Functionalist perspective

Functionalist perspective in Sociology is the study of how each function in society

interact with each other to maintain stability. One might look at how one function might affect
the other. For example, a family may have the function of reproducing and creating offspring,
while that offspring may affect the number of students in the education system. Education system
may depend on the public funding from government, which may affect taxpayers. In the end,
families are taxpayers. A functionalist may see how family, education and federal government
relate to each other.
There are two types of functions in functionalist perspective. One is Manifest function
and the other is Latent function. Manifest functions are the outcomes of a function that are
intended to create. For example, GPA is a manifest function. On the other hand, latent functions
are more like an external effect of the function. Student psychology is a latent function. A
Functionalist may look at how these functions interact with each other and how they reach a
stable state in society.
Conflict Perspective
Conflict perspective is the study of how power and interest are related to each other. Karl
Marx is an example of a socioeconomic philosopher who studies society from a conflict
perspective. He was looking for positive social change, and primarily divided society into two
different groups. Proletariat and Bourgeoisie are the two classes. By dividing society into two
class, he notes how the bourgeoisie is the dominant group with the economic power to control
others, while proletariats are the working class that are bounded to work for the bourgeoisie.
Marxist analysis of splitting society into different classes and see how they relate to each other in
terms of power and personal interest is a good example of what sociologist are looking for when
they look at it from a conflict perspective.
Interactionist Perspective
Interactionist perspective has two different sub-lenses. One is micro-sociology and one is
macro-sociology. Macro-sociology looks at the general relationship between institutions and how
it affects a big group of people or a specific culture. Micro=sociology on the other hand focuses
on interpersonal relationship within a small group of people such as a school or even a family.
Hans-Georg Gadamer, a German philosopher, created a notion of sensus communis. It means the
communal sense that a community shares. For example, Slavery was thought to be morally
correct during 1700s, but now in 2016 it is not. The sensus communis changes according to the
community. Gadamers study of society is an Interactionist perspective. The focus is the see how
a person may related to each other and how he or she may change based on her subjective or
non-subjective circumstances.