SOC101Y1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Manifest And Latent Functions And Dysfunctions, Talcott Parsons
Document Summary
Soc101 reading notes pages 17-19 sociological theories. Durkheim"s theory of suicide is a valuable example of what is now referred to as functionalist theory. The four features of functionalism are as follows: human behaviour is governed by stable patterns of social relations and social structures. Durkheim emphasized that suicide rates are influenced by the patterns of social solidarity. Social structures analyzed are mainly macrostructures: talks about how social structures maintains or weakens social stability. Durkheim analyzed the lowered level of social solidarity and higher social instability (higher suicide rate and strikes) in 19th century europe after the growth of city industries: emphasizes that social structures are based on shared values. Durkheim wrote that social solidarity is a moral cement that binds people together, not just how often and how intense social interactions are: re-establishing equilibrium is the best way to solve most social problems.
