Functionalism

Functionalism theory simply discusses about the integral aspect of

culture which was fail to explain by evolutions and diffusionists. Some
scholars those who involved in the ethnographic study were successes to
interpret ethnographic description and analysis of interrelationship within
the institutions. Their study gave the birth of functional school of thought.
The structural functionalism investigated the integral segments of social
structure and examines the social solidarity. Functionalism concern with the
integration of the society by means of conscious or agreement on how its
needs will be met (Adams and Sydie 2009:345). Hebert Spencer and Emile
Durkheim first explain regarding the integration. Functionalism explains the
stability of the society where each unit contributes equally for its
functioning. It has a long history in both natural and social sciences. The
main ideas on Functionalism borrowed from the biology, it is an extension
form of many analogies between society and organism. Sociologists like
Kingsley Davis argued that sociological and functional analysis are one and
same. Functional analysis presented that for the survival of the social system
there are functional requisites or need of the social system. Social system
tend to perform certain task or to meet the needs of the people.

Definitions on Functionalism
“Functions are those observed consequences which make for the adoption or
adjustment of given system.”
-R.K Merton
“The functional approach to sociology consists basically of an attempt to
understand social phenomenon in terms of their relationship with system.”
-Dredemeir

M.H Abraham shows the four different connections about function

(1981:75)
 As an activity, reflected in popular speech, the term function refers to
social gathering, pubic ceremonies, meeting and rallies.
 In a mathematical sense, function is a variable whose value is
determined by those of two or more other variables. An example
would be statement that population growth is function of fertility and
mortality.
 As an occupational role, the term Functionalism may refer to
specialized activity, duties, work or set of official roles assigned to
 public\c functionary, examples would be function of a tax access of
mayor of a town.
 The term function may mean an appropriate and sustaining activity or
part played by a unit within the context of a large whole.

In fact, function refers to connection between variables; one

variable depends upon to another variable is known as function. In biology,
it refers to contribution of one organ that helps to the life. Spencer and
Durkheim both used biological analogy in order to study human society.
Later followed by the Radcliff Brown and Malinowski who explained as
different parts or social institutions worked together to run the whole system.
In the society, function refers to positive and negative role within the social
institution. In the earlier, function was commonly defined in positive sense
contribute by parts for adjust in a social structure. Today function commonly
used in general sense of consequences. Marion Levy defined the term
function as condition or state of affair, resultant from the operation of a
structure through the time. He uses the two terms (eufunction and
dysfunction). Eufunction which indicate the favorable consequences where
as dysfunction indicate negative or unfavorable consequences.

Function and Functionalism

Roberts Layton (1997) referring the different definitions of functions
as:
1. The first define function in a quasi mathematical sense. Every custom
is interconnected with all other in the community so that each
conditions of the state of the others.
2. The second used particularly by Malinowski is drawn from
physiology. The function of customs is to satisfy the individual’s
primary biological needs through the medium of culture.
3. The third who derived by Radcliff Brown from Durkheim. Each
custom’s functions are the part of plays in maintaining the integrity of
the social system.

Regarding the functionalism these empirical question may included

I. How the elements construct the social structure?
II. What functions have a result?
III. What function take place in terms of a given structure?
 Context of Functionalism
Incompleteness of Previous Theories: Previous theories like
Evolutionism and Diffusionism were considered to be incomplete to explain
the social system and fail to show the interrelatedness of the elements. These
theories did not present the information’s regarding integrity, stability,
consolidation, social order, consensus and solidarity. However,
functionalism keeps these all points in their centre of interpretation. In
addition, evolutionists and diffusionists weak in methodology particularly
field work methods which gave the birth of Functionalism.
Colonization: the study of Functionalism began shortly after the
colonization of British in New Guinea, East and West Africa. Functionalism
reconstructed the society that helped to sustain the colony. They never
incorporated the effect of Colonialism. Their works more or less influence
by the principle of colonialism and missionary’s works carried out by British
and other European power.
Intellectual Contributions: functionalism theory built through the
contribution of different scholars like Hebert Spencer, Radcliff Brown,
Malinowski and Talcott Parson. The most intellectual ancestors of the
modern functionalism ate August Comte, Herbert Spencer, Vilfredo Pareto
and Emile Durkheim. At the beginning August Comte used the function as
his methodological tool to present the social phenomenon of the
contemporary society. Herbert Spencer theorized his concept on the basis of
organic analogy. Therefore, he wrote all kind of creatures is alike in so far as
each exhibits cooperation among its components for the benefits of whole.
20th century British social anthropologists like Radcliff Brown and
Malinowske argued that society can be conceptualized as made-up
interdependent parts, these parts function together to meet the peoples
demand. In 1950s Talcott Parson contributed for system theory. In this
theory he argued that a system is a sit of interconnected variables for
example, change in one variable affect the all other variables.

