structural functionalism vs critical theory

By the 1980s, its place was taken in Europe by more conflict-oriented approaches, and more recently by “structuralism”. Structural functionalism reached the peak of its influence in the 1940s and 1950s, and by the 1960s was in rapid decline. The model also blames the sick, where “rights” do not always apply. It also assumes that the individual may not comply with expectations of the sick role, may not give up social obligations, may resist dependency, and may avoid the public sick role if their illness is stigmatized. The model assumes that the individual voluntarily accepts the sick role. Parsons concluded that there are three versions of the sick role: conditional, unconditional legitimate, and illegitimate (a condition stigmatized by others).Ĭritics of Parsons and the functionalist perspective point to different flaws they see with his argument. Conversely, the sick person’s obligations included trying to get well and cooperating with the medical professionals. The sick person’s rights are twofold: the first one is being exempt from normal social roles the second one is not being responsible for their condition. The theory outlined two rights of a sick person and two obligations. “Being Sick” is not simply a “condition” it contains within itself customary rights and obligations based on the social norms that surround it. The general idea is that the individual who has fallen ill is not only physically sick, but now adheres to the specifically patterned social role of being sick. In the functionalist model, Parsons argued that the best way to understand illness sociologically is to view it as a form of deviance that disturbs the social function of the society.

Therefore this deviance needs to be policed, which is the role of the medical profession. This is because, from a functionalist perspective, a sick individual is not a productive member of society. Parsons was a functionalist sociologist who argued that being sick means that the sufferer enters a role of “sanctioned deviance”. It is a concept created by the American sociologist Talcott Parsons in 1951. Sick role is a term used in medical sociology regarding sickness and the rights and obligations of the affected. For Talcott Parsons (1902–1979), an American sociologist, “structural-functionalism” came to describe a particular stage in the methodological development of social science, rather than a specific school of thought. A common analogy, popularized by Herbert Spencer, presents these parts of society as “organs” that work toward the proper functioning of the “body” as a whole. Herbert Spencer: Herbert Spencer was a prominent functionalist sociologist, who likened the functioning parts of society as organs within a body.įunctionalism addresses society as a whole in terms of the function of its constituent elements namely norms, customs, traditions, and institutions. Moore, Robert Merton, and Gabriel Almond and Bingham Powell. Prominent functionalist theorists include Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Talcott Parsons, Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E.

This approach looks at both social structure and social functions. This approach looks at society through a macro-level orientation, which is a broad focus on the social structures that shape society as a whole. Structural functionalism, or simply functionalism, is a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. structuralism: A theory of sociology that views elements of society as part of a cohesive, self-supporting structure.deviance: Actions or behaviors that violate formal and informal cultural norms, such as laws or the norm that discourages public nose-picking.

Structural functionalism vs critical theory