Causation and Functionalism in Sociology - Essay Example

Durkheim argued that each of the various components of society has a role to play in the general well-being of the entire system.

Durkheim referred to the division of labor as organic solidarity and compared it to the early stages of human society, which he called mechanical solidarity. According to Durkheim, all people performed identical roles in traditional society. To Durkheim, societies had a strong and profound collective conscience before the advent of the modern era. This collective conscience played the role of preventing people from performing immoral acts. Durkheim held that the start of modernity weakened the collective conscience (Durkheim, 1997). This left many people puzzled about the rules that should govern everyday life. Durkheim also suggested that crime played a significant role in modern society. Through crime, lawyers, judges, the police, and other law enforcement agencies can be assured of employment.

Another notable image that relates to the theory of functionalism is Talcott Parsons; he viewed society as a system comprising various interrelated parts. Parsons purported that every social system is comprised of four functional prerequisites. These include adaptation, goal attainment, pattern maintenance, and integration. These prerequisites exist as problems, which society has to solve for survival (Isajiw, 2003). Parsons argued that the function of every part of society is based on its ability to meet the requirements of the functional prerequisites. Parsons purported that adaptation entails the ways in which the environment relates to the system. According to Parsons, the social system should have some control over the environment in order to survive (Tischler, 2010).

Parsons argued that goal attainment entails the need for societies to set goals that direct social activity. The decisions on priorities between goals and procedures that establish goals undergo institutionalization through political systems. Integration entails the adjustment of conflict; the primary concern involves the mutual adjustment and the coordination of the parts that make up the society (Isajiw, 1997). Pattern maintenance is the maintenance of the basic patterns of values institutionalized in society. Parsons argued that parts of society can be identified on the basis of the roles they play.

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To a great extent, the theory of functionalism relates to me as an individual. First, the theory has provided me with insights into the social system and the various components of society. The theory has also broadened my knowledge of the importance of integration and coordination in society. Equilibrium can only be achieved when all parts of the society coexist peacefully and there is a minimal conflict between the various social systems. From the theory, I have learned to appreciate the need for all components of society.

The theory also relates to the client in a number of ways. First, the theory can be used in helping a society faced with conflicts or an organization that experiences conflicts. Through the theory, emphasis can be laid on the need for equilibrium and peaceful coexistence in society. A sociologist can use the theory to help clients who may be having conflicts between their behavior and environment (Tischler, 2010). Moreover, the theory of functionalism explores the relationship between mental processes and behavior. Thus, the theory can be applied in solving conflicts between individuals at both the family level and the level of society.