Structuralism
Structuralism is a mode of thinking and a method of analysis practiced in 20th-century social sciences and humanities; it focuses on recurring patterns of thought and behaviour – it seeks to analyse social relationships in terms of highly abstract relational structures. Structuralism is distinctly different from that applied to Radcliffe-Brown – it involves more the bio and psychological aspect of human studies rather than social structures. Claude Levi-Strauss was the one to pioneer structuralism; he suggested that cultural phenomena such as myths, art, kinship systems and language display certain ordered patterns or structures. With these, he believed that the structure of the human mind could be revealed. He reasoned that behind the surface of individual cultures there must exist natural properties common to us all: innate structures universal to all man. Levi-Strauss focused his attention on the patterns or structures existing beneath the customs and beliefs of all cultures.
Methodologically, Strauss drew his models from structural linguistics, analysing forms of social activity as though they were languages. In other words, the things a society does, the way people in this society act, is compared to language; behaviour is acted out unconsciously as is grammar in the case of language. Therefore, societies differ just as grammar differs between one culture and another, but what Levi-Strauss sought was the universal/common structure behind it. He beli...
On a general level, structuralism holds that both individuals and the realities they share are signified and constructed by a series of cultural influences which create meaning. The self is said to be a construct of its environment and selves in combination project meaning onto their experienced reality; a reality which in turn becomes reflective of the shared consciousness. This symbiotic relationship between the formulation of a reality and the nature of a collective allow meaning to be interpreted based on the system of constructed codes which informs it.
Lacan’s theory is a form of structuralism because it expansively talks about the tenets of human culture. As advanced by the structuralism theory, human culture is understood from the idea that, there is a larger relationship between structures of human existence. Lacan posits that human culture stems from its relationship with overarching systems. Lacan’s theory argues that human phenomena do not have value without the relationship that ensues with other structures. In other words, Lacan is candid that culture is a product of the systems of structure that build up to a larger structure. According to Lacan, human existence derives its understanding from its ability to develop interrelations. Indeed, Lacan’s psychoanalysis theory has a form of structuralism embedded in it by looking deeply into his ideas about human interactions. According to him, “the unconscious is the discourse of the other”. This implies that human desires are structured in relation to the feelings of others. Psychoanalysis, according to Lacan, is the idea that human culture results from social interaction. In this respect, desire is a social phenomenon that links humans with other structures that form human culture. It is the structural interaction of human desire with other components of human culture, which makes Lacan’s theory a form of structuralism. Linking the space between people in a social-psychoanalysis approach is a form of structuralism. In reference to this idea, it is worth noting that the ability to connect people in a cultural dimension calls for a structural comprehension between different tenets like language and economics. As advanced by Lacan, for instance, capitalism and economics are significant components of human culture that influe...
Schmalleger describes the social structure as interrelationships among society’s institutions (Schmalleger, 2012, p. 151). It is also the basic foundation that sociologists use to comprehend society. There hasn’t been an agreed upon specific definition of social structure, however there have been numerous people with various concepts of social structure, to include but not limited to S. F. Nade, Ginsberg, Radcliffe Brown, Talcott Parsons, Harry M. Johnson, and MacIver and Page. According to Shelly Shah in the Sociology Discussion, taking all of those concepts into consideration the following five (5) views may be concluded as it relates to the subject (Shah, n.d.).
Society, in simplest terms, is defined as a group of people who share a defined territory and a culture. In sociology, we take that definition a little further by arguing that society is also the social structure and interactions of that group of people. Social structure is the relatively enduring patterns of behavior and relationships within a society, not only between its members, but also with social institutions. According to those definitions, society seems a fairly concrete concept to comprehend. However, there are sociologists whom have their own theories about society in the aspects of the relationship between social classes, and class conflict. The German philosopher, economist and theorist Karl Marx has a fragmented and rather disconsolate view on society; while French functionalist and theorist Emile Durkheim looks at society more scientifically and wholesomely. Despite these profound differences of outlook, however, Marx and Durkheim were both centrally concerned with the emergence of modern capitalism, and in particular with the rise of the modern system of the division ...
The Social Construction Theory is defined as the event of individuals and or groups perceive real life events and objects and put a meaning to them. Social construction is an ongoing process and views can be modified because the concept is relying upon the communication from one person to another and different people can interpret things differently. One way society has constructed ideas is with animals. Throughout history people have created stories using animals as characters and those stories were passed down from generation to generation. Those stories can influence how people feel about the actual animals.
With a sociological approach for education, a teacher is able maintain a holistic view of their role as a teacher and the connections between the classroom and their participants. This theory can be learned, then similar to the learning of morals, cannot be unlearned. For the teacher’s lens, sociology acts the zoom mechanism for macro to micro perspectives of the influences on the classroom. While applying this theory teacher are able to adjust and adapt culturally responsive teaching with an increased understanding of their teacher identity, a more informed understanding of their community, and a critical perspective of curriculum. The concepts of sociology can be applied with the sociological imagination to teacher identity and historical
Almost 100 years ago, Chicago saw its population double in a short span of time - the majority of the newcomers being foreign-born. There were also many Americans that were migrating into the city at this time. With large amounts of foreigners bringing with them their own set of beliefs and norms, ideological clashes and a lack of conformity was inevitable. Merton’s Modes of Adaptation comes into play here with foreigners coming to a new land and having to re-adapt. This can lead to increased rates of ritualism, retreatism, rebellion and innovation and this means an increase in crime rates.
