Premium Essay

Assess the Functionalist View That Religion Benefits Both Society as a Whole and Its Individual Members (18 Marks)

In: Social Issues

Submitted By cm14
Words 847
Pages 4
Functionalists believe that religion is beneficial for both society as a whole and its individual members, this is because it unifies society and creates consensus, which in turn gives each individual member a source of support when they need it. However some theorists disagree with the functionalist ideology.

Firstly, functionalist claim religion benefits society in a number of ways, it creates a sense of social solidarity, meaning a shared sense of identity, history, norms and values (a collective conscience). This is supported by item A, ‘religion's contribution to value consensus and social integration’. Functionalist explain that if all of a society's members are part of the same religion then they all share the same belief system, resulting in consensus between all of its members. The religious institution will teach its members the norms and values of the society they are in and the collective worship will bind societies members closer together, for example, people in Muslim countries who are part of the faith of Islam, understand it is normal to stop and pray 5 times a day and also that no-one should work on Friday however people in Christian countries understand the day of rest to be Sunday. Functionalist therefore claim members of a society have a collective conscience, they think in the same way, due to their shared norms and values.

Functionalists also believe that religion unifies people; the functionalist Emile Durkheim studied an aboriginal tribe the Arunta. He explains how the collective worship of the sacred totem by the Arunta united society into a single moral community. As their totem is sacred, it inspires feelings of wonder and awe due to the fact it is different to every other normal, profane item. Their totem is a symbol that makes them different to other clans so in effect it is like they are worshipping a symbol of their society even

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Using Material from Item a and Elsewhere, Assess the Functionalist View That Religion Benefits Both Society as a Whole and Its Individual Members (18 Marks)"

...Elsewhere, Assess the Functionalist View That Religion Benefits Both Society as a Whole and Its Individual Members (18 Marks)" Many functionalists argue that religion benefits both society as a whole as well as its individual members however other sociologists may oppose this view and claim that those who do actually benefit from religion this is at the expense of others, this in itself contradicts many of the beliefs set out in religions themselves. The consensus view as posed by functionalists presents religion in a far more positive light in comparison to that put forward by Marxists and feminists for example. As in Item A, stating that religion integrates individuals into a community by instilling into them a set of shared beliefs that gives them a feeling of belonging and common identity supporting the view that religion does benefit society as a whole. On the other hand it can be viewed that those who benefit from religion is in fact at the expense of others, as stated in Item A line 5. This contradicts the positive view towards religion and poses it in a much more negative light. From a functionalist perspective, Emile Derkheim defines religion in terms of the contribution it makes to social integration, rather than any specific belief in God or the supernatural. However this can be counter-argued in that just because an institution helps integrate individuals into groups this does not mean it is a religion. To try and come to a conclusion as to whether religion does actually...

Words: 645 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Sociology

...words | Theories o religion: | Religious organisationsTypologies | Religious organisationsWhy people join. | Religious organisationsdevelopment | NAMs/NRMs | Religion in global context:Secularisation | Religion in a global contextFundamentalism- | Religion and social Change | Religion as source of conflict or consensus | Religiosity: Class | Religiosity: Age | Religiosity: Gender | Religiosity: Ethnicity | Belief Systems: Religion | Belief Systems: Science: | Belief Systems: ideology | Jun12 | Religion is still the most significant ideological influence in the world today. ’To what extent do sociological arguments and evidence support this view? (33 marks) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Critically examine sociological views of sects in society today. (33 marks) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the view that women are no longer oppressed by religion. (18 marks) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Jan 12 | The growth of New Age and similar movements is evidence of a spiritual revolution in society today.’ To what extent do sociological arguments and evidence support this view? (33 marks) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Assess the usefulness of functionalist theories in understanding religion today.(33 marks) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the view that most people...

