Similarities and Differences between Structural Functionalisms, Conflict Theory and Symbolic Interactionism - Essay Example

Similarities and differences between structural functionalisms, conflict theory and symbolic interactionism “Sociology is the scientific study of human groups. It provides tools for understanding how and why our society functions, impact of social intuitions on individual lives, and the challenges of social interaction between individuals and society” (“What is sociology?”). Different parameters can influence the behaviors of society. According to Pitt, the four elements that compose the sociological tradition are social action, embeddedness, social problems, and social construction (186). Since these elements are different in different societies, it is difficult to have two similar societies even in the same country. For example, different states in America have different laws with respect to the drink age or abortion. In short, it is necessary to study deeply different parameters of a society to get proper awareness of its functioning. Structural functionalisms, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism are some of the sociological theories which try to explain the behaviors of a society through different angles. Even though these theories have many common elements, they have many differences also. Structural functionalism is a macro level sociological theory which focuses on structures and institutions in a society on a large scale. It formulates its principles by viewing the society as a whole. All the elements or parts of the society are independent as well as interrelated, according to this theory. Individuals constitute families, and families constitute societies. However, individuals have different roles in the family and society. For example, an individual could be a son/daughter, husband/wife, or brother/sister in a family. On the other hand, the same individual could be a friend, leader, or professional in the society. Obama is the husband to Michel whereas he is the leader to all Americans. In other words, Obama is an independent person; at the same time, he is interrelated to many things in the society. Structural functionalism studies these independent and interrelated elements of people in the society. Karl Marx is one of the major contributors to the conflict theory. “Marx believed that he could study history and society scientifically and discern tendencies of history and the resulting outcome of social conflicts” (“Karl Marx”). “Class, for Marx, is rooted in social relations of production, and cannot be referred in the first place to relations of distribution and consumption or their ideological reflections” (Slaughter). Marx’s conflict theory can be made clearer using the following example. Imagine the living standards of a manager and an ordinary worker working in the same company. The worker would definitely compare his standard of living with that of the manager. He may develop a feeling that irrespective of his hard work, the manager or the company is not delivering enough salary or incentives to him. Such a thought will create a sense of dissatisfaction in his/her mind, and he/she may join trade unions to fight for his/her rights. It should be noted that the objective of the organization or the manager is to derive the maximum out of the employee by giving him/her the least salary possible whereas that of the worker is to achieve maximum salary with minimum efforts. These two contrasting interests often lead towards conflicts. Like the structural functionalism theory, the conflict theory is a macro level theory. It focusses on institutions, structures and hierarchies in the society. This theory argues that society consists of different interests groups competing for limited resources. It should be noted that the community resources are limited in number, but all the groups in the society are fighting for the control of limited resources. For example, America can accommodate only one government at a time. Both Republicans and Democrats are fighting for the control of the government in every parliament elections. Both Democrats and Republicans have different political ideologies and principles, and they want to take control of the government irrespective of the ideological differences. In other words, the aim or objective of these two political parties is the same: to gain power, even though their paths are different. In short, power is one of the major elements of the conflict theory. However, structural functionalists do not stress the importance of power in their theories. Unlike the structural functionalist theory and the conflict theory, the symbolic interaction theory is a micro level sociological theory which concentrates on interactions of small groups and individuals in the society. The major objective of this theory is to study the differences in using symbols or language in the communication process. This theory assumes that the purpose of language is not only communication but also to the creation of a shared social reality. For example, Americans have a psychological attraction towards native English speakers. They are observing some common elements of similarities in the behaviors of native English speakers. For example, same-sex marriages are common in native English speaking countries such as America, Canada, and Britain, whereas it is not so common in Asian countries such as India or China. The symbolic interaction theory believes that language plays an important role in building such common traits in different societies. Another argument of the symbolic interaction theory is that social interactions play an important role in the building of social images of a person. It argues that the development of self is connected to social interactions in one way or another. For example, the current Indian Prime Minister Dr. Man Mohan Singh is one of the renowned economists in the country. Even though he is on the verge of completing ten years as the Prime Minister of India, many Indians believe that he is unfit for the Prime Minister post since he was reluctant to communicate properly with the people. He has the habit of keeping silence when controversies arise in the country. Only at the last moment, he says something about the controversy. Thus, his social image as a capable politician is poorly constructed because of his reluctance to speak out about the controversies. In short, interactionists give more emphasis to subjectivity of social life, whereas functionalists give more emphasis to objectivity of social life. Conflict theorists, on the other hand, are making use of the conflicts in society to assess the social behaviors. Stable norms and values are important for structural functionalists and conflict theorists, whereas interactionists consider the readjusting social processes as the most important thing while learning about social behaviors. Application of sociological theories to explain crime The functionalist approach to analysing deviance and the causes of crime looks at society as a whole. It explains crime and deviance by saying that the source of deviance lies in the nature of society itself rather than in psychology or biology. It should be noted that functionalists see deviance as an inevitable and necessary part of society. Some also consider deviance to have positive aspects for society. (“Criminology: Functionalist perspective on crime and deviance”) Functionalists believe that crime provides an opportunity to the public to realize good and evil. It helps a society to educate the public with respect to the needs of keeping certain norms in social life. Moreover, it helps the people to recognize the needs of a government or other controlling bodies to lead a peaceful life in the society. It should be noted that crime has the ability to provide employment to many people. For example, all the people working in the police departments may become useless if no crime occurs in a society. In short, crime has economic benefits along with social benefits, according to the views of functionalists. Conflict theorists perceive crime and deviant behaviors as the normal functions of a society. It is difficult or impossible to have an ideal society in which no crime or antisocial behaviors occur. As long as inequality exists in the society, people are tempted to commit crimes to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor. However, it is a fact that big criminals escape from punishments while small criminals get harsh punishments. For example, in the corporate world and in the political circles, corruption charges are arising all the time. However, only few of these culprits get punishment. On the other hand, a person committing crime because of poverty often gets severe punishments. The symbolic interactionist theory is focused on the meanings that people place on their own and others' behavior. For example, society has the habit of segregating the crimes committed by rich and poor people. Poor people commit crimes for survival whereas rich people commit crimes not for survival but for enhancing their living standards further. Interactionists focus on subjective aspects crime whereas functionalists and conflict theorists give more emphasis to the objective factors of crime. In other words, interactionists believe that the occurrence of crime depends on the circumstances. Imagine a situation in which a person sees his daughter is being raped or killed by a criminal. He may attack the criminal even if he is by character a peace-loving person. In this case, the circumstances force him to commit crime. To conclude, crime is a sociological phenomenon which depends on many factors. Poverty and unemployment like social problems or differences in social structure force some people to commit crimes whereas some others commit crime because of the circumstances. Different sociological theories interpret crime in different ways. Functionalist theories explain crime with respect to the functions of crime whereas conflict theories point towards the social inequalities to explain crime. Interactionists, on the other hand, believe that circumstances force a person to commit crime. Works Cited “Criminology: Functionalist Perspective on Crime and Deviance”. Social Science Webpages. Stow College, n.d. Web. 26 May 2013. “Karl Marx”. Sociology Guide. Concern Infotech Pvt. Ltd., n.d. Web. 26 May 2013. Pitt, Brian. A. “What Is Sociology’s Contribution Beyond the Humanities and Other Social Sciences?”Society, 47.3 (May 2010). Print. Slaughter, Cliff. “Marxism & the Class Struggle”. Marxists Internet Archive. Marxists.org, 1975.Web. 26 May 2013. “What is sociology?” UMSL -University of Missouri-St. Louis. UMSL, 30 Oct. 2012. Web. 26 May 2013. Read More