SOCI 1010 Lecture Notes - Talcott Parsons, Symbolic Interactionism, Conflict Theories
16 Oct 2011
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Suicide antisocial act, an individual act. However, durkheim found other causes of suicide that were not just individual. Durkheim"s book suicide? was revolutionary because it looked at social causes of suicide. Religion, family or economy are based on two things: rules and norms. Example of rule: no smoking in the classroom. Example of norm: professor stands and talks while students sit and write notes; norms are unwritten rules that all institutions work with. Human behaviour is governed by stable patterns of social relations ( social structures ) Social structures can either maintain or undermine social stability (i. e. family conflict can be a result of economic instability) Suggests social structures are based mainly on shared values. Argues that re-establishing equilibrium best way to solve most social problems. Best known for identifying how various institutions must work to ensure smooth operation of society as a whole. Proposed that social structures have both manifest and latent functions.
