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Part A

Functionalism

Functionalism is characterized by utilitarianism which supports the established order in society. It is a theoretical trend that emerged in England in 1930 in the social sciences, especially in sociology and social anthropology. Functionalism is characterized by an empiricist approach that advocates the benefits of fieldwork (Bailey, 1996). Structural functionalism is a methodological approach in sociology and socio-cultural anthropology which consists in the interpretation of society as a social system that has its own structure and mechanisms of interaction between structural elements (Bailey, 1996).

Main Tenet of Functionalist Perspective

The main doctrine of the functionalist perspective is related to the peace and harmony in the society. Functionalism urges that the individuals living in the society are the basic pillars of it and in order to maintain the stability and strength of a particular society they must interact with peace and harmony.

Connection of Functionalism with Picture

According to functionalism society is comprised of different structural elements, each of these elements have their own functions. This statement can be analyzed on the basis of picture 1. In this picture there are children that are trying to build an institution. These children can serve as different constituents of society that are trying to formulate a prosperous and developed society. It can also be analyzed that there is a feeling of joy and happiness on the faces of every children that has helped to build this institution. From this picture it can be realized that a developed society can only be formulated if every social class residing in the society work together in harmony.

Picture 1

Conflict Theory

The theory of conflict is one of the great thoughts of modern sociological theory. This theory is regarded as a development that occurred in reaction to the structural functionalism. During the decades of 1950 and 1960 conflict theory provided an alternative for the structural-functionalism, but the concepts provided by this theory have been overtaken recently by Neo-Marxian theories (Bailey, 1996). This theory is most applicable in explaining the conflict between social classes and the eternal battle between the ideologies of capitalism against socialism (Bailey, 1996).

The Main Tenet of Conflict Theory

The essence of conflict theory is best summed up by the structure of a classic pyramid in which the elites dictate the so-called inferior masses. According to this theory all positions, laws and the traditions in society are designed to support those who have traditionally been in power (Bailey, 1996). This theory states that there are groups in the society that are perceived to be higher in status as compared to others; this leads to a conflict between the social classes on the grounds of inequality.

Connection of Conflict Theory with Picture

Picture 2 can serve as the best example for the theory of conflict. In this picture there is an open shop where clothing and accessories are being sold. This ship reflects the social inequality in the society; in addition, it can also be realized that there is a person walking beside the shop, he is wearing the ...