Key assumptions
 Functionalism gives the importance to conceptualize the social system
; a system is more than the sum of its parts, it has interrelationship
with its parts.
 Functionalists argued that the contribution of elements maintain the
whole system.
 Functionalists explained that all the units of the society worked
together to meet the demands of the society.
 Society consists of four different sub systems. Economic, political
family and cultural system (language, religion and media). Each sub
system functions to make the society.
 There are positive and negative functions of the elements within the
social system. Positive function continued the operation whereas
negative function leads the society towards disintegration and change.
Positive and negative functions are called eufunction and dysfunction
respectively. An element which makes no any contribution outlived
from its purpose.
 The function of social system depends on consensus among the
elements to fulfill need of the people. Parson argued the social system
heavily depends upon the shared value.
 Dysfunction of any unit affects the social order or social system. For
example dysfunctions of families have been connected to crime,
mental illness and robbery.
 Beside eufunction and dysfunction there are also two more functions
in the social system manifest and latent function? Manifests are those
functions of social system which are intended or overtly recognized
by the participant in the social system whereas latent functions are
those function which are hidden and remained unacknowledged
participant.
 To serve the social system there need to certain functional requisites.
It helps to maintain system. There need to be adequate relationship
between members, role assignment, feeling of sharing and caring and
socialization.
 Structural functionalism provides the substantial insights into how
societies and social system exists.
 This theory ignores the destructive process of change and emphasis on
the security.
 Parson argued that “to survive the social system there need to be
adaptation, goal attainment, integration and latent pattern of
maintenance.”

Adaptation: the process of adjustment to external environment and

acquiring from the environment and material essential for collective
life.
Goal attainment: collective decision making.
 Integration: the process of resolving conflict.
Latent pattern maintenance: the link process of transmitting
knowledge to group members and managing tension.

Variants
Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)
Emile Durkhein a French sociologist and social philosopher his contribution
has been influencing in all area of social sciences. He is a founding father
and forerunner of the modern functionalism of both Sociology and
Anthropology. Durheim’s main statement is “integration is important for the
maintenance of social equilibrium”.

Major works of Durkheim are as follows:

1) the division of labor in society (1902.1933)
2) the rules of sociological methods (1893/1984)
3) suicide (1897b/1951)
4) primitive classification (1903)
5) the elementary forms of the religious life (1912b/1967a)
durkheim gave the substantial ideas on the division of labor that gives the
clear distinction between the primitive and modern society.

Mechanical solidarity: Mechanical solidarity is small scale society, with

limited division of labor or no division of labor. People are bound together
by similarity. There is collective conscience. In primitive society people had
general position, where be performed wide varieties of responsibilities; they
are jack of all traders. For example mother of primitive society involves in
the varieties of works like cooking, laundry service, agricultural activities
and nurturing the children. There is no specialization in the mechanical
solidarity which belongs to the tribal society. The traditional humanist ideal
of the perfect man as one, capable of being interested in everything, but
attaching himself exclusively to nothing now appears to be a flabby, a lax
from of discipline (Durkheim 1893-34).
Organic solidarity: There is advance division of labor among the people,
specialization and professionalism in their work. There is also forced which
is unfairness, unjustifiable that creates inefficiencies in its operation process.
There is individualism, each individual get the responsibility in accordance
with his/her specialization. Individualism weakening the collective
conscience individuals are differ and do not resemble each other. In modern
industrial society there is excessive individualism, which is thought to be
produce destructive. Even anarchic. The individualism threatens the social
harmony and cohesion.

