Explaination of Conflict, Functional and Symbolic Interactionist Theories

The assignment discusses three sociological theories: Conflict Theory, Functional Theory, and Symbolic Interactionist Theory. It explains how Karl Marx's Conflict Theory proposes that there will be everlasting conflicts due to high competition, while functional theorists like Emile Durkheim and Talcott Parsons argue that society is integrated through different works maintaining balance and social equilibrium. On the other hand, symbolic interactionists like George Herbert Mead propose that self-concept in a person is developed through self-observation and labels provided by others.

How do Conflict Theorists
and Functional Theorists
and Symbolic
Interactionist
explain the phenomena

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Topic :"How do Conflict Theorists and Functional Theorists and Symbolic Interactionists
explain the phenomena"...................................................................................................................1
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................2

Topic :"How do Conflict Theorists and Functional Theorists and Symbolic
Interactionists explain the phenomena"
The conflict theory was proposed by the Karl Marx which stated that there will be
everlasting conflicts in the society due to high competition that are available in the
environment(Burrell and Morgan, 2017). As per them, person having power and domination will
maintain social order and all remaining will be suppressed. It has been wildly used for the
describing the social phenomena. It may include social-conflicts, wars, violence, treasure and
poverty. Further, it explains about the fundamental developments of mankind history so that
humans can be controlled rather than social order. It is based on social-inequality due to
resources and concentrate on the conflicts that exist among the social-groups.
Functional theorists was developed by Emile Durkheim, Herbert Spencer,Robert
Merton and Talcott Parsons(Stets and Turner, 2014). They stated that society is integration of
different works, to maintain balance, social-equilibrium, peace and harmony. The social-
interconnectedness among the society can be generated through the changing the perspective of
people or by influencing them. The phenomenon was described by functional and dysfunctional
social-elements of society. If the action is beneficial for society it is functional or else it is
dysfunctional.
The previous theory were based large groups to influence the social-world. Symbolic
Interactionist was developed in 20th century and is based on the sociological perspective and
derived from work of George Herbert Mead. It is based on micro-sociology or at institutional
level. Micro-sociological perspective is shown through it and earlier theorists and philosophers
used it to under the human-behaviours. They mentioned that self-concept in a person is
developed through the self-observation to other and the label they provide to us. It is same as
statement made by Cooley "Looking glass self" (Lawler, 2015).
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REFERENCES
Burrell, G., & Morgan, G. (2017). Sociological paradigms and organisational analysis: Elements
of the sociology of corporate life. Routledge.
Stets, J. E., & Turner, J. H. (Eds.). (2014). Handbook of the Sociology of Emotions (Vol. 2).
Springer.
Lawler, S. (2015). Identity: sociological perspectives. John Wiley & Sons.
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