Words: 827 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

U.S Supreme Court Case Buck V. Bell

...Crime and Deviance Revision SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Sociology Department Greenhead College SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Remember: You have to revise everything, because you have no choice on the exam paper. The specification 1 Different theories of crime, deviance, social order and social control * Different definitions of crime, deviance, social order and social control * The distinction between sociological theories of crime and other theories (eg biological, psychological); crime and deviance as socially constructed * Functionalist theories of crime: Durkheim, anomie, collective conscience; Merton’s strain theory; manifest and latent functions; functionalist subcultural theories * Marxist and neo-Marxist theories of crime: classical Marxism, laws reflecting class interests; Neo-Marxism, hegemony, the CCCS studies, critical and new criminology * Interactionist theories of crime: labelling theory, the self-fulfilling prophecy * Feminist theories of crime: patriarchy, male control of women’s lives * Control theory and other contemporary approaches to crime: social bonds, communitarianism, situational prevention; postmodern theories; Foucault on individualisation and surveillance * Realist theories: New Left Realism and Right Realism * The relevance of the various theories to understanding different types of crime, and their implications for social policy. 2 The social distribution...

Words: 25825 - Pages: 104

Premium Essay

Cults and Sects

...Crime and Deviance Revision SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Sociology Department Greenhead College SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Remember: You have to revise everything, because you have no choice on the exam paper. The specification 1 Different theories of crime, deviance, social order and social control * Different definitions of crime, deviance, social order and social control * The distinction between sociological theories of crime and other theories (eg biological, psychological); crime and deviance as socially constructed * Functionalist theories of crime: Durkheim, anomie, collective conscience; Merton’s strain theory; manifest and latent functions; functionalist subcultural theories * Marxist and neo-Marxist theories of crime: classical Marxism, laws reflecting class interests; Neo-Marxism, hegemony, the CCCS studies, critical and new criminology * Interactionist theories of crime: labelling theory, the self-fulfilling prophecy * Feminist theories of crime: patriarchy, male control of women’s lives * Control theory and other contemporary approaches to crime: social bonds, communitarianism, situational prevention; postmodern theories; Foucault on individualisation and surveillance * Realist theories: New Left Realism and Right Realism * The relevance of the various theories to understanding different types of crime, and their implications for social policy. 2 The social distribution...

Words: 25825 - Pages: 104

Premium Essay

Road to Hell

...only be understood when the meanings of the people's actions are known, it is necessary to understand the attitudes, feelings, and beliefs. He called this Verstehen, a German word for understanding. -Karl Marx focused on the struggle between social classes of people. Marx called owners of the means of production the bourgeoisie and the non-owners the proletariat. Marx believed that a social class was determined solely by economics. -W.E.B Dubois researched conflict theory as it pertained to racial prejudice in hopes of achieving justice for his race. He helped found the NAACP. -Charles Horton Cooley and George Herbert Mead studied the effects of symbols such as nods of the head, clinched fists, smiles, frowns, stares, etc., as individual behaviors that influence group behaviors. They also...

Words: 20445 - Pages: 82

Premium Essay

Sociology

... |failed to the Secondary Modern School. This exam still exists in some counties such as | | |Kent and also in Northern Ireland. | |12-Plus Exam |Exam made available only to a minority of 'high-flyers' in Secondary Modern schools, | | |offering a late chance to go to Grammar School at the age of 12. | |'30-30-40 society' |A term associated with Will Hutton to describe an increasingly insecure and polarised | | |society. The bottom 30 per cent is socially excluded by poverty from the rest of society.| | |The next 30 per cent live in fear and insecurity of falling into poverty. Only the top 40| | |per cent feel secure and confident. | A |abortion |The 1967 Abortion Act permitted termination of pregnancy by a registered practitioner | | |subject to certain conditions and was introduced in 1968. Currently around one-third of | ...

Words: 22530 - Pages: 91

Premium Essay

Psychology

...as well as significant changes. * Sociology -Sociology is the study of human social life, groups, and societies. -They also study the interactions among these groups and the individuals within them. * Psychology -The scientific study of behavior and mental processes. -Psychologists look at how the brain functions and what is the result on peoples personalities, behaviors, and attitudes. <Introduction to Sociology> * What is sociology? - The social science discipline that looks at the development and structure of human society (institutions) and how it works - Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior * Sociology subjects matter - Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts * Hierarchy - Hierarchy is the ranking system used in any particular environment based on authority or power - Each position or role requires a certain type of expertise which is valued by society - In order to distinguish between these roles people are expected to dress and act in a certain way - On any given day we can play many different roles in society – eg. A parent can drive their kids to school and then go to work and teach their students * The roles we play - We all play certain roles in our society - Social Scientists refer to this as status -The term used to describe our position or role within an institution ...

