Sociologists look at society through different 'lenses' called perspectives. Each one highlights something important, and together they give a fuller picture.
Consensus versus conflict
Perspectives are often grouped into two families. Consensus views (like functionalism) believe society mostly agrees on shared values and works together. Conflict views (like Marxism and feminism) believe society is divided, with some groups holding more power than others.
Functionalism
Functionalists, such as Émile Durkheim, compare society to a human body. Each 'part' — family, school, religion — has a job that keeps the whole running smoothly.
- Society is based on shared values that most people agree on.
- Institutions work together to keep society stable.
- Critics say it ignores conflict and unfair inequality.
Conflict theory and Marxism
Karl Marx argued that society is divided by class. A small, powerful group owns businesses and wealth, while most people must work for them.
- Society runs mainly in the interests of the powerful.
- This creates inequality and tension between groups.
- Critics say it focuses too heavily on money and class.
Two families of perspective
Almost every perspective you meet belongs to one of two camps. Placing it correctly is usually the first mark.
| Consensus views | Conflict views | |
|---|---|---|
| Core claim | Society mostly agrees on shared values and works together | Society is divided, with some groups holding more power than others |
| Examples | Functionalism | Marxism, feminism |
| Picture of society | A human body — each part has a job that keeps the whole running | A structure of unequal power |
| Main criticism | Ignores conflict and unfair inequality | Can underplay the shared values that do hold society together |
Durkheim's body analogy is the one to quote for functionalism: family, school and religion each perform a function that keeps the whole running smoothly.
Consensus or conflict?
- Institutions work together to keep society stable
- Most people agree on the same basic values
- Society works like a body, each part doing its job
- Some groups hold far more power than others
- Society is divided rather than united
- Shared values can disguise who benefits
Feminism and interactionism
Feminism is another conflict view. It argues that society has often been organised in ways that give men more power than women (a system called patriarchy), and it studies how this can be made fairer. Feminists do not all agree on the causes or solutions.
Interactionism works differently. Instead of looking at big structures, it studies small, everyday interactions — how people talk, label one another and give meaning to situations. It reminds us that society is built up from countless individual actions.