Topic > Functionalism: A Macro Perspective on Social Structure

It is another top-down macro theory that studies the different structures and relationships between individuals and how they are wired to function in society. Structuralism has been used in studies of linguistics, media, ideology, religion, and culture. The theory focuses on the study of language and the structures involved in social systems. The main idea of ​​structuralism is that the meaning that individuals attach to objects or words originates from human language, not from what the actual object or word is. The theory also emphasizes that objects and symbols/words give individuals specific meaning and this is how we identify them. Structuralism can also be used for other connections such as study culture and social interaction. Structuralists believe that these connections should be studied to help society become more functional. Structuralists also believe that social change is bad and that our entire existence is structured by forces beyond our control. Structuralism has some weaknesses, for example being originally a study of language, which causes most ideas to be irrelevant to society, only being useful for very specific topics. Structuralism's greatest weakness is its lack of concern for economics