Strukturfunktionalistisk

Strukturfunktionalistisk, or structural-functionalism, is a sociological framework that views society as a system of interrelated parts that work together to promote stability, order and cohesion. The approach focuses on social structures (institutions, roles, norms) and the functions they perform for the operation and maintenance of the social whole. It is macro-oriented and tends to emphasize consensus rather than conflict.

Historically rooted in Émile Durkheim's functionalism and developed in the 1940s–1960s by Talcott Parsons and, later, Robert K. Merton, the theory analyzes how institutions meet the needs of a society through functional prerequisites such as adaptation, goal attainment, integration, and pattern maintenance. Merton added the idea of manifest (intended) and latent (unintended) functions and highlighted dysfunctions that can threaten system stability.

Key concepts include functional prerequisites, equilibrium, socialization, and the idea that change occurs gradually as structures acquire or adjust functions. The approach often employs a holistic view of social order, emphasizing shared values or normative consensus as a cohesive force.

Criticisms include a tendency to overlook power disparities, conflict and social change, potential teleology, and a tendency to justify the status quo. Critics also argue that it underestimates how social institutions produce inequality or reflect existing power relations.

Today, structural-functionalism remains influential in historical and comparative sociology, education, and organizational analysis, though it is typically used in conjunction with other theories such as conflict or symbolic interactionism to address its limitations.