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Put the parts together but in a specfic relationship to the other parts. For example: A clock is made-up of certain parts such as hands, gears, springs and a power source. The structural functionalism theory suggests that no part can be understood individually therefore, the system as a whole cannot be understood if one part is missing. It also proposed that our lives are guided by social structures (relatively stable pattern of social behavior). It asserts that society is constructed by interdependent system of parts and proper order to promote solidary, equilibrium, and stability. Within this theory, social structures are stressed, placed at the center of the analysis and social functions are deduced from these structures. The structural functionalism perspective is a consensus theory and focus on a macro level orientation (looks at the larger scale of institutions) (Kivisto 2013:198). The structural functionalism theory proposed that in order to understand society, we must study how the society works to meet the needs of its members. Structural functionalism perspective examines the following questions: what system in society provides stability? and how effectively do specialized institutions meet the needs of its members (not how it is changing). Structural functionalsim seeks to explain why society function the way it does by focusing on the relationship between various social institution that makeup society. Military and police system are structures of the society and their functions are to provide security and stability for the society. In order to maintain security for the members of the society, we have a military system in place to defend the members from external threat, and police system to maintain law and order of the society. A good illustration of this can be seen in the military and law enforcement structures. This theory suggests that each structure has a specific function or role to play in determining the behavior of the society. Social functionalism perspective refers to the structures or institutions that shape a society (Kivisto 2013:197). He was a French sociologist that wrote the basis for structural functionalism theory. Most of the ideas of structural functionalism came from Emile Durkheim. The earlier giants of structural functionalisms were Auguste Comte and Emile Durkheim and their predecessors were Kinsley Davis, Talcott Parson, and Robert Merton. However, it is no longer now regarded as the dominant theory. The structural functionalism theory was the most prevalent approach of thinking in sociology in the 1930’s and 1960s. While structural functionalism emerged, other theories like neo-functionalism, conflict theory and system theory challenged the foundation of structural functionalism perspective. Several perspectives like structural functionalism attempted to explain the shift from feudalism to industrial society. Social changes undermined the traditional explanations of human existence.
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The Industrial Revolution challenged the traditional order and opened the door for democratic changes. In cities people met anonymity, crowding, filth, and poverty. Masses of people moved to the cities in search of work. Europe was changing from agriculture to factory production. The factors that led to the development of sociology are industrial economy, the growth of cities, and political change. Structural Functionalism, Neo-Functionalism Conflict Theory & System Theory The origin of sociology developed and took place in Europe during the early eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.