Discuss how Merton’s concepts of manifest and latent functions enhanced Parsons’s notion of society.
What will be an ideal response?
Merton’s concept of manifest and latent function greatly enhances the Parsonian notion of society as a system of interrelated parts, not only because it acknowledges that there are multiple functions for any one component, but because it underscores that the various functions within even a single component might not coincide with each other or that they might even conflict. Whereas Parsons’s conceptualization of society as a system of interrelated parts seemed to imply that all social institutions were inherently functional—otherwise they would not exist—Merton emphasized that different parts of a system might be at odds with each other and, thus, that even functional or beneficial institutions or subsystems can produce dysfunctions or unintended consequences as well.
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a. true b. false
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a. socialization b. rituals c. sanctioning d. consolidation of power e. segregation of activities
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Fill in the blank(s) with correct word