Functionalist perspective/paradigm:

Functionalist believe that society is built in a complex manner; that there are parts that work
together to make it a whole. They believe that those parts working together create stability.
Functionalists are focused on equilibrium. Each part in a society is interconnected and must
work together to maintain balance and harmony. An example of the functionalist perspective is a
school system. It is made up of teachers, students, administrators, parents/family. All these
parts/people work together, creating a complex system, that needs a balance to remain stable.
An example of solutions for conflict in this perspective is a court system. This is used to
prosecute people who go against the structure and commit a crime.

Conflict perspective/paradigm:
Conflict theorists study how the link between race, culture, gender, social class, etc. lead to the
unequal distribution of resources. They study how some groups are more advantageous than
other groups. For example, the pay of men versus women. Another example is the treatment of
white men versus African American men. The social system benefits the rich and takes
advantage of the poor. The main idea of this perspective is societys struggle of power between
groups.

Symbolic Interactionist perspective/paradigm:

Interactionist believe that society is the product of everyday interaction of individuals. People
create and change their society by symbols, including gestures, pictures, music, etc. Society is
the product of how people react to situations. People act towards things that have some sort of
meaning to them. An example is language. People use language to interact and connect to one
another.