Words: 8321 - Pages: 34

Premium Essay

Bdhs

...German version of parts of the Introduction; Smelser has profited from the research assistance and critical analyses given by Joppke. 1. Social Change and Modernity Those who organized the conference on which this volume is based—including the editors— decided to use the terms "social change" and "modernity" as the organizing concepts for this project. Because these terms enjoy wide usage in contemporary sociology and are general and inclusive, they seem preferable to more specific terms such as "evolution" "progress," "differentiation," or even "development," many of which evoke more specific mechanisms, processes, and directions of change. Likewise, we have excluded historically specific terms such as "late capitalism" and "industrial society" even though these concepts figure prominently in many of the contributions to this volume. The conference strategy called for a general statement of a metaframework for the study of social change within which a variety of more specific theories could be identified. 2. Theories of Social Change Change is such an evident feature of social reality that any social-scientific theory, whatever its conceptual starting point, must sooner or later address it. At the same time it is essential to note that the ways social change has been identified have varied greatly in the history of thought. Furthermore, conceptions of change appear to have mirrored the historical ―2― realities of different epochs in large degree. In his essay...

Words: 171529 - Pages: 687

Premium Essay

Religion, Fundamentalism and Ethnicity Global Perspective

...permission of the Institute of Policy Studies. Copy editor: Belinda Hill Cover design: Milne Printers Ltd Printed by Milne Printers Ltd Contents List of Tables iv List of Figures iv List of Boxes iv Foreword v Acknowledgments and Disclaimer ix Part One: Introduction and Context of Inquiry 1 Introduction 2 New Zealand Context 3 21 Part Two: Communitarian Responses to Liberalism Introduction to Part Two 61 3 Civic Republicanism: Michael Sandel 63 4 The Politics of Recognition: Charles Taylor 83 Part Three: Multiculturalism Introduction to Part Three 105 5 Multicultural Citizenship: Will Kymlicka 107 6 Common Citizenship in a Multicultural Society: Bhikhu Parekh 151 Part Four: Critical Responses to Multiculturalism Introduction to Part Four 187 7 A Politics of Difference: Iris Marion Young 189 8 Against White Paranoid Nationalism: Ghassan Hage 223 9 Egalitarian Liberalism: Brian Barry 243 Part Five: Concluding Reflections 10 Diversity, Democracy, Justice 271 Afterword 306 References 307 Index of Names 335 iii Tables 1 Levy’s typology...

Words: 135228 - Pages: 541

Free Essay

Avon in Global Market in 2009, Managing and Developing a Global Workforce

...The London School of Economics and Political Science THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE DEMOCRATISATION OF GLOBAL GOVERNANCE INSTITUTIONS: From ‘Soft Power’ to Collective Decision-Making? Saif Al-Islam Alqadhafi A thesis submitted to the Department of Philosophy of the London School of Economics for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London, September 2007 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the MPhil/PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of the author. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. 2 Abstract This dissertation analyses the problem of how to create more just and democratic global governing institutions, exploring the approach of a more formal system of collective decision-making by the three main actors in global society: governments, civil society and the business sector. The thesis seeks to make a contribution by presenting for discussion an addition to the system of international governance that is morally...

Words: 127847 - Pages: 512

Premium Essay

Global Political Economy

...GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND DIPLOMACY STUDENT GUIDELINE NOTES GLOBAL POLITICAL ECONOMY MODULE Paste the notes here… Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government. Political economy originated in moral philosophy (e.g. Adam Smith was Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Glasgow), it developed in the 18th century as the study of the economies of states — polities, hence political economy. In late nineteenth century, the term "political economy" was generally replaced by the term economics, used by those seeking to place the study of economy upon mathematical and axiomatic bases, rather than the structural relationships of production and consumption (cf. marginalism, Alfred Marshall). History of the term Originally, political economy meant the study of the conditions under which production was organized in the nation-states. The phrase économie politique (translated in English as political economy) first appeared in France in 1615 with the well known book by Antoyne de Montchrétien: Traicté de l’oeconomie politique. French physiocrats, Adam Smith, David Ricardo and Karl Marx were some of the exponents of political economy. In 1805, Thomas Malthus became England's first professor of political economy, at the East India Company College, Haileybury, Hertfordshire. The world's first professorship in political economy was established...

Words: 39122 - Pages: 157

Premium Essay

New Media and Youth: a Challenge or an Opportunity?

