Subjective meanings are important in this framework because humans behave not based on what is objectively true, but based on what they believe.
It is because symbolic interactionism examines society by analyzing subjective meanings humans impose on objects, behaviours and events. According to this framework, society is socially constructed through human interpretation. Symbolic interactionism is a framework in sociological theory that relies on the symbolic meaning people develop and build upon in the process of social interaction. To overcome this disruption, people have to adapt to new ways. However, disruption in one part of a system has an overall impact on the whole system similarly, the disruption of one part of society can affect the equilibrium of the whole society. Moreover, social structure and social function are important concepts in functionalism. Thus, functionalism looks at society in a macro-level approach. Here, farmers are dependent on the government for manure and other agricultural support while the government is also dependent on the farmers for the food they provide. Similarly, if we want to understand a particular part of society, we need to analyze its relationship to other parts as well as its contribution to the stability and solidarity of society.įor instance, the government provides chemicals and manure to farmers so that the farmers can contribute to the overall economic development of the society, by providing people with food and by paying tax to the government. According to these theorists, understanding any organ in the body involved an understanding of its relationship to other organs and its contribution towards the maintenance of the organism. These different parts usually refer to various institutions in society, which fulfil different needs of people each of these has a particular role and contribute to society as a whole.Įarly sociologists like Herbert Spencer used the analogy of a human body to describe society. According to this theory, all parts of society are dependent on each other. In other words, functionalism looks at each part of the society in terms of function and how it contributes to the stability of the whole society. – Comparison of Key Differences Key Termsįunctionalism, Sociological Theory, Structural Functionalism, Symbolic Interactionismįunctionalism or structural functionalism is a framework for the sociological theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. Difference Between Functionalism and Symbolic Interactionism Functionalism is a macro-level framework as it looks as society as a whole, whereas symbolic interactionism is a more micro-level framework as it looks at individual interpretations. These two paradigms view society from different perspectives. The main difference between functionalism and symbolic interactionism is that functionalism looks at society as a complex system whose components work together to promote unity and stability whereas symbolic interactionism looks at society as a social construct that relies on human interpretations.įunctionalism and symbolic interactionism are two major theoretical paradigms that analyse society and its structure.