STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONAL THEORY CHAPTER 10 Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONAL THEORY CHAPTER 10 - Article Example Merton studied social phenomena by studying the meanings people attach to their actions, using the methodological approach, structural-functionalism which was in vogue in the 1930s. Merton maintained that structural-functionalism is predicated upon three assumptions. The first assumption is that social systems are self-regulating and tend towards a state of equilibrium. The second assumption is that every social practice contributes to the survival of the social system to which it belongs. The third assumption is that every social practice is indispensible just as the brain and the heart are to human beings. On the converse, Merton made postulation that the degree of integration in a social system is an empirical variable and can vary from institution or society or time to the next. Merton also contended that social practices are not really functional for the entire cultural or social system. Merton also questioned the idea of universal functionalism, as the assumption that every social practice fulfills vital functions in ensuring the survival of a system. Merton also disputed the concept of indispensability, as the concept that every social practice is indispensible because it executes necessary function. To draw the proper functions of an organization, Merton drew the distinction between manifest and latent functions. With the former, he meant to denote objective consequences which contribute to the adaptation of the system recognized by participants in a system. Latent functions in turn means objectives that are neither intended noir recognized correlatively. When discussing the structural causes of bureaucratic dysfunctions, Merton points out that the ideal type of bureaucratic arrangements achieves high extent of efficiency due to application of rules that are predetermined categories of cases that preclude the need to issue certain instructions for a given