functionalism

Meaning: Functionalism (structural functionalism), linked to Durkheim, Parsons and Merton, compares society to an organism. Institutions such as family, education, religion, government and the economy are the parts, and each meets a social need and promotes solidarity and stability. Merton separated manifest functions (intended and recognized, such as schools teaching skills) from latent functions (unintended or unrecognized, such as schools providing childcare or social networks). A dysfunction is an effect that disrupts stability. Durkheim argued that even deviance can have a function, because responding to it clarifies norms and strengthens group cohesion. In psychology, functionalism is a separate early school (William James) that asked what mental processes are for in helping an organism adapt.

On the MCAT: A passage describes an institution or social pattern, such as education, poverty or crime, and asks how each theoretical perspective would interpret it. The functionalist answer is about the contribution to social order. Expect comparisons with conflict theory (inequality and competition for resources), symbolic interactionism (meaning in everyday interaction), and social constructionism.

Common confusion: Students assume a function means a good or intended outcome. Latent functions are unintended, and dysfunctions exist within the theory. Functionalism is also a macro-level view of social structure, not a micro-level account of individual interaction, which belongs to symbolic interactionism.