...on new Media and whether its’ usage has any effect on academic performance. This is explored from the context of HAVO Dutch youths in Rotterdam aged 14-16 years in two schools; Calvijn and Comenius colleges particularly from their peer solidarity and socialization processes. HAVO is one of the four streams of secondary education in Holland referred to as Senior general secondary education (HAVO). The stream takes five years and qualifies students to enter higher vocational education (HBO). Some students can also choose to enter pre-university secondary education VWO or MBO education (Dutch Education Journal, 2007). The analysis is based on both qualitative and quantitative findings from Focus Group Discussions (FDGs), structured and semistructured interviews, drawings, observations and questionnaires. This study considers both the advantages and disadvantages of youth engagement in new media. The study also attempt to contribute to the wider development discourses in the field of children and youth. The conclusion for this book highlights how new media has played a role in the youth cultures in structuring their peer relationships. Throughout the study, pseudo names are used for ethical reasons. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Before delving deeper to this study, it’s important to have some background understanding on what led me to conduct this particular study and the context to which the study was conducted. The full importance of the context background will be appreciated...

Words: 19212 - Pages: 77

Free Essay

Swn Jdkjkjje Jne

...Employment News 31 May - 6 June 2014 www.employmentnews.gov.in 21 UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION EXAMINATION NOTICE NO. 09/2014-CSP (LAST DATE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS : 30/06/2014) DATE :31.05.2014 CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION, 2014 (Commission’s website-http://upsc.gov.in) F. No. 1/5/2013-E.I(B) : Preliminary Examination of the Civil Services Examination for recruitment to the Services and Posts mentioned below will be held by the Union Public Service Commission on 24th Aug., 2014 in accordance with the Rules published by the Department of Personnel & Training in the Gazette of India Extraordinary dated 31st May, 2014. (i) Indian Administrative Service. (ii) Indian Foreign Service. (iii) Indian Police Service. (iv) Indian P & T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A’. (v) Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’. (vi) Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise), Group ‘A’. (vii) Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’. (viii) Indian Revenue Service (I.T.), Group ‘A’. (ix) Indian Ordnance Factories Service, Group ‘A’ (Assistant Works Manager, Administration). (x) Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’. (xi) Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’. (xii) Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group ‘A’. (xiii) Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group 'A'. (xiv) Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group ‘A’. (xv) Post of Assistant Security Commissioner in Railway Protection Force, Group ‘A’ (xvi) Indian Defence Estates Service, Group...

Words: 47693 - Pages: 191

Premium Essay

Your Research Project

...your research project your research project a step-by-step guide for the first-time researcher NICHOLAS WALLIMAN with Bousmaha Baiche SAGE Publications London • Thousand Oaks • New Delhi To my wife, Ursula © Nicholas Walliman 2001 Chapter 2 © Dr Bousmaha Baiche 2001 First published 2001 Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, or by any means, only with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers. SAGE Publications Ltd 6 Bonhill Street London EC2A 4PU SAGE Publications Inc 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd 32, M-Block Market Greater Kailash – I New Delhi 110 048 British Library Cataloguing in Publication data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0 7619 6538 6 ISBN 0 7619 6539 4 (pbk) Library of Congress catalog record available Typeset by Keystroke, Jacaranda Lodge, Wolverhampton. Printed in Great Britain by The Cromwell Press Ltd, Trowbridge, Wiltshire CONTENTS Acknowledgements Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Research and the Research Problem Information...

Words: 136496 - Pages: 546

Premium Essay

Study Habits

...case with the present book. This is a book that deserves to achieve a wide readership. Professor Stephen Ackroyd, Lancaster University, UK This new textbook usefully situates organization theory within the scholarly debates on modernism and postmodernism, and provides an advanced introduction to the heterogeneous study of organizations, including chapters on phenomenology, critical theory and psychoanalysis. Like all good textbooks, the book is accessible, well researched and readers are encouraged to view chapters as a starting point for getting to grips with the field of organization theory. Dr Martin Brigham, Lancaster University, UK McAuley et al. provide a highly readable account of ideas, perspectives and practices of organization. By thoroughly explaining, analyzing and exploring organization theory the book increases the understanding of a field that in recent years has become ever more fragmented. Organization theory is central to managing, organizing and reflecting on both formal and informal structures, and in this respect you will find this book timely,...

Words: 230271 - Pages: 922