The Functionalism Theory: Augusta Comte And Robert Merton

The functional theory is the defined as a framework for building theory that sees society complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. Augusta Comte and Herbert Spence looked at society as a living organism. For example, an animal or person has organs that function together so does society. Organic solidarity is social unity based on a division of labor that results in people depending on each other. Emile Durkheim developed organic solidarity to explain individuals’ workers to specific bodily organs and a group of people into a body. Different bodily organs serve different functions, without these organs the body would die, and so would the individual organs. Some of the different functions are education, religion, economics, and family. In a society, individual workers perform different kinds of labor, without which society could not function, nor could individual workers succeed. Robert Merton did not agree with society as a living organism. He did believe society is a whole unit made up of parts that work together. He believed the word function was the beneficial consequences of people’s actions. Function keeps a group in balance and dysfunction is harmful

It sees society as a body of all institutions working together to make a society. Functionalism theory helps you observe society in order to understand the functions and institutions working together to sustain society as a whole. Functionalism theory weakness is being unable to social change, it will cause a conflict. Changing the elements will affect other elements in the system and cause a change in the whole balance. Functionalism does not inspire people to take a change in social environment, even when it will benefit them. Functionalism believes that if one has social change then different parts of society will compensate in a seemingly natural way for any problems that may