What hold the society together in both societies?

In mechanical solidarity unified the people because all the people are
generalist. The member of the society involves in similar types of activities
and has had similar responsibilities. There is strong sense of sharing among
the community people. In contrast, organic solidarity people work in the
narrow range of tasks and responsibilities so that they need help from many
people of the society. His/her single specialization could not meet the
demand of diverse area. To meet the demand of the people they need the
service or cooperation of others. Increase the specialization of individuals as
the key to greater social solidarity.

Collective conscience: Primitive societies were characterized by a strong

collective conscience. It is a set of benefits and sentiment common to the
average number of people which form a determinate system. It includes the
nonmaterial facts. Durkheim argued that increasing division of labor causing
dimination of solidarity than the mechanical society. Decreases of the
collective conscience shift towards the organic solidarity, characterized by
the interdependence role. Collective conscience refers to the shared beliefs
and moral attitude which operates as a unifying force within the society. In
traditional society (based on around the clan, family, kinship) religion played
the important role to write the members through the creation of common
consciences. Collective conscience (norms and customs conforming to
social awareness) must operate to bind it together. Durkheim identified
collective consciousness or the totality of beliefs and sentiments common to
the average number of a society as the basis for the social solidarity
(1893:38-39). Collective conscience is differ one society to another society.

Collective Representation: It refers to ideas, beliefs, and value elaborated by

collective effort and which are not reducible to individual constituents. The
collective work is source of solidarity. Collective representation can be
observed in rituals and other religious activ9ities where we can observe
intense interaction among the members. It makes the order and makes the
sense of world. Durkheim talks about collective representation in his book
‘elementary forms of religious life’ where he stated that religion is not about
supernatural being, but rather about beliefs and practice which are the
Collective representation of society and group. He said power of god over
man really power of the group over the individual.

Theory of Suicide
Le Suicide is well known work of durkhiem in the sociological field. He
explored the rate of suicide within similar genetic origin. His research on
suicide moves around these research questions; why did the rates vary within
on region cover time? Why it was unrelated to alcoholism? Why one group
of [people have higher suicide rate than the other? Durkheim explanation on
suicide rates depends on the level of integration. He noted that the tendency
of suicide does not depend on individual psychology and physical
environment but on the nature of individuals’ relation to society.
Durkheim represents four different types of suicide as given below:
1) egoistic: when cohesiveness and solidarity of the group or community
decline in such extent individual cannot rely any support, depends
only on himself and recognizes no other rules and conduct than what
are found on his private interest (1897b:209) . Durkheim examined
the role of religion; he found that there as high rate of suicide in which
individual is not well integrated into the larger social unit. The lack of
integration causes high rate of egoistic suicide and weakens the social
fabric. The collective conscience helps the people to prevent from the
egoistic suicide: families, religious group[s and [political parties act as
strong collective conscience and discourage the suicide. For example
liberal protestant had higher suicide rate than the Catholics and Jews,
because Catholics and Jews are well integrated through their4
religious activities. Bachelor have highest suicide rate in comparison
to married because they are less integrated in the family that the
married.
2) Altruistic Suicide: In altruistic suicide the individual is too strongly
integrated into society in such a society an individual encourage to
sacrifice. The excessive integration of an individual in a group causes
a altruistic suicide. In the altruistic suicide, suicidal completely
absorbed by group and feel it as his/her duty. The cases of altruistic
suicide can be observed both in the primitive-band or tribal and
modern society-military. In egoistic suicide he stated that it occurs
when social integration is weak, however, in altruistic suicide occurs
when social integration is too strong. For example, mass suicide of the
followers of the revered Jim Jones in Jonestown, Guyana. His
followers knowingly took a poisoned and some of their children as
 well. Some of them were pushed either forcefully or gently for
common sacrifice. That society was tightly integrated society, the
members of the society felt that it is their duty.
3) Anomic Suicide: The word anomie translated from French language,
it means normlessness a situation where rules and norms are absent.
“Phillipp Besnard defines the anomic situation as characterized by
determinate (not exactly defined) goals and unlimited aspiration the
disorientation or vertigo created by confrontation with an excessive
widening of the horizon of the possible. Anomic suicide likely to
occurs when the regulative powers of society are disturbed or little
regulation. Such disruption likely to leave individuals dissatisfied
because there is little control over the passion of the people. The rate
of Anomic Suicides are likely to rise whether nature of the disruption
is positive (i.e. is an economic boom) or negative (an economic
depression). The disturbed regulated power of the society breakdown
the moral community and the resulting disturbance of the social
equilibrium. The closing of facts due to economic depression may
lead to the loss of a job, individual is at a drift from the regulative
effect that both the company and the job may have had economic
crisis lead to the personal crisis for the individuals who is important
source of provider for their families. They became unemployed could
not meet the demand of the families in such condition. They face the
problems of humiliations and committed suicide. There are two types
of anomic suicide: acute suicide (which is result of an abrupt change
like business crisis) and chronic suicide (a state of constant change
characteristics of modern industrial society).

