Sociology: Study of the Social Sphere, 2/e, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 8

Structural–Functional Analysis

Introduction

Let us begin with a summary of the main points elaborated in the previous chapters.

As a study of the social sphere, sociology is concerned with those empirical systems that involve interactions of a plurality of individuals. These interactions—between two or more individuals (regular or casual), or between individual/s and a group, or between groups—follow a pattern governed by a society’s culture. Individuals interacting with each other in diverse settings constitute a collectivity, whose own boundaries are defined by the membership, thus transforming it into a social system with members who have set positions that give them a status and outline their roles. Thus, a system of rights and ...