functionalism

pragmatism

structuralism

William James

is a school of thought that places rigorous emphasis on each feature, custom, or practice, to determine its effect on the functioning of a supposedly stable, cohesive system.

parts of society as 'organs' that work toward the proper functioning of the 'body' as a whole.[3] In the most basic terms, it simply emphasizes 'the effort to impute, as rigorously as possible, to each feature, custom, or practice, its effect on the functioning of a supposedly stable, cohesive system'. [Urry, John (2000). 'Metaphors'. Sociology beyond societies: mobilities for the twenty-first century. Routledge. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-415-19089-3.] (wiki)

is a school of thought that sees biology as the science providing the closest and most compatible model for the social sciences.

Functionalist thought, from Comte onwards, has looked particularly towards biology as the science providing the closest and most compatible model for social science. Biology has been taken to provide a guide to conceptualizing the structure and the function of social systems and to analyzing processes of evolution via mechanisms of adaptation . . . functionalism strongly emphasises the pre-eminence of the social world over its individual parts (i.e. its constituent actors, human subjects)

is a school of thought that studies the metamorphosis of primary biological needs of the individual into the secondary needs of society. Includes nutrition, reproduction, bodily comforts, safety, relation, movement, and growth.

for Malinowski, functionalism is a metamorphosis of the seven needs of the individual: nutrition, reproduction, bodily comforts, safety, relation, movement, and growth into the secondary needs of society. The needs of the individual are satisfied by the social structure of his or her culture, whose function it is to satisfy those human needs. In other words, every social institution has a need to satisfy, and so does every item in a culture.

is a school of thought that wrongheaded and uselessly sees every feature of culture to be explained by reference to seven biological needs of individual human beings.

it is the theory or doctrine that every feature of culture of any people past or present is to be explained by reference to seven biological needs of individual human beings. I cannot speak for the other writers to whom the label functionalist is applied by the authors, though I very much doubt if Redfield or Linton accept this doctrine. As for myself I reject it entirely, regarding it as useless and worse. As a consistent opponent of Malinowski's functionalism it may be called an anti-functionalist.'

functionalism, n.Definitions

functionalism