Essay On The Functionalist Perspective On Society

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Society has developed throughout the years, three main sociological perspectives concerning what exactly makes up a society including culture, structure, and power. These three are titled Functionalist Perspective, Conflict Perspective, and Symbolic Interactionalist Perspective; all of which attempt to define society. Society makes up a system in which interconnected parts work amongst each other to maintain harmony or a social equilibrium. This perspective, Functionalist Perspective, means that every form of work contributes a sort of function to everything around it; it focuses on influences that make together a foundation. Family, education, politics, and religion are examples of these aspects of what influences society. Family brings nurturing, …show more content…

Cooley calls this perspective the “looking glass self” which is explained in his work, “Human Nature and the Social Order.” Symbolic Interactionalist emphasizes psychological dynamics to the individuals of small groups. Human behavior is influenced by the symbolic interactions among others in society; it has been proven that social interactions shape and molds an individual’s sense of self. The definition of “norms” was established by individuals who develop a sense of how they fit into the label of society; they then comprehend where they are placed within that society. For example the Iphone 5 has become so popular that mostly everyone has one, collecting its status of the “norm” among teenagers. However there are those who do not have one in their possession due to personal preference, money problems, rules against having any phone. According to the Symbolic Interactionalist perspective those who do not follow the norms would feel like an outsider, they would believe that they have a negative label compared to everyone else. This perspective is like the others on the level that they all attempt to define society yet, it is an outsider itself in the category because it attempts to pinpoint that definition instead of viewing a broader categorization of

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