following structural functional theory the family sociology

The functionalist perspective continues to try and explain how societies maintained the stability and internal cohesion necessary to ensure their continued existence over time. Instead, modern societies rely on organic solidarity because of the extensive division of labor, members of society are forced to interact and exchange with one another to provide the things they need. Modern societies however, do not fall apart. Durkheim argued that modern industrial society would destroy the traditional mechanical solidarity that held primitive societies together. By contrast, he observed that, in modern societies, traditional family bonds are weaker modern societies also exhibit a complex division of labor, where members perform very different daily tasks. Such societies were held together by shared values and common symbols. According to Durkheim, more primitive or traditional societies were held together by mechanical solidarity members of society lived in relatively small and undifferentiated groups, where they shared strong family ties and performed similar daily tasks. He sought to explain social stability through the concept of solidarity, and differentiated between the mechanical solidarity of primitive societies and the organic solidarity of complex modern societies. Durkheim was concerned with the question of how societies maintain internal stability and survive over time.

It is sometimes called structural-functionalism because it often focuses on the ways social structures (e.g., social institutions) meet social needs.įunctionalism draws its inspiration from the ideas of Emile Durkheim.

The functionalist perspective attempts to explain social institutions as collective means to meet individual and social needs.

Following structural functional theory the family sociology