Malinowski. Bronislaw kasper (1884-1942)

Malinowski was a polish anthropologist born in Cracow where he
received a doctorate in physics. Frazer’s “The Golden Bough” attracted him
to social anthropology. In 1910 Malinowski began graduate work at the
London School of Economics: he carried out his classic work at Trobrind
Island, New Guinea. Through his extensive field work study he built new
method called participant observation. Since 1921-27 he served at the
London School of Economics with different capacities like lecturer, reader
and professors, where he delivered lecturer on sociology and economics of
some island communities. Besides these, he delivered lecturers in many
universities of the world viz. Geneva, Vienna, Rome, Oslo and Cornell and
Harvard.
Major contributions
1) Argument of the western pacific (1992)
2) Crime and custom of savage society(1926)
3) Sex and repression in savage society(1927)
4) The sexual life of savage(1929)
5) Coral gardens and their magic(1935)
6) Magic, science and religion(1948)
7) A diary in the strict sense of the term(1967)

Malinowski Theory of Functionalism

His ideas on functionalism based on the interrelationship between all
parts or elements of culture. Such interrelationship operating the social
system. He stated that social customs, ideas, artifacts and language of the
islanders fulfilling their biological and psychological necessities. In this
item, function is used here in a second sense namely satisfying the
individual’s primary biological needs through instrumentalities of culture
(Malinowski 1954:202). He argued that social institutions should in the first
place be defined by their social functions if the function is religious,
magical, legal, economic……(1913a:303). The individual needs are fulfilled
of satisfied by derived function of the social and cultural institutions. Culture
is a tool that satisfies the individual needs. Different aspects of culture are
functional that meet the people’s biological and psychological needs through
the system. Therefore, he noted that “the existence of customs, social
institutions or social relations should be explained on the basis of function
which satisfies the people through many ways. A culture trait which is
functionless would not survive. One traits of culture interrelated to another.
If one is disturbed that paralyses the other. Through this interpretation
Malinowski built the ideas on integration theory. Functionalism describes
the meaning function and purpose to the whole world within a whole. His
main emphasis was to show functionally independent roles of the customs.

