Functionalism And Radcliffe Brown s Functionalism

Part A. In its infancy, the field of anthropology was dominated by only a few schools of thought. In its very earliest years, evolutionism and diffusionism were the foremost theories in anthropology. However, two other theories promptly took the place of evolutionism and diffusionism and ruled the landscape of anthropology for a large swath of the twentieth century. These two theories are known as functionalism, which was developed by Bronislaw Malinowski, and structural functionalism -- developed by A.R. Radcliffe-Brown. The two theories are similar, in that, both theories examine the function phenomena have in maintaining social cohesion. However, Malinowski’s functionalism and Radcliffe-Brown’s functionalism are vastly different and†¦show more content†¦Radcliffe-Brown says society is made up of countless structures, that is to say social relationships, that make up any given society. These structures, according to Radcliffe-Brown, have cultures that allow members t o participate in any given society. For example, Radcliffe-Brown would say that an individual’s relationship with a structure such as religion, allows that individual to participate in the society he or she is a member of. The gist of structural functionalism is structures produce culture which hold the society-at-large together. Malinowski and Radcliffe-Brown disagree in their theories about the role of the individual. Malinowski and functionalism focus on the role of the individual in a society. Functionalism is all about society and culture satisfying the biological needs of an individual. In other words, individuals can have their biological needs met by forming relationships with other people. Social systems are only created as a vehicle to advance oneself and fulfill one’s biological needs. Radcliffe-Brown’s structural functionalism sees the individual as fundamentally irrelevant. In fact, his view is almost the opposite of Malinowski’s view of the individual in society. Structural functionalism says that people form structures, not for the advancement of themselves, but for the advancement and cohesion of the greater society. Fundamentally, structural functionalism and Radcliffe-Brown say that individuals are replaceableShow MoreRelatedScience Which Deals With The Establishment And Development Of Human Societies Essay1589 Words   |  7 Pagestake care of it after addressing the functionalism and the structuralism. Talcon Parsons (1902-1979) was the theoretical more outstanding of the sociology American of the period of post-war. Author prolific, wrote about many areas of the sociology empirical and theoretical. He made contributions to the study of the family, the bureaucracy, professions and politics, among others. Was one of those authors that more contributed to the development of the functionalism, an approach theoretical of which hadRead MoreFunctionalism Of Sociology And Social Anthropology Essay3360 Words   |  14 PagesFUNCTIONALISM IN SOCIOLOGY In sociology and social anthropology the term functional analysis is used not only in the mathematical sense, where a function expresses a correspondence between two variables such that the second, or dependent, variable is said to be a function of the first, or the independent variable. Sociologists, of course, like all scientists, are interested in establishing such dependencies. The term functional analysis in their work also has a special connotation similar toRead MoreAn Introduction To Psychology . The American Psychological1758 Words   |  8 Pagesscience like biology and philosophy. The different schools of psychology was to represent the major theories within psychology. Wundt was able to form one of the many systems of psychology; structuralism. Along with existentialism, behaviorism and functionalism which are just a few of the traditional schools and systems of psychology. These schools of psychology have influence human knowledge and understanding of psychology. The Existentialism, influence and the application of treatment. One of the manyRead Moresociology4813 Words   |  20 PagesThe ancient Indian philosophy consists of six schools of thought, these are Yoga, Sankhya, Nyaya, Vaishesika, Vedanta, Mimamsa. These are valuable sources for social thought. Moreover, the Upanishads consist of philosophical enquiries into the man s inner life and final destiny. Indian society had the impact of Islamic tradition which gave rise to the Sufi cult and had influence on the life-style and value system. (b) Impact of British: The traditional handicraft of India was unable to match withRead MoreTracing Theoretical Approaches to Crime and Social Control: from Functionalism to Postmodernism16559 Words   |  67 Pages.............................................................................. 1-5 Introductory information CHAPTER 2 ....................................................................................................................... 6 FUNCTIONALISM, ANOMIE, AND STRAIN THEORY ........................................................ 6-25 Strain theory ............................................................................................................... 12 Merton‘s Anomie (strain)