In this way it can be stated that structural functionalism is generally seen as being supportive of the status quo with an advocacy to maintain the state of existing equilibrium and do not believe in change. Social structures give shape to our lives by using certain rituals, such as a handshake or complex religious ceremonies, give structure to our everyday lives. It asserts that our lives are guided by social structures, which are relatively stable patterns of social behaviour. The structural-functional approach is a perspective in sociology that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. Durkheim’s timeless analysis and Weber’s emphasis on social taxonomies (ideal types) has shaped modern/contemporary structural perspective. Organicism of Comte (and later that of Spencer and Durkheim) influenced the functional anthropologists Malinowski and Redcliffe Brown. Functionalism has its roots in the organicism (Comte) of early 19 th century.

Functionalism is the oldest and dominant conceptual perspective in society. Functionalism addresses the society as a whole in terms of function of its constituent elements such as norms, customs, traditions, institutions etc. Structural functionalism is a broad perspective in sociology and anthropology which interprets society as structure with interrelated parts. Functionalists acknowledge that change is sometimes necessary to correct social dysfunctions but that it must occur slowly so that people and institutions can adapt without rapid disorder. Structural functionalism views shared norms and values as the basis of society, focuses on social order based on tacit agreements between groups and organizations and views social change as occurring in a slow and orderly fashion. It is a consensus theory which sees society as built upon order, interrelation, and balance among parts as a means of maintaining the smooth functioning of the whole.

According to structural functionalism society is an organism, a system of parts, all of which serve a function together for the overall effectiveness and efficiency of society. In the 1960’s this approach has been quite popular and used extensively in research and can be considered “… perhaps the dominant theoretical orientation in sociology and anthropology” at that time. Structural functionalism was the dominant approach of sociology between World War II and the Vietnam War. Structural Functionalism: An Introduction Contributors of Structural Functionalism.Assumptions of Structural Functionalism.

Define structural functional theory