- "A framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability."
A theoretical approach that views cultural practices and beliefs as serving a purpose or function in maintaining social order and stability.
History of Anthropology: A background on the development of anthropological thought, including the rise of functionalism as an approach in the early 20th century.
Functionalism as a Method: An exploration of the methodological foundations of functionalism, including the use of comparative studies and the functionalist approach to culture.
Structural-Functionalism: An overview of the structural-functional approach, which emphasizes the relationships between different aspects of society and how they function together to maintain a stable social system.
Functionalism and the Problem of Change: An exploration of how functionalism deals with social change, including its emphasis on the adaptation of social systems and the role of functional alternatives.
The Evolutionary Basis of Functionalism: An examination of functionalism's roots in evolutionary theory, including the concept of adaptation and the survival of the fittest.
The Functionalist Approach to Culture: An overview of functionalism's understanding of culture, including how it serves to meet the needs of society.
Functionalism and Social Institutions: An examination of the functionalist approach to social institutions, including the family, education, and religion.
Critiques of Functionalism: An exploration of some of the major critiques of functionalism, including its emphasis on stability and order at the expense of individual agency, and its tendency to essentialize social groups.
Contemporary Applications of Functionalism: An overview of how functionalist theory is still used in contemporary anthropology, including its relation to the study of globalization and the digital age.
Functionalism and Applied Anthropology: An examination of how functionalist theory informs applied anthropology, including its use in development projects and policy-making.
Structural Functionalism: Structural functionalism was the dominant theoretical perspective in anthropology and sociology during the 1940s and 1950s. It is a macro-level theory that examines how social structures work together to maintain social stability and order. According to structural functionalists, societies are made up of interdependent parts that work together to maintain the overall social system.
Cultural Functionalism: Cultural functionalism is a branch of structural functionalism that focuses on the role of culture in maintaining the stability of a society. This theory holds that cultural practices and beliefs serve the needs of the individuals and society as a whole. Cultural functionalists argue that cultural practices are integrated into social systems and that they have a functional purpose.
Psychological Functionalism: Psychological functionalism is a theory that emphasizes the functional role of beliefs, attitudes, and personality traits in adaptation to the environment. According to this theory, people's psychological characteristics serve as adaptations to their environment and facilitate their ability to cope with challenges.
Normative Functionalism: Normative functionalism is a theory that examines how cultural norms and values function to regulate human behavior. According to this theory, cultural norms and values serve as guidelines that direct individuals towards behaviors that promote social stability and order.
Darwinian Functionalism: Darwinian functionalism is a theory that applies principles of evolution to understanding cultural practices and beliefs. According to this theory, cultural practices and beliefs that help individuals and societies adapt to their environment will be naturally selected for and passed down to future generations.
- "A broad focus on the social structures that shape society as a whole."
- "Believes that society has evolved like organisms."
- "Norms, customs, traditions, and institutions."
- "Presents these parts of society as 'organs' that work toward the proper functioning of the 'body' as a whole."
- "Herbert Spencer."
- "It emphasizes 'the effort to impute, as rigorously as possible, to each feature, custom, or practice, its effect on the functioning of a supposedly stable, cohesive system'."
- "'Structural-functionalism' came to describe a particular stage in the methodological development of social science, rather than a specific school of thought."
- "Functionalism addresses society as a whole in terms of the function of its constituent elements."
- "Norms, customs, traditions, and institutions."
- "This approach looks at both social structure and social functions."
- "It sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability."
- "The social structures that shape society as a whole."
- "Society has evolved like organisms."
- "Norms, customs, traditions, and institutions."
- "These parts of society as 'organs' that work toward the proper functioning of the 'body' as a whole."
- "Herbert Spencer."
- "It emphasizes 'the effort to impute, as rigorously as possible, to each feature, custom, or practice, its effect on the functioning of a supposedly stable, cohesive system'."
- "A particular stage in the methodological development of social science."
- "Came to describe a particular stage in the methodological development of social science, rather than a specific school of thought."