Industrialization has contributed to emergence of two classes of people the bourgeoisie who are the owners of production means and the proletariat who are the works in the businesses, farms and factories and are paid wages. The societal division into two broad categories, the haves and the have nots mostly benefits the production owners. On the other hand, the workers earn subsistence wages and are denied access to resources, which are available to the rich. According to Karl Marx, the bourgeoisie use their powers and therefore, have control over society institutions, which they use them to their advantage. For example, according to Marx, religion functions as opiate of the masses. This is because it soothes suffering and distress that is associated with the working class lifestyle. Additionally, religion emphasizes workers attention on god, life after death and spirituality rather than worldly materials. In real sense, it is evident that religion as a societal institution diverts the attention of the workers and hence they concentrate on being rewarded in the heaven for being morally upright and not questioning their exploitation (Turner, Beeghley & Powers, 2007, p.125). Consequently, functional theory and its relation to the social change is mainly drawn from the works of Emile Durkeim, Robert Merton, Hebert Spencer and Talcott Parsons. According to functionalism theory, society is made up of a system of interconnected parts that function in harmony in order to maintain social equilibrium or state of balance for the society as a whole. For example, every social institution contributes towards significant functions in the society. Family offers a context not only for reproducing but also for nurturing and socializing children. Education on the other hand, provides a means to transmit society’s culture, knowledge and skills to its youth. However, politics offers the means of governing the society members while economics ensures that there is not only production and distribution but also consumption of both goods and services. Religion too has a role; it provides moral guidance to the society members in addition to being an outlet for worshipping the higher power (Turner, Beeghley & Powers, 2007, p.124). Functionalism also makes use of the terms dysfunctional and functional in order to describe the effects of social elements that occur in the society. It is important to note that societal elements are only functional if they positively contribute to social stability. However, they are regarded as dysfunctional if they interfere with society elements and in one way or the other disrupt existing social stability and contribute to social change. Nonetheless, societal aspects can be both functional as well as dysfunctional. For example, a crime is dysfunctional for the society. This is because it is associated with property loss, fear and physical violence among other negative social changes. However, Durkheim and other theorists argue that crime can be functional to the society. This is because it leads to awareness of increased social cohesion and shared moral bonds among members of the society. Sociologists have grouped the functions into two: latent and manifest. Manifest functions are the consequences that are not only intended but also commonly recognized. On the other hand, latent functions are consequences that are hidden and unintended. For instance, the manifest function of institution such as education is to transit skills and knowledge to the youths. However, public elementary schools also function as for working class parents. Additionally, colleges also function as a place for young adults to meet their potential partners. It is important to note that the baby-sitting as well as mate selection functions are not commonly recognized or intended functions of education therefore they are latent functions. Furthermore, from the arguments, it is evident that the conflict and functionalist theorists agree in one area, which is the existence of class inequalities. Similarly, functionalists and conflict theorists depend on individuals who are not as well as others to drive social change. Furthermore, from the functionalists’ perspective equilibrium, it is evident that people struggle for a better life and they may react out of revolt or in responding to the perception of the societal segment. Nonetheless, conflict theorists in response to the aforementioned claims that any social change that takes place because of outright provocation like in the capitalists societies do not last. Consequently, when lower social have the feeling that they are exploited or unjustly treated by the society’s powerful and elite, a social uprising is likely to occur. This is likely to result a society that is modified because of the actions of the people. Therefore, it is further presumed that subsequent social change is likely to cause further changes in the society. An example of the mentioned situation will emerge from labor unions that fights for better wages and working conditions for their members at times results into violent that in some cases cause uprising against their companies. Even though the organization and the labor union reach an agreement, it is not usually the last conflict between the two parties. This is because as time changes, the union will fight further for better wages and working conditions. Consequently, functionalists point out that nation such as India, being a society is improving. This is because of the increasing positive attitude towards birth control methods. This is attributed to increased awareness on dangers of overpopulation. This had slowed down birth rate in India. Low birth rates in India has in turn improved the economic conditions of the Indian families, mostly of which have two or three children only as composed to 30 or 40 years ago whereby each family had five or more children. Consequently, the families that have remained poor in most cases have continued to have more than two children. However, they have started to appreciate the importance of few children in easing the financial burden and improve the family wealth. Individuals that have adapted family planning as well as birth control methods have positively increased their wealth and are slowly advancing out of poverty. Furthermore, increased awareness and a higher percentage of Indian population receiving education coupled with lower birth rate has assisted in stabilizing the nation’s economic standing thus making it one of the key players in the global market (Jones, 2003, 92). According to the conflict theory, conflict contributes to social change in regard to crime whereby the rich continue being rich while the poor are imprisoned. Conflict theorists argue that both crimes as well as the existing laws defining crime are because of struggle for power. This is because a few powerful groups control the legislative process and they are likely to outlaw any kind of behavior that threatens their interests. For instance, laws prohibiting theft, trespassing and vagrancy are mainly designed to protect the wealthy from being attacked by the poor. Even though laws against things such as rape and murder are not majorly for the interest of one social class, the powerless and the poor are much likely to be persecuted if they commit such crimes. Furthermore, the conflict theorists perceive ethnic and class exploitation as a major cause of different types of crime in the society. High percentage of crime rate among the poor is mainly caused by lack of legitimate opportunities for changing their economic condition. Furthermore, the theorists point out that classism and racism in the criminal justice system are some of the contributing factors of crime. Therefore, crime can only reduce if exploitation and inequality in that system and in the society are eliminated in order to contribute to positive social change (Jones, 2003, p. 93). In conclusion, a struggle for dominance among the competing social groups such as religions, classes, races and genders are some of the contributing factors to social change. The functionalists’ theory also believes that social change is caused by distinct factors. References Jones, P 2003, Introducing social theory, Cambridge, Polity Press. Plummer, K. 2010, Sociology: the basics, Taylor & Francis e-library. Turner, JH, Beeghley, L & Powers, CH 2007, The emergence of sociological theory, Australia, Thomson Wadsworth. Read More

