A MACRO‐LEVEL FUNCTIONAL THEORY OF SOCIETAL DISINTEGRATION
International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy
ISSN: 0144-333X
Article publication date: 1 April 1996
Abstract
A functionalist framework is used to synthesize well‐known ideas about societal integration and, conversely, disintegration. If the underlying Darwinian metaphor in functional analysis is retained, and supplemented by dialectical metaphors, then functional theorizing can insightfully address the forces of societal disintegration. The emerging theory revolves around, on the structural side, the dynamics of segmentation, differentiation, interdependence and exchange, structural overlap, structural embeddedness, mobility, segregation, and domination whereas on the cultural side, the theory emphasizes the dynamics inhering in systems of evaluational, regulatory, and legitimating symbols as well as generalized symbolic media.
Citation
Turner, J.H. (1996), "A MACRO‐LEVEL FUNCTIONAL THEORY OF SOCIETAL DISINTEGRATION", International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 16 No. 4, pp. 5-36. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb013248
Publisher
:MCB UP Ltd
Copyright © 1996, MCB UP Limited