Editing Structural functionalism (section)

{{Short description|Sociological theory of society}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=August 2016}}
{{Sociology}}
{{Anthropology}}
'''Structural functionalism''', or simply '''functionalism''', is "a framework for building theory that sees society as a [[Complex systems|complex system]] whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability".<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|title=Sociology|last=Macionis|first=John|date=1944–2011|publisher=Pearson Prentice Hall|others=Gerber, Linda Marie|isbn=9780137001613|edition= 7th|location=Toronto, Canada|oclc=652430995}}</ref>

This approach looks at society through a [[Macrosociology|macro-level orientation]], which is a broad focus on the [[social structure]]s that shape society as a whole,<ref name=":4" /> and believes that society has evolved like organisms.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wisc-online.com/learn/social-science/sociology/i2s3404/the-structural-functional-theoretical-approac|title=The Structural-Functional Theoretical Approach|last=DeRosso|first=Deb|website=Wisc-Online OER|language=en|access-date=2012-09-20}}</ref> This approach looks at both [[social structure]] and '''social functions'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA-->. Functionalism addresses society as a whole in terms of the function of its constituent elements; namely [[norms (sociology)|norms]], [[Convention (norm)|customs]], [[traditions]], and [[institutions]].

A common analogy called the organic or biological analogy, popularized by [[Herbert Spencer]], presents these parts of society as human body "organs" that work toward the proper functioning of the "body" as a whole.<ref>{{cite book |last=Urry |first=John |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ogyDBobOHVEC&pg=PA23 |title=Sociology beyond societies: mobilities for the twenty-first century |chapter=Metaphors |publisher=Routledge |year=2000 |page=23 |isbn=978-0-415-19089-3 }}</ref> 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". For [[Talcott Parsons]], "structural-functionalism" came to describe a particular stage in the methodological development of [[social science]], rather than a specific school of thought.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Social systems and the evolution of action theory|author=Parsons, Talcott|date=1977|publisher=Free Press|isbn=978-0029248003|location=New York|oclc=2968515}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=The sociology of Talcott Parsons|last=François.|first=Bourricaud|date=1981|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0226067568|edition= Pbk.|location=Chicago|oclc=35778236}}</ref>