Functionalism is a theoretical approach that suggests all actions and actors in a society are part of the whole. Functionalists take no position on whether an action or actor is good or bad because society is neither good nor bad. A functionalist looks at mosquito-borne illness as a catalyst for developing new vaccines or extermination methods.
Conflict theory is a theoretical approach that suggests society is built upon conflicts between the haves and have nots....
Functionalism is a theoretical approach that suggests all actions and actors in a society are part of the whole. Functionalists take no position on whether an action or actor is good or bad because society is neither good nor bad. A functionalist looks at mosquito-borne illness as a catalyst for developing new vaccines or extermination methods.
Conflict theory is a theoretical approach that suggests society is built upon conflicts between the haves and have nots. Essentially, every action of the haves — the upper class, authority figures, industrialized nations, etc. — is meant to maintain wealth and power, and to keep the have nots — the lower class, laborers, developing nations, etc. — in a position of subservience. A conflict theorist looks at mosquito-borne illness as disproportionally affecting those in areas with poor sanitation and without access to pest management.
Symbolic interactionism is a theoretical approach that suggests our words, gestures, signs, and symbols have meaning only because we ascribe meaning to them. A word or sign in one setting could mean something completely different in another setting depending on how a society, culture, or social group defines it. A symbolic interactionist first must choose a lens with which to view mosquito-borne illness; through the lens of international aid agencies, for example, mosquito-borne illness is a cause to be managed by distributing mosquito nets.
No comments:
Post a Comment