structural functionalism conflict theory and symbolic interactionism

STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM CONFLICT THEORY AND SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM MOVIE

National survey data support the importance of work’s nonmaterial benefits in this regard. Although this is speculative, many wealthy people no longer need to work but continue to work because of these nonmaterial benefits. The nonmaterial benefits that work provides for many people are important and should not be discounted. These friendships are yet another benefit that work often provides.

STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM CONFLICT THEORY AND SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM MOVIE

Coworkers discuss all kinds of topics with each other, including personal matters, sports, and political affairs, and they often will invite other coworkers over to their homes or go out with them to a movie or a restaurant. Many people have friends and acquaintances whom they met at their workplaces or at least through their work (McGuire, 2007). Wonderlane – Co-workers laughing at Fat Smitty’s – CC BY 2.0.Ī third function is friendships. These psychological effects combine to form yet another important function of work. The job we have helps provide us with a sense of who we are, or, to put it another way, a sense of our identity.Įspecially if we enjoy our jobs, work can also give us a sense of self-fulfillment, self-confidence, and self-esteem.

As we enter adulthood, we are not just a spouse, partner, parent, or child of our parents we are also an accountant, banker, claims adjuster, day care worker, elementary school teacher, financial consultant, garage door installer, and so forth. Many people consider their job part of their overall identity, just as the college students reading this book consider being a student as part of their current identity. Simply put, work provides the income that most people need for food, clothing, shelter, and other essential needs in today’s society.īut work has important, nonmaterial functions beyond helping us pay the bills. Regardless of these various work patterns, the most important function that most people derive from working is their paycheck. Some work full-time until they retire, some alternate full-time work and part-time work, and some may start out with a job but drop out of the labor force to raise their children. Whether or not they go to college, most people work for pay once they reach adulthood. Many high school students have summer jobs or after-school jobs. Regardless of the relative merits of capitalism and socialism, however, both a capitalist economy and socialist economy make possible the societies in which they are found. As we saw earlier, capitalist and socialist societies provide goods and services in different ways, and each type of economy has its advantages and disadvantages.

Because the economy provides the goods and services that any society needs, the economy makes a society possible.

The economy’s major function is also an absolutely essential function: the provision of goods and services. Accordingly, this perspective paints a positive picture of work and the economy by pointing to their many benefits. Recall that the functionalist perspective highlights the many functions that social institutions serve for society.

Structural functionalism conflict theory and symbolic interactionism