The Conflict Perspective Views Society Less as a Cohesive...

COURSE: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY TOPIC: The conflict perspective views society less as a cohesive system and more as an arena of conflict and power struggles. Compare and contrast the main tenets of the functionalist and conflict perspectives. ANSWER: SECTION A Functionalists view society as a system of Social structures or subsystems working interdependently. In order for society to function, all parts of the whole must have a general consensus. Similarly, conflict theorists operate on the premise that society functions in a way that each individual contributes to the whole, however, conflict arises as participants within society struggle to maximize their benefits. In other words, the sub-systems are perpetuated in order to†¦show more content†¦This other type of solidarity is made up of the interdependence of several elements within a general acceptance of the need to be different. Commonly shared values still exist but are now generalized, simply because experiences are not longer totally common and shared. Therefore, instead of focusing on the details of the action, common values are generally just for actual social practices. The division of labour can now be seen as a moral phenomenon. For example, the people of a mod ern society rely on the Shoemaker, the Baker and the Gas station Attendant, all of which may not have commonly shared daily experiences. Durkheim believed that this division of labour is necessary to ensure the continuance of order throughout society. Hence, this new form of Social Solidarity, Organic Solidarity, is vital in the prevention of a collapsed society. Durkheim saw society to be a stable and orderly cohesive system that experiences and adapts to change in order to create a new order and by doing so, moving forward to a new state of equilibrium. Karl Marx, on the other hand, was a Conflict Theorist. The word â€Å"conflict† in itself is almost polar opposite to â€Å"Functional†. Conflict theories differ from Functional theories because they stress on the existence of competing groups and the lack of cohesiveness, while functionalist focus on cooperation betweenShow MoreRelatedMacro Sociological Perspectives844 Words   |  4 PagesThe conflict perspective views society less as a cohesive system and more as an arena of conflict and power struggles. Compare and contrast the main tenets of the functionalist and conflict perspectives. â€Å"The conflict perspective views society less as a cohesive system and more as an arena of conflict and power struggles†. This perspective was founded by sociologist Karl Marx (1818-1883) and serves to introduce the concept that â€Å"inequality and specifically inequality under capitalism† existsRead MoreCompare and Contrast the Main Tenet of the Functionalist and Conflict Perspectives.884 Words   |  4 PagesTopic: The conflict perspective views society less as a cohesive system and more as an arena of conflict and power struggles. Compare and contrast the main tenet of the Functionalist and Conflict Perspectives. Over the years, sociologist has put forward their views when it came to defining, studding and understanding society. Society can be defined as a group or unit of people living in a geographical area, sharing a similar background and/or culture. In sociological term, a society is any groupRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pages. Organization Theory Challenges and Perspectives John McAuley, Joanne Duberley and Phil Johnson . This book is, to my knowledge, the most comprehensive and reliable guide to organisational theory currently available. What is needed is a text that will give a good idea of the breadth and complexity of this important subject, and this is precisely what McAuley, Duberley and Johnson have provided. They have done some sterling service in bringing together the very diverse strands of workRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagespublishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to P earson Education, Inc., Permissions Department