The Sociological Perspectives - Essay Example

The functionalist perspective views the world as a set of groups that coexist based on mutual need and cooperation. It is through this means that society is able to reach and maintain equilibrium. Durkheim, Comte, and Spencer pioneered this sociological perspective, but Robert Merton elaborated on the theory. He viewed societal consequences as being manifest, latent, and latent dysfunctional. Manifest functions are the positive and intended outcome of a group on society. Latent functions are the unintended consequences that help society maintain order.

The latent dysfunctions are unintended negative results that continually upset and shape society. Our family was lower middle class and as such, we filled the role of working in the factories and the mills. In return, the society provided us with adequate income and substantial opportunities. In doing so, our social class fulfilled its function and was rewarded by other groups in society through peaceful coexistenceConflict PerspectiveKarl Marx, the most well-known conflict theorist, viewed the world as groups that were competing for the available resources.

He generally defined conflict in terms of wealth and saw it as two classes; the bourgeoisie (capitalists) and the proletariat (workers). Though Marx viewed society's conflicts in terms of class wealth, it also extends to justice, dignity, access to institutions, and respect. It is this perspective that is most often used to explain racism and feminism. When my middle-class parents worked in the industrial factories in the East, they were struggling to acquire what little they could from the capitalist factory owners.

In return, the owners would concede as little as they had to. Indeed, this resulted in great conflict as unionized workers fought against the capitalists for better pay, conditions, and benefits.Levels of AnalysisThe level at which we analyze society can be the macro-level or the micro-level. The micro-level looks at very small units in society such as a personal relationship and are usually connected with the interactionist perspective. Studying why two people are getting married would be a micro-level analysis.

Macro-level involves large segments of society such as the study of race, gender, or economic class. The functionalist and conflict perspectives are usually associated with the macro-level of analysis.