Functionalism
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Functionalism is a system used by cultures which concentrates on and emphasises the functional interactions of cultures and societies, i.e. why and how certain rituals, daily chores etc. are performed within societies. It makes ?law-like? generalisations which are employed to explain and predict social phenomena.
The first main idea is that each culture or society can be viewed as a system that consists of many similar elements that function either separately or together. It is also believed that if one of these elements was altered or removed, then this would affect the other elements and the system as a whole.
The other main idea, the Malinowskian view, is that all of the aspects, such as rituals, ceremonies etc. of a society or culture are performed because they are required to fulfil the biological and/or psychological needs of the individuals of that society. For example, hunting and gathering is performed in some cultures to fulfil the biological need of eating for the individuals of that society.
The theory of cultural relativism can be used to explain why the functionalist theory is applied to certain societies- the activities that they perform are done so because they are regarded as important and necessary according to the different values of each society. If we combine these two ideas, we are able to see that both the Functionalist and cultural relativist theories centred around the fact that the people of societies perform their activities and behave in the ways that they do because these actions and thoughts correspond and are considered to be right and acceptable in terms of the values of the society.
Functionalism says that:
- All elements within a society interconnect and work together
- If one dynamic is changed, it will alter the whole of society
- Society will change to accommodate this change.
- Everything has a specific function in society
- Society will always function in harmony, as it will accommodate change,
by changing itself.
Problems with Functionalism
- Not all elements within a society interconnect.
- Because it argues that society itself changes to accommodate new
dynamics, it fails to provide an explanation for wars and conflicts that
may arise in particular societies.
- It disregards the immediate causes and motivations which are necessary
in order to give rise to a phenomenon (i.e. some behaviours and phenomenon
can not be accounted for, even by those individuals themselves who perform
that behaviour, like mental illness or criminal behaviour, what function
do they serve?)
Case Study-
Malinowski and Functionalism
Malinowski studied the Trobrianders of New Guinea between 1914-1918. He rejected the idea of remaining apart from their daily lives, and instead chose to carry out the participant observation method. He closely observed the activities going on around him and listened carefully to anecdotes, local gossip etc, so that he would be able to provide much fuller accounts of Trobriand life than if he had relied on formal questioning.
He was impressed with the fact that the customs, ideas, artefacts and
language of the islanders all served their biological and psychological
needs, and soon learned that the seemingly useless customs and rituals
(e.g. boat-building and seafaring) did the same. His idea that aspects
of culture are functional in that they fulfil the biological and psychological
(or other) needs of human beings is known as ?Functionalism?. He
argued that the existence of customs, social institutions or social relations
should be interpreted in terms of their function: that is to say, in terms
of their contribution to the satisfaction of ?needs? (both primary physiological
and emotional needs and also secondary or social needs).
One of the rituals performed by the Trobriands was the ?kula ring?, a recurrent exchange of valuable gifts between the different people of the various Trobriand Islands chain. This ritual involved members of the society making dangerous voyages across the seas in canoes in order to frequently exchange these gifts. Although from an outsider?s point of view this process would have seemed pointless, Malinowski learned that it did fit into the idea of functionalism as this ritual was considered very important, worthwhile and sacred because it fulfilled the islanders? social and psychological needs- it allowed them to feel a sense of power and prestige.
There were many rituals that were performed before the canoes left the islands, and these also served to control various emotions and psychological needs, such as anxiety, which the islanders faced before setting off on such journeys. As the Trobrianders were relatively behind the Western World in terms of technology, rituals such as the ones performed before the kula served to bring about a sense of security and power, thus helping to overcome feelings of powerlessness and tension.
Another example of functionalism in this society was the tradition that involved the chief of the Trobrianders receiving very large amounts of foods and other tribute from the villagers whom lived in the area under his reign. The chief was also the sub-owner of many of the agricultural foodstuffs that these villagers owned, and claimed many supplies of these which he was obliged, by custom, to re-distribute at a later stage in the form of payments for various public services performed by the villagers at his command. This meant that the villagers were in fact consuming the products of their own labour, except this was done after the wealth went through the chief and thus emphasised and reinforced his control and made his wealth an instrument of political power in their society.About the Author
by: Admin
Total views: 316
Word Count: 976
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2006 Time: 12:00 AM
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