The kula ring: Malinowski carried out his field work among the Trobriand
Islanders among the four major matrilineal tribes viz. Papuan, Mailu, and
Pygmy of New Guinea. These all groups inhabit in the mountainous eastern
part of New Guinea and have been living within the kula exchange route.
Malinowski explained how Islanders give and receive ornamental arm-shells
and necklaces with one another. The information of Kula ring based on the
horticultural Triobriand Islanders. They lived the western coast of New
Guinea. Kula ring is scheme of trading food and other necessities with the
people of neighboring islands. Some of Islands are rocky cannot produce
enough food to sustain their life, however, they are perfect for
manufacturing the canoe, pottery and other craft. The inhabitants of other
islands produce yam, taro and pigs. They exchange these items along with
their trading.
Two kinds of ornaments are use in the ceremonial exchanges. White arm-
shell band (mwali) travels around the circle in island in a counter clockwise;
likewise, red-shell necklaces band (soulava) travel in clockwise direction.
Each of these groups travels in the closed circuit. They meet their trading
partners. They exchange their trade items on the basis of traditional rules and
regulations and some act of Kula are accompanied the magical rituals and
public ceremonies. In the Kula exchange, limited number of men take part in
the kula i.e. receive the goods, hold them for the short time and pass them
on. Kula exchange activities often periodically through not regularly.
Receives one or several mwali or saulava and then has to hand it on to them
of his partner from whom he receive the opposite commodity in exchange.
One transition does not finish the kula relationship, the rule being “once in
kula always in kula” and partnership between two men is a permanent
forever and life ling. In the ceremonial exchange of the two articles is the
main and fundamental aspect of the kula system, where we also see the some
other fundamental secondary activities like ritual exchange of the arm-shell
and necklaces. Native involve in ordinary trade and bartering from one
island to another. It is a big and complex institution that carries the several
functions. It is purely social activities where traders get full enjoyment rather
than their business. Many traditions of islanders are still alive like myth,
romance and history. Beside, the ritual exchange of arm shell and necklace,
the native people carried out other ordinary business. Thus, kula is an
extremely complex social institution that integrated the people of different
islands.

Malinowski Theory of Need

Malinowski explained regarding the theory of need in his book, “A
Scientific Theory of Culture 1994” which was published posthumously. He
had been talking about the theory of need after he return back from the
Trobriand Isalnders. He argued that “Society exists to fulfill the human
needs in various ways”. He says “ by need, then I understand the system of
conditions in the human organism, in the cultural setting, and in the relation
of both to the natural environment which are sufficient and necessary for the
survival of group and organism. A need therefore, is the limiting sets of
facts. Habits and their motivations, the learned responses and the
foundations of organizations must be arranged as to allow the basic needs to
be satisfied (1894:90). He argued that system often existed in order to satisfy
the human being, he emphasized on the “system of condition in the human
organism” it involves the satisfaction of certain biologically determine
impulses (driving forces) a series of vital sequences.
A (Impulse) B(Act) C(Satisfaction)
Drive to breathe
Grasping for air in take oxygen elimination CO
Hunger Injection of food satisfaction
Thirst absorption of liquid quenching
Sex appetite conjugation detumescence
Fatigue rest restoration of muscular
And nervous energy
Somnolence sleep awakening with restored
energy
Bladder pressure micturition removal from the tension
Fright escape from danger relaxation
Pain avoidance by effective
Act return to normal
Condition

These impulses associates with several acts and satisfaction, refers to the
dynamic basis of human nature. Impulses often related to the basic needs of
men as a species. Culture is made for the fulfilling human need and he
constructed a table of need stressing the conditions of necessary to
individual and group survival.
Human needs
A B
Basic needs Cultural response
Metabolism Commissariats
Reproduction Kinship
Bodily comfort Shelter
Safety Protection
Movement Activities
Growth Training
Health Hygiene
Source: Jha2001:91
 The individual impulses and basic needs may also apply other
animals like sub-human primates: however, man is a particular kind of
primate who acquired special characteristics through the course of evolution.
Malinowski theory of need emphasized that culture fulfill the three kinds of
need.
 A culture must provide biological needs like food and
procreation.
 A culture must provide instrumental needs such as need of
law and education.
 A culture must provide integrative needs such as religion
and art.
The Main Characteristics of the Malinowski Functionalism
 A culture is means to fulfill the basic needs
 One organ of the culture interrelated to the other effects in
one part and effect on the entire system.
 Culture system and subsystem are made to meet the basic
need of the people.
 There is always positive role of the all elements/organ of
society and culture.
 Functionalism is the totality of functions to meet the
biological and individual need.

