Structural Functionalism And Conflict Theory Analysis

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There are three different types of theoretical perspectives that are used to describe society and how it works. Structural functionalism describes society as a system of different structures that work together to support a system, such as a government. A government is made up of educated individuals who in turn, support the education system to teach new individuals the political system. As the government continues to provide for the education system, the education system provides politicians and individuals who will work for the government (Larkin, 2015, para. 8). Conflict theory is the opposite of structural functionalism and states that society works as a constant battle for power, resources and prestige. It also states that there is a limited amount of …show more content…

While both structural functionalism and conflict theory are macro-level theories, symbolic interactionism looks at society at the micro level. Symbolic interactionism is the collection of relationships that people have between one another and states that people are thinking beings that use symbols to express what they are saying (Larkin, 2015, para. 25). When people have a conversation, they use symbols in the form of words and each word has a specific meaning; for example, house is not only a place of shelter but it also means family, love or comfort. Symbolic interaction also states that the situation is defined by the people involved, (Larkin, 2015, para. 27), such as roommates who live in a dorm during college. For one roommate, it could mean that they are on their own and independent from their parents; however, for the other it could be a place away from what they know and could make the experience unenjoyable. As a whole, society is formed from the relationships between people and how each individual and the situation form their views on the world; thus, symbolic interactionism is the way society is formed and

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