Functionalism, Conflict and Symbolic Interaction are names of the theories.
Functionalism is attributed to Emile Durkheim. He studied and looked at how structures of society work and why sometimes they don't work. I gave you the example of a baseball game. What is needed for a professional baseball game to "work"? You all said, players, umpires, coaches, grounds crew, fans, concession workers, scoreboard operator, owners, etc. What happens if one of them do not perform their "function"? The system breaks down and doesn't work. An umpire can't just refuse to call ball and strikes. Fans can't just wander on the field. That causes "dysfunction". Society tends to want to keep life functional so we try to fill our expected roles.
Conflict Theory is accredited to Karl Marx. Marx saw the world as a struggle of those who have power and those who do not (the haves and the have nots). Depending on your status you are either trying to do things to hold on to power or trying to gain power. The conflict that arises between the two groups is what brings about change to society. Such as the power struggle between factory owners and factory workers. Marx called for the workers of the world to "unite" and overthrow the power holding elites.
The last theory I introduced was Symbolic Interaction. It argues that symbols dictate our view of the world and how we interact with them. Symbols will mean certain things to certain people but may mean something else to another. Take a look at the following cartoon:
In this cartoon, the island and the boat represents two different things depending on the perspective. The guy on the boat can't wait to get on land and off the boat. So he sees land as a safe place. Vice Versa for the guy on the island.
A tree may mean shade to one person but to a construction worker it may be seen as a useful tool to build a house.
Imagine a seeing a priest in a full priest's robe. What assumptions do you have about them? What if you saw him in a bar with a beer and a shot? It breaks the expectation and would seem weird. The symbol of the cross and the robe creates an expectation for you. Dysfunction occurs when the symbol is in a unique situation.
There are three rules to Symbolic Interaction:
1. We act toward things on the basis of their meanings
2. Meanings aren’t inherent. We create them.
3. Meanings can be changed or modified
Take a look at the following cartoon. Which of the theories are prevalent in Calvin's world?
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