Radcliff Brown
Radcliff Brown is a British social anthropologist who built the
perspective of structural functionalism. He was born in England and
educated in Cambridge University. He was influenced by Hebert Spencer,
Durkheim, Comte and Frazer carried out his fieldwork. Andaman Islands
from 1960-08 and 1910-12 in Australia and his research made substance
contributions to the study of kinship. Then major contributions of A.R
Radcliff Brown are as:
1) The Andaman Islands (1948)
2) Methods in social anthropology
3) Structure and function in primitive society (1965)

A.R Radcliff Brown explained regarding the concept of structure which

refers to an arrangement of units or parts. He argued that “functional unity is
necessary for survive”. The primary aim of A.R Radcliff Brown was not
explained the diversity of human societies but rather to discover law of
social behavior by demonstrating that in societies of a certain type, certain
characteristics of social relationship would be found (Layton 1998:34). He
defined the functional unity as a condition in which all parts of the social
system work together with a sufficient degree of harmony or internal
consistency (to continue as a system) i.e. without producing persistent
conflicts which can neither be resolved or regulated (Radcliff Brown
1952:181). The proper arrangement of parts makes larger unity where parts
fulfill the need of whole. For instance, structure is only possible through the
proper arrangement of bricks, roofs, room, passage, stone and timber.
Similarly the structure of body is possible through the organs, bones and
tissues. He stated that to analyze the structural features of social life, first we
looked at the existence of social groups of all kind and arrangement of
individuals, class and groups within the frame of social systems. These all
groups or classes performed their combine activities. The Continuity of
social group is an important for the existence of social structure: to prove
this statement he cited the example of clan among the Australian tribes,
popular as a horde. The structure of horde was division into families, each
families composed with husband, wife and their siblings. The members of
the society connected with one to another in accordance with kinship
network which maintenance the entire social structure. Social structure
arranges the individual within its institutionalized roles and relationship, the
structural continuity is a continuity of arrangement. In fact, Brown was in
favor of existence and continuity of social system. There is possibility of
changes the individuals within the structure or institutions time and again,
but there need to be continuity of the structure. The network of relationship
among the units controlled through the norms and values of the society. He
stated that social institutions as the key to maintaining the social order of the
society where customs aid in maintaining the overall stability of society. He
argued that social system has a certain kind of unity which we called
functional unity within a system all the parts work together for the stability
or harmony or internal consistency. Brown explained as network relationship
should be controlled through norms, rules and regulations. Most of his
arguments influenced by social solidarity proposed by the Durkheim, he
found that in large social structure has weaken or low solidarity and low
cohesion.

Talcott Parson (1902-1979)

Parson is most prominent figure in the structural functionalist
school of thought. He dominated the sociology within 1950s-1970s. He
received the undergraduate degree from the Amhert where he majored in
biology. He did graduate work at London School of economics and then in
Heidelberg German, where he wrote a doctoral dissertation on the concept of
capitalism in recent German literature. Parson played important role to
introduce Weber in the America through the translation of his book “The
Protestant Ethnic and Spirit of Capitalism 1930”, later he also analyzed
Weber’s theoretical perspective which gave the birth of a book named “The
Structure of Action 1937”. He taught a year at Amhert then he went Harvard
as an instructor in 1927 and retired in 1973 from the position of professor of
emeritus.
Social System
Parson says social system as whole which includes various
institutions such as the family within the society. He defined the social
system as a social system consists in a plurality of individual actors
interacting with each other in a situation which has at least a physical or
environmental aspects actors who are motivated in terms of a tendency to
the optimization of gratification and whose relation to their situation,
including each other is defined and mediated in term of system of culturally
structured and shared symbols (n.d). For Parson, “a system is a complex unit
of same kind, has boundaries where parts are interconnected. In his theory of
action, he provided the clear outline of societal structure and this structure fit
together. Parson distinguished three systems: the cultural, the social, the
personality and Behavior organism.
Cultural System: cultural system includes the values and norms that
directly affect the individual choice or interest. In cultural system we also
explained the “meaning” and “symbolic system”. Examples of symbolic
system are religious belief, languages and rituals. Within the cultural system
socializations are the well known components in which abundant interaction
can be observed.
The Social System: In social system basic unit is “role interaction” and
interrelationship between the individual and actors. For instance, interaction
and interrelationship among the worker in the restaurants.
Personality System: Personality system includes the needs, motives and
attitude. Motivations associates with gratification (satisfaction) and it also
presents the need disposition which governs along with the norms and
choice they make.
Behavior System: Behavior organism associates with human being in its
biological sense that is physical aspects of the person, including the organic
and physical environment in which human being lives.

