Function and Conflict Theoretical Perspectives of Social Change
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What is the main cause of social change, according to the Function list perspective and according to Conflict theoretical perspective? The problem is that I do not know the main cause of social change in the various perspectives I stated above.
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This solution explains the main cause of social change according to two perspectives, the Functionalist and Conflict theoretical perspectives.
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1. What is the main cause of social change, according to the Function list perspective and according to Conflict theoretical perspective?
FUNCTIONALISM
Functionalism is one of the major perspectives of sociology. It views society as a system, each of whose components contributes to supporting the others and maintaining the whole. Its proponents tend to explain behavior, including social
change, and institutions in terms of their function within the social system and thus focus on the mechanisms by which society joins together.
Modern functionalism's analytical focus is on the consequences, rather than the causes, of sets of social arrangements. Social conflict, in this sense, is a social arrangement to maintain the equilibrium and continuity of society. For example, according to the functionalists, youth are socialized to accept middle-class values, such as deferred gratification, competitiveness, and verbal rather than physical proficiency. In other words, social change (e.g., the youth's behavior) is due to socialization process and is seen as positive. The effects of social arrangements (including social change) are seen as positive.
Another example can be seen in the sociological term called "stratification" which argues that rewards (e.g., pay, power, and prestige) must be distributed unevenly to ensure that society's most important tasks are accomplished. In both these examples the "effects" of social arrangements (e.g., family arguments, inequality in society, ...
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