Structural functionalism is the macro-analysis of society that supports the assumption that society is a stable and orderly system. This approach sees society as a complex structure that works together to function properly. The society shares a common set of beliefs, norms, values, and behavior patterns called a societal consensus. The society will institute social
Functionalism is a materialist stance in the philosophy of mind that argues that mental states are purely functional, and thus categorized by their input and output associations and causes, rather than by the physical makeup that constitutes its parts. In this manner, functionalism argues that as long as something operates as a conscious entity, then it is conscious. Block describes functionalism, discusses its inherent dilemmas, and then discusses a more scientifically-driven counter solution called psychofunctionalism and its failings as well. Although Block’s assertions are cogent and well-presented, the psychofunctionalist is able to provide counterarguments to support his viewpoint against Block’s criticisms. I shall argue that though both concepts are not without issue, functionalism appears to satisfy a more acceptable description that philosophers can admit over psychofunctionalism’s chauvinistic disposition that attempts to limit consciousness only to the human race.
(9) David Michael Levin has an interesting, recent interpretation along these lines; see his "Liberating Experience from the Vice of Structuralism: The Methods of Merleau-Ponty and Nagarjuna," Philosophy Today, vol. 41, no. 1 (Spring 1997): 96-111.
The basic of structural functionalism is a theory that supports society as an intricate system that works as a whole to promotes a stabile society. The term race refers to groups of people who have differences and similarities based off of biological traits considered by society to be socially significant. The concept of race create stability and harmony because society demands group alignment, they are inherently ethnocentric. I do not believe that structural functionalism is the proper way to view race in the United Sates but I do know it is being done. I personally believe that using structural functionalism is a dysfunction because in today’s society others are judgmental when it comes to people
Conceptual relativism is concerned with truth and knowledge and belongs specifically with the ability of the human mind to construct different realities, people have different versions of realities but there is no one reality as is the same with truth there is no one absolute truth there are only truths. (Lazar 1998)Many authors have described the nature of this in their own languages and this has bought about many different views of conceptual relativism. It was Daniel Little’s belief that conceptual relativism was concerned with the fact that as the world is separated into so many different countries, cultures, religions and beliefs. It would not be possible to only have one theory on the structure of everything inside the world, for all individuals think differently, how can one theory be more plausible than another. (Lazar 1998) Peter Winch had a more radical view and argued that Science had absolutely nothing to do with explanations on what existed. He stated that human beings are more than just physical objects and that if human action was not being understood from the inside, how could the social sciences understand human action at all. He went on to say that the majority of sociology was not in fact a science it was a masked type of philosophy. Winch’s claims against the social sciences caused problems and some ethnomethodological sociologists changed the way they studied society and developed a non scientific route. (Lock 2010)However rationalists such as Popper reject the idea of relativism as he believed that unless all individuals shared the same framework of basic knowledge, there could never be agreements made. (Benton 2001)
Talcott Parson and Robert Merton are the central tenets of structural-functionalist. According to Calhoun “Functionalism (sometime called “structural –functionalism’) refers to the body of theory first developed in the 1930s and 1940s that treats society as a set of interdependent system. Theory rest on an organic analogy that likens a social system to a physical body, in which each subsystem is necessary to maintain the proper functioning of the entire organism. From a functionalist point of view, the key to understanding a social subsystem is thus to trace its function in the working of the whole.”(calhoun489) Structural functional theory describes society to be a complex system with various interdependent parts that work together to maintain stability. Each part of society has each of which have their own functions and work hand in hand to maintain social stability in the world.
It is suggested that there is less homogeneity and consensus than is generally acknowledge. Structural functionalism is Talcott Parsons made the most battered of all twentieth century sociological theories popular. These two features are held essentially together. First there is a minimum set of common values that are necessary for social order to exist. His intellectual predecessor, Emily Durkheim proposed that society has tomust exist on the basis ofbased on some sort of collective conscience, which is generally shared to a greater or lesser degree. Parsons identifies these subsystems as: Gaul attainment which equates to the political system; the adaptive subsystem which corresponds to the economy; the latency and pattern maintenance subsystem which includes all agents at socialization including the family, school and church. The latter compromises all the rules, values, laws and general prescriptions and prohibitions of behavior. According to Smith, Caribbean societies are plural societies in that they are” units in a political sense. Each is a political unit because it has a single government. He also recognizes that his critics tended to ignore this fact that some uniformity of law and government is essential if the society is to remain a political unit to
We see many of fields of society for example; government, educational, cultural and many more. Sociology is importantly the basis for almost all policies and idea which shape the world we are in. For example; Harriet Martineau, first female sociologists brought attention to ignored topics such as marriage, children, domestic and religious life and race relations. Without this idea being brought it up it would have always been an issue from society. Solving topics are so beneficial to making our society a better place. On a personal level it’s really changed my vision in the world. This enables us to understand paradigms. Structural functionalism was inspired partly by Durkheim, he stated that society is defined as a social system, with structures organized in an orderly way to form an organic, stable whole. This system enables us to understand and meet the circumstances in order to