Functional imperatives of society and the role of the subsystem

At the end of 1950s parson turned his attention towards the interrelationship
among (rather than within) in the system. Within the social system each unit
act full-fledge action system open confronting four functional problem to
resolve: adaptation, goal attainment, integration and latency which is popular
as AGH. The general theory of action
Parson’s functional imperative view of social system

Parson visualized an overall action system with cultural social structure,

personality and organism constituent. Each of these subsystems is seen as
fulfilling one of the four system requisites AGH of the overall action system.
He argued that all action system faces four major problems (or have four
major needs): Adaptation, goal attainment, latency, integration plays the role
of tension management.
Adaptation: He pointed to the need to secure sufficient resources from the
environment and distribute such resources through the system. Social
institutions run in accordance with norms and values that help to satisfy the
need or functions and help to solve the system problems. Social institutions
perform the function of adaptation to the environment that secures the
sufficient resources which will identify the production.
Goal attainment: Each system mobilizes its resources and energies to attain
system goals and establish priorities them. Basically, function making bodies
use their legitimate power for the goal attainment.
Integration: Parson argued that integration means need to coordinate adjust
and regulate the relationship among the various units or actors, preventing
mutual interference in order to keep the system functioning.
Latency: Latent pattern maintenance the tension.

Criticism

 Functionalism fails to take into account of the phenomenon of

conflict disintegration factor of the society.
 Functionalism unable to deal the process of social changes.
However, Marxists and Action theorists argued that study of individual,
group, class, conflict and competition are the key components to social
and historical changes.
 It neglects the independent agency of social actor.
 Bredemeier criticized the functionalism as “This is the failure
systematically to realize certain needs of individuals which must be
satisfied if they are to play roles necessary to the operation of system”.
 Functionalism is speculative as theory and its data of
untreatable and present in deductive system.
 Theory of structural functionalism proposed by Radcliff Brown
interpret without field work, therefore, he was designated as an armchair
anthropologist.
 Malinowski confused to present psychological need or social
requirement.
 The interpretation functionalism only exaggerated the
homogeneity, stability and integrity, this view is derived from the study
of island and remote village, however, it fail to apply in modern
heterogeneous society.
 Theory proposed by Parsons-and-functionalism in general has
been criticized two grounds. He did not account for survivals or
dysfunction “leftover” from a bygone day. He did not provide much room
for the conflict.
 George Ritzer noted that early structural functionalists were
seeking to overcome the speculative character and ethnocentric biasness
of these work. He also show the methodological weakness as the idea of
functionalism is too vague, unclear and ambiguous. What exactly is a
social structure? A function? A social system? How are the parts of social
system related to each other as well as to the larger social -system?
Implication

 Despite the many criticism theory of functionalism perspective retain

widespread implication in academic and development sector.
 The idea of functionalism gives concrete idea on social solidarity and
social harmony among the unit which protects the numbers from the
further conflict.
 It gives high priority to satisfy the groups than the individual which
help to maintain social order
 The application of functionalism was very useful within the period of
world war and post would war period to reduce the turmoil.
 Theory of functionalism will be helpful to understand the nature of
tribal and primitive society of Australia, Africa and Europe.
 It gives a detail overview of the contemporary society.
 Functionalism can help those who are dedicated to radical social
change to a fuller understanding of the how social system operates.