The fourth part of the conflict theory asks the question, who is the beneficiary of the existing social arrangement? On any societal issue, there are individual who benefit and there are the disadvantaged. The resulting conflict makes the stronger part to be advantaged. The fifth part of the conflict theorist argues that it leads to competition, hostility, competition, disagreement, and tension over values, and violence in the society. However, the issues are always not negative but they can act as an adhesive to assist in joining groups together in pursuing a positive goal (Turner, Beeghley & Powers, 2007, p.129). The sixth part of the conflict theory holds the assumption that in order to understand the society, it is important to discover the person who holds the power and the ability to make use of it.

According to conflict theorists, it is possible for the major characters to cause defined conflicts. These include the following groups; that in authority vs. those in not, the old vs. the young, racial and ethnic groups and goods producers vs. consumers. The mentioned conflicts are based on organizations of similar concerns and interests. Nonetheless, functionalist theory holds the view that social stratification is based on their views that make the theorists to promote their standpoints. The theory states that function is a consequence that adds to the system stability.

Therefore, a dysfunction is a consequence that removes stability from social stratification system and hence contributes to social change. However, there are particular institution that among them includes political system, sports, economy, military, religion and family among others that assist society structure. Therefore, the mentioned institutions working in harmony and in order will improve the social stratification stability. The functionalist theory argues that the institutions despite being independent of each other, have shared value system that not only guide them but also assist them to hold the society together.

In order to find out what function every institution plays in the social stratification system, it is important to know the consequences of every institutions contribution towards social stratification of the society wholly. Additionally, the conflict theorists also have their viewpoints on social stratification. This can be gauged by who benefits from the existing social arrangements. However, it is important for one to have authority in order to discover the benefits. In the today’s society, power elites include Protestants, White and Anglo-Saxon.

The mentioned power elites not only control the wealth but also impose their will on the individual who lack control on the wealth/resources. The mentioned class of social stratification system can be drawn from the days of John D Rockeffeler and Andrew Carnegie who were owners of big businesses and hence controlled the lives of their workers. This makes the power elite to be in power whenever they want to be. Additionally, the business leaders have the authority to set the wages of the workers.

The mentioned social stratification will result into the predetermined conflict. The conflicts can entail social institutions. Such conflicts can include racial conflicts between whites and minorities and owners vs. labor unions. It can be argued that there is no means of controlling the mentioned. This is because they are bound to happen (Turner, Beeghley & Powers, 2007, p.128). The base of the above arguments is that the perspectives of the two theorists are flawed. Functionalism is more conservative and does not critically explain the changes that occur in the society.

On the other hand, the conflict theory fails to explain the stable and orderly society parts. The two theories clearly show how they influence society. The functionalist perceives society as composed of distinct parts working together. On the other hand, conflict theory view society as different interests and groups competing for resources and power.

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