Talcott Parsons was an American sociologist whose ideas greatly influenced the development of social sciences. For instance, Parsons was amongst the first individuals to treat Sociology as a science. Owing to his knowledge in the field, Parsons secured a teaching position at Harvard University, where he taught Sociology. Parsons’ work was so influential that it formed the basis for much of what constitutes the field of Sociology. Notably, some of the ideas he posited on Sociology are still being discussed to date. However, one of his biggest contributions to the field was his look into matters of social structure. Social structure pertains to the way society is organized and how the different strata all join together to perform a specific function as a whole. This idea came to be known as functional structuralism.
Functional structuralism was an idea that Parsons put forward regarding the way that society should be in order to be beneficial to not only its inhabitants but also the different strata that make it up (Parsons & Bales, 1956). In his book Family, Socialization and Interaction Process , Parsons discusses how psychology can be used to understand peoples’ motivations and socialization in societies. According to Parsons, applying psychology and psychoanalysis to a person gives insight into how the individual functions within that society. Likewise, a lot of influence is born out of the person’s need to be a beneficial part of the society (Bales & Parsons, 2014; Parsons & Bales, 1956).
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Parsons’ functional structuralism theory posits that a person’s place in the society is strongly determined by the actions that he or she undertakes in society. As a result, every individual has a role to play in the functioning of the society. For example, he argued that women had expressive roles in society such as providing care for the children and being a source of general comfort. On the other hand, men had an instructive purpose which meant that they were to facilitate the functioning of the family unit by being the primary breadwinners (Piaget, 2015).
Another idea that Parsons posited in the book was that societal ties were first dictated and fostered by family ties. This was based on the assumption that family is the first societal bond that a child forms and thus is the most influential. According to Parsons, a person needs to find a social structure to be a part of, and this social structure has to perform specific functions within the society in order to be beneficial. Further, according to Parsons, social ills such as crime and murder could be traced to the perpetrator’s lack of both a social structure to be part of, as well as a body to guide his energy into functional purpose. This implies that one must be part of a group that serves a specific purpose in society in order for them to find social satisfaction and benefit others (Parsons, 2010).
Majority of the above ideas were based on the scientific rigor that Parson sought to instill in all his works. The scientific lens through which he understood data in sociology was also part of the reason that the field received such respect and was subsequently viewed as a science. The basic idea that Parsons formed was that society is an amalgamation of various smaller social structures, with the smallest unit being the family. This created the idealized family with two heterosexual parents and their children, with the parents serving societal purposes based on their genders. The theory did not concern itself with the inter-societal relationships between different individuals, unlike many of the sociologists at the time.
The purpose and structures themselves are however not dictated by strict guidelines set forth previously, but by the shared values of the society. It is these ideas that influence the kind of social structures formed and what ideas the society holds important. These could include such aspects as care for the elderly and abhorrence of laziness and other unethical acts that are likely to harm the society as a whole.
Parsons’ works held in great esteem the function that each section of society had. For instance, he argued that the elderly needed to find a purpose to serve since they had already passed the button of raising children to their children. This emphasizes the idea of functionalism at each level of the society. This was particularly important for the survival of those societal structures, since those that did not help the whole society soon became useless and were dropped from societal concern (Parsons, 2010). Further, Parsons used biology to explain gender inequalities in the society. This led to the rise of the feminist theory. As a result, feminism sees sociology, including Parson's take on various gender-related matters sexist.
The importance of individuals in society exists, but according to Parsons, it is the purpose of the structures therein that are more important. While Parsons was criticised for his lack of emphasis on other societal factors such as politics and financial struggle, his ideas on societal functioning, added to the works of others, and established great thinking on the topic. This has influenced the field of sociology for a long time. Parsons ideas were accurate for his time. However, societal structures have greatly changed since then, with traditional family structures no longer existing. For instance, women now work while some men stay at home to raise their children. Traditional values have also changed with many alternative lifestyles being accepted. For example, same-sex couples are allowed to raise children. However, despite these deviations, the idea that societal structures must fulfill particular functions is still relevant.
References
Bales, R. F., & Parsons, T. (2014). Family: socialization and interaction process . Routledge.
Parsons, T. (2010). Social structure & person . Simon and Schuster.
Parsons, S. F. (Ed.). (2002). The Cambridge companion to feminist theology . Cambridge University Press.
Parsons, T., & Bales, R. F. (1956). Family socialization and interaction process (Vol. 7). Psychology Press.
Piaget, J. (2015). Structuralism (Psychology Revivals) . Psychology Press.
