Question

How might the functionalist and conflict perspectives meet societal needs when contributing to the efficiency of society and attempting to keep the wealthly at bay?

Answer 1

According to the functionalists point of view, each characteristic of society is co-dependent and contributes to the stability of the society and functioning as a total. For example, the education for the children of a family is provided by the government and in return the family pays the taxes on which the government is reliant upon to keep itself running. It means that the family is dependent on the government to help their children to grow up and have good future. And in this process the children are growing up to become a law-abiding citizens who will pay the taxes which the government is dependent upon.

Functionalists can fulfil the needs related to the society if they look beyond individuals to social facts which includes morals, laws, values, religious beliefs, customs, rituals etc. One or more than one functions are served by these facts. For example, one role of law of society may be to protect society from violence, while another is to punish criminal behaviour.

The conflict theory, as suggested by Karl Marx, prerogates that society is in a state of everlasting battle because of the struggle for limited resources. According to this, Domination and power maintains the social order rather than accord and conformity. When resources, status and power are unevenly distributed between groups within the society, this leads to conflicts and tensions. And these becomes the fuel for the social change.

According to the German sociologist Georg Simmel, these conflicts can help in integration and stabilization of a society.He said that, depending on the emotional engrossment of the parties, the degree of unity within the opposite groups, and the lucidity and restricted nature of the goals, the intensity of these tensions differs. Simmel also said that work groups should create internal cohesion, unify the authority, and lessen dissension. Solving these conflicts can decrease tension and anger and can create the path for agreements in future