Assess the strengths and weaknesses on the functionalist approach to society (33 marks)

A strength of the functionalist approach to society is the explanation of how social order is achieved.Parsons argues that social order is achieved through the existence of a shared culture, a set or norms and values that are shaped by the members of a society. This provides a framework that allows individuals to cooperate by following rules that they should behave and defining the goals that they should pursue.Parsons calls this agreement a value consensus.The value consensus makes social order possible as it integrates individuals into the social system thereby directing them to meet the systems needs.For example, for people's material needs to be met, the individuals must get a job in order to earn money. For Parsons, the system has two ways of ensuring that this social order is met; through socialisation and Social control. Individuals are socialised through different agencies of socialisation such as the family and the education system. These agents teach the individual to want what the value consensus requires them to do. The system also integrates people through social control, positive sanctions reward conformity while negative ones punish deviance.For example, the system promotes individual achievement through educational success, those who do well in the educational system will be rewarded with university degrees. Others who drop out of school or fail may be stigmatised and negatively labelled. From these basic ideas, it is easy to build up a more detailed model of the social system and how it works, this is a strength of the functionalist approach.

However, Merton criticises functionalism for a number of reasons. Merton criticises the functionalist idea of functional unity, parsons assumes that all parts of the social system are tightly integrated together and hat one part failing would have a knock on effect. Merton discounts this theory and suggests that complex modern societies in fact have many parts who may be distantly related to one another. Instead of functional unity, some parts have functional autonomy and independence from others. Furthermore, Merton argues that there may be functional alternatives and that not everything is functionally indispensable. For example, the traditional nuclear family may not be the best agent in which to socialise children, one parent families may do an even better job.In addition to his criticisms of functionalism, Merton also distinguishes between 'manifest' and 'latent' functions. For example, the Hopi Indians would perform rain dances in times of drought in order to magically produce rain. This is a manifest or intended function which from a scientific point of view is unlikely to work.Although, the rain dance may also have a latent or unintended function for example bringing a sense of solidarity. In this way, Merton's distinction is helpful in identifying connections between social phenomena.