Structural Functionalism Paradigm

In our culture there are rules for everything. Rules and laws are made for a reason. They

are there to help protect us and “regulate” lives. Rules concern everything from how to act in

school to traffic violations and everything in between. When these rules or laws are broken,

they create a social change. Structural functionalism and anomie look at these ideals and

changes.

Structural functionalism is a macro perspective. It states that to understand the individual

experience we must first examine the larger social structure. There is a basic assumption that

goes along with this theory. It states that society is stable and orderly. Stability and order are

maintained by consensus (agreement) about prevailing norms (rules). Every element of society

serves some positive purpose (function). Structural functionalism argues that inequality can be a

good thing. It motivates people to better their lives. The poor want to be rich, and...