The utopian vision of a peaceful world, in which all of the wars would end and violence vanish, has never been realised in practice. Some argue that it is due to contemporary economic and political approaches that prevent people prosperity and promote unethical conduct. Others believe that it is the nature of a human being and of the human interaction as a whole. Functionalists discover and explain the issue by looking at society from a structural and systematic perspective, emphasising the role of order and interdependence within the system (Fourie, 2016). They believe that acts of crime and deviance play a significant role in fulfilling the societal needs and preventing the breakdown of an established structure (Turner, 2017). While the functionalism theory has lost its widespread application and use, its ideas continue to guide many scholars even today. This paper will analyse the functionalist approach towards the role of crime and deviance in society and evaluate its implications in the modern world.
First, it is important to begin with an overall overview of the theory. According to Turner (2017, p.1), “functionalism was sociology’s first major theoretical and methodological approach for understanding the social universe”, which invented the idea of structures and systems of connections not only between humans but also among other organisms. The structure functions to maintain interaction that is necessary for keeping political, economic, and cultural equilibrium in society (Fourie, 2016). In response to the increasing success of engineering and technology, early supporters of functionalism attempted to connect and explain cultural aspects through natural sciences, such as biological theory (Turner, 2017). As a result, three fundamental societal needs were established, which are operation, regulation, and distribution, while governments were meant to enforce them (Turner, 2017). Issues of crime and deviance directly derive from the functionalist system’s components, which are responsible for ensuring continuous functionality and well-being.
Next, notions of crime and deviance themselves need to be categorised and differentiated. Scholars and theorists categorise the two as something that is not related to an established system or does not fit into it. Douglas (1966) (cited in Asquith, 2017, p.1), for instance, described deviance as a “matter out of place”. Similarly, crime is also excess to and a break of social and cultural values, but the difference lies in their perceived harmfulness (Little, 2016). While deviance and crime are often connected together, the second has much more severe outcomes, which cannot be tolerated (Asquith, 2017). The lines that separate these notions are fluid and challenging to draw. It is not only difficult to introduce deviance and crime classifying measures but also impossible to establish a universal norm because of numerous distinct cultures and communities (Little, 2016). However, functionalist scholars were able to unite these norm violations with the theory through social control and order.
Despite the arising controversy, crime and deviance are crucial for the operation of the functionalism system. Many question the relevance of such harmful behaviour with the state of social order as it is presented and believed to be non-sociological and anti-sociological (Cohen, 2018). Although this is true theoretically, people dismiss the practical form of order and control in functionalism, in which crime and deviance help to reinforce the importance of structure and maintain equilibrium (Asquith, 2017). Within the theory, they play a crucial role in society’s regulation and coordination aspects. By allowing for some amount of rule and law violations, governments can shape and control the overall people well-being by fulfilling their obligations to control and coordinate in the forms of various sanctions (Little, 2016). On top of that, some scholars argue that individuals in nature enjoy and gain interest in observing others, breaking the established cultural norms (Little, 2016). Whether in theory or practice, crime and deviance are essential parts of the functionalist system, which cannot be substituted.
Nevertheless, several modern governmental systems challenge the ideas presented in functionalism. Many countries annually report low crime rates and provide an exceptionally safe living environment in general. Iceland, for example, was recently ranked as the safest nation in the world (Craggs and Marcus, 2020). Their main criteria were low numbers in homicide, imprisoned people, and terrorism risk (Craggs and Marcus, 2020). In line with many other governments, Iceland promotes policies of freedom and mutual care, so it is difficult to believe that the country would adopt and accept politics of control through crime and deviance.
Moreover, as the functionalist theory saw a decline in popularity, there are many aspects that it is being criticised for by modern scholars. As seen in practice, supporters of functionalism tried to tie sociology with natural sciences and establish a structure that would identify whether a society is functioning or not (Turner, 2017). However, the modern approach transforms the perspective from transferring the focus from the structure to the society itself (Chattoe-Brown, 2019). It is argued that the theory should not attempt to make the system work within a society but instead develop a system that would respond to the needs of that society (Chattoe-Brown, 2019). Unfortunately, a utopian model of a crime-free planet is impossible to realise in practice. Even the safest countries, such as Iceland, which promote anti-violation policies, experience crime and deviance on a regular basis.
The functionalist idea of interdependence between the functionality and operation of society and notions of crime and deviance can be accepted, which draws many to believe in this approach. As the system promotes order and control, these norm breakings act as a political reinforcement tool. Modern scholars criticise