13. Structural-Functionalism
What Is Structural-Functionalism?
● views society as a complex unit composed of many parts
that come and work together to ensure its stability and
survival
● macro-level approach emphasizing on the following:
○ social structures
○ social institutions
○ social functions
13
14. Structural-Functionalism
What Is Structural-Functionalism?
● social structures – patterns in society that are considered
relatively stable
● social institutions – groups that can influence norms in
society
● social functions – consequences (of each social structure)
for the operation of society
14
19. Structural-Functionalism
Manifest and Latent Functions
● According to American
sociologist Robert K. Merton,
there are two types of social
functions:
○ manifest functions
○ latent functions
19
Scan or click this!
20. Structural-Functionalism
Manifest and Latent Functions
Manifest functions
● recognized and intended
consequences
● readily attributed to a specific
social structure or institution
20
The manifest function of school
is to produce graduates.
21. Part of the norm in specific age groups
is to develop relationships—intimate
or not.
Structural-Functionalism
Manifest and Latent Functions
Latent functions
● unrecognized and unintended
consequences
● hidden purposes of a social
structure or institution
21
22. Structural-Functionalism
Manifest and Latent Functions
Social dysfunctions
elements or processes of or
within society that may disrupt
solidarity and stability
○ detrimental to society
○ may vary from one person to
another
22
School dropout is an example of
social dysfunction.
23. Check
Your
Progress
23
What other aspects of society (either social
structure or social institution) exhibit both
manifest and latent functions? Explain your
answer.
24. Structural-Functionalism
Emile Durkheim
● prominent figure under
structural-functionalism
● The Rules of Sociological Method
● The Elementary Forms of Religious
Life
● The Division of Labor in Society
● Suicide
24
25. Structural-Functionalism
Structuralism
● looks into underlying patterns
in human behavior that leads
to observable social
phenomena
● main proponent: Claude Lévi-
Strauss
Late 20th
century saw a
“linguistic turn”
among social
scientists.
25
26. Despite contrasting approaches, both
structuralists and structural-
functionalists remained focused on
discovering and understanding general
patterns or principles and their function(s) in
society.
26
27. Try This!
Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.
1. Structural-functionalism is a major
sociological approach that looks into the
different roles of social institutions and
how they interact in society to ensure its
____________ and survival.
27
28. Try This!
Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.
2. A ____________ -level sociological approach
looks at society as a whole.
28
29. Try This!
Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.
3. ____________ are how social patterns affect
the large-scale workings of society.
29
30. Try This!
Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.
4. Sociologist Herbert Spencer compared
society to the ____________.
30
31. Try This!
Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.
5. Emile Durkheim analyzed the concepts of
integration and ____________.
31
32. Wrap-Up
● Structural-functionalism is an approach that
views society as a complex unit or system
composed of many parts that come and work
together to ensure its stability and survival.
● Social functions, according to sociologist John
Macionis, refer to “consequences [of each social
structure] for the operation of society.”
● Manifest function refers to the recognized and
intended consequences of an aspect of society.
Latent function refers to the unrecognized and
unintended consequences of an aspect of society.
32
33. Wrap-Up
● Social dysfunction refers to an element or process
of or within a society that may actually disrupt
solidarity and stability. It can be analyzed as
generally detrimental to society. However, some
people can also have varying notions of what is
considered a social dysfunction.
● Structuralism is the study of the underlying
patterns in human behavior, in turn leading to
observable social phenomena.
33
35. 35
Challenge
Yourself Social media has become an important part of
people’s lives. What do you think are the manifest
function and the latent function of social media?
How can it create social dysfunction? Explain your
answer.
36. Photo Credit
Slide 23: expelled by Gan Khoon Lay is licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Noun Project.
36
37. Bibliography
Farganis, James. Readings in Social Theory: The Classic Tradition to Post-Modernism, 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2014.
Ferrante, Joan. Sociology: A Global Perspective, 7th ed. Belmont: Thomson Higher Education, 2008.
Form, W. and Nico. "Social structure." Encyclopedia Britannica, November 19, 2020.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-structure.
Macionis, John J. Sociology, 16th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited, 2017.
Macionis, John J., and Linda M. Gerber. Sociology, 5th Canadian ed. Toronto: Pearson Education Canada, 2003.
37
38. Bibliography
Pillemer, Karl, and Nina Glasgow. “Social Integration and Aging: Background and Trends,” in Social Integration in the
Second Half of Life, edited by Karl Pillemer, 19-47. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Ritzer, George, and Jeffrey Stepnisky. Sociological Theory. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2017.
Robert Alun Jones, “The Rules of Sociological Method (1895),” in Emile Durkheim: An Introduction to Four Major Works, 60-
81. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications, 1986. https://durkheim.uchicago.edu/Summaries/rules.html.
Wallace, Ruth, and Alison Wolf. Contemporary Sociological Theory, 4th ed. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall,
1995. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-76522-8.
38
Editor's Notes
For the answer key, please refer to the Answer Key of the study guide provided in the Teacher's Content.
For the answer key, please refer to the Answer Key of the study guide provided in the Teacher's Content.
For the answer key, please refer to the Answer Key of the study guide provided in the Teacher's Content.
For the answer key, please refer to the Answer Key of the study guide provided in the Teacher's Content.
For the answer key, please refer to the Answer Key of the study guide provided in the Teacher's Content.
For the answer key, please refer to the Answer Key of the study guide provided in the Teacher's Content.
For the answer key, please refer to the Answer Key of the study guide provided in the Teacher's Content.
For the answer key, please refer to the Answer Key of the study guide provided in the Teacher's Content.
For the answer key, please refer to the Answer Key of the study guide provided in the Teacher's Content.
For the answer key, please refer to the Answer Key of the study guide provided in the Teacher's Content.
For the suggested rubric, please refer to the study guide.