Sociological Thinkers and Perspectives: Functionalism, Conflict, Interactionism
What this domain tests
Metatheory - comparing how three perspectives treat the same institution - plus classical contributions that the exam expects by name, work and concept.
Core content
- Functionalism: society as a system of interdependent parts meeting needs. Comte and Spencer (organic analogy, evolution); Durkheim (social facts, collective conscience, anomie, functions of religion); Parsons (AGIL, pattern variables); Merton (manifest vs latent functions, dysfunctions, middle-range theory).
- Conflict: Marx - base and superstructure, class conflict, alienation, ideology; later conflict theory - Dahrendorf on authority, Coser on the functions of conflict, Mills on the power elite.
- Interactionism: meaning is negotiated at the micro level. Weber's Verstehen and his action types (traditional, affectual, value-rational, instrumental-rational); Simmel's formal sociology; Mead's self and I/Me; Blumer's three premises; Goffman's dramaturgy; Garfinkel's ethnomethodology; Becker's labelling.
- Other nameable contributions: Comte coined "sociology" and positivism; Spencer's social Darwinism; Maine's status-to-contract; Tonnies's Gemeinschaft/Gesellschaft.
Worked example
"Examine classroom education from all three perspectives." Functionalist: the school socialises, sorts talent and integrates students, and its tests certify competence. Conflict: the hidden curriculum transmits ruling-class values, and unequal funding reproduces inequality (Bowles and Gintis). Interactionist: teacher expectations and labelling, together with the self-fulfilling prophecy, shape which pupil is seen as "able" regardless of test performance. The reasoning is to move from system-level function, to power and inequality, to face-to-face meaning.
Traps
Treating functionalism as "saying everything is good" (it includes dysfunctions); reducing Marxism to violent conflict alone; calling Verstehen mere sympathy; crediting Durkheim with strain theory (that is Merton); confusing manifest with latent functions.
Exam technique
Name the thinker, name the work, name the concept, then apply it to the Indian example.