Functionalist Perspective
Social Institutions
Kinship Group/Family
Monogamy = 1 partner
Polygamy = 1 + partners
Patrilineal = father’s line
Matrilineal = mother’s line
Endogamy =
Exogamy =
Polyandry =
Polygyny =
Religion
Theism = Judaism, Islam,
Christianity, Hindu
Ethicalism = Buddhism,
Daoism
Animism = Totemism
Secularism =
Social movement =
Collective conscience =
Education
Learning in a formal
social structure
Privately funded =
Publicly funded =
Forms & Individual Functions of Institutions Related Concepts
Organizations Statuses Dysfunctions occur if needs not met.
Nuclear, Extended, Mother, Father, Determines kinship within society Traditional family
Single-parent, Grandparent, Regulates sexual norms, activity Kinship networks
Blended family, Ancestor, Produces next generation Pre-industrial family
Bi-nuclear, Child, Performs the task of child rearing Public sphere (men’s work)
Same-sex parents, Step-brother/sister, Private sphere (women’s work)
In a nuclear structure, roles of men
Singlehood, Cousin, Aunt, Uncle, Cult of domesticity
and women complement each other
Cohabitation Fictive kin, Baby boom
and provide models for children
Other mother Gender factory
Nuclear family provides productive Domestic abuse
workers and child nurturers to Miscegenation
replace parents Pecking order
Provide statuses for individuals Second shift
Matriarchy
Sect, Cult, Synagogue, Rabbi, Priest, Pope, Provides beliefs about supernatural Sacred, Profane
Temple, Church, Bishop, Pastor, Denomination, Congregation
Regulates human relationship to
Prayer Group, Imam, Reverend, Opiate of the masses
supernatural, gives meaning to life
Mosque, Lay leader, Shaman Protestant ethic, Predestination
and death
Congregation, Believer, Faithful, Pluralism, Sacred canopy
Denomination, Evangelicals, Determines important values and Religious experience
Evangelicals, Fundamentalists, norms, acts as moral authority Reflexive spirituality
Fundamentalists, Atheist, Agnostic Provides social cohesion by Supernatural compensators
Megachurch strengthening collective conscience Commercialization of holy days
School, College, Instructors/Faculty, Transmits knowledge from one Hidden curriculum
University, Daycare Student, Athlete, generation to the next Social capital
Center, Workforce Principal, Dean, Cultural capital
Socializes children into common
Training Center, GED Administrative Tracking
norms and values
program, Parent- staff, Adviser, Board Credentialism
Integrates immigrants and other
Teacher Org., School member, Coach, Meritocracy
“outsiders” into a culture
Board Cheerleader, Parent Affirmative Action
Teaches skills and knowledge for Stereotype threat
specific jobs or careers Achievement gap
Sort students into groups to prepare Vouchers
for future careers and jobs
 Functionalist Perspective
Social Institutions Forms & Individual Functions of Institutions Related Concepts
Organizations Statuses Dysfunctions occur if needs not met.

Medicine/Healthcare Hospital, Clinic, Physician, Nurse, Organizes and provides healthcare Medicalization
Treatment = prevent & Insurance Comp., Nurse Practitioner, products and services for members Biomedical culture
Pharmaceutical Researcher, of society Sick role
cure disease, alleviate
Comp., Psychiatrist, Social construction of illness
pain Prevents spread of disease
Psychiatric treatment Dentist, Mortality, Morbidity
Research = scientifically facility, Medical Technician, Adopts scientific and technological Epigenetic mark
develop treatment American Medical Mid-wife, inventions to improve healthcare and Prenatal determinants of health
Healthcare Systems = Association, Chiropractor, medication Postnatal determinants of health
Employer-based system Centers for Disease Patient, Client Diagnostic psychiatry, DSM
Fee-for-service model Provides statuses for individuals in
Control, various conditions of health Talk therapy, Drug therapy
Health Maintenance Org.
National Institute of Cause vs. Effect of poverty & health
Single-payer system
Health, CHIP

Authority & State Nation, Legislature, Political leader, Organizes and regulates the Routinization, Rationalization
State = community that Executive branch, Citizen, Ruler, legitimate use of power Bureaucracy, Specialization
Judiciary, Agency, Monarch, Judge, Taylorism, Meritocracy
claims legitimate use of
Interest groups, Lawyer, Teacher, Organizes decision-making for society Obedience in Milgram experiment
force within a territory
Police, Prison, Agent of IRS, FBI, Power, Domination, Coercion
Politics = Power relations Public School, CIA, Mayor, Establishes and enforces laws to Individual rights (citizenship, civil,
Legitimate authority = Welfare State, Representative, provide social control political, social)
justifiable right to rule Political party, Administrator, 3 dimensions of power, Soft power
(charismatic, traditional, Democracy, Voter, Candidate Protects society from outsiders Collective action problem
legal-rational) Dictatorship, Public policy
Paradox of authority International state Game theory
system Altruism
Economy Corporation, Business, Stockholder, Organizes and regulates the Agricultural revolution
Feudalism, Capitalism, Bank, School, Employer, production and distribution of goods Industrial revolution
Consumer Employee, and services through markets Profit, Standard of living
Socialism, Communism
organization, Customer, Alienation
Service sector Provides basic necessities for life
Insurance company, Consumer, Creditor, Family wage
Private = business owned Hospital, Debtor, Inspector, Provides jobs, statuses, privileges to Globalization
by an individual or Credit bureau, Administrator, individuals Monopoly, Oligopoly
corporation Cooperative, Manager, CEO, COO Productivity enhancing
Provides goods and services for other
Public = agency or Stock-market, Rent seeking
institutions
organization owned by a Charity, Post Office Offshoring
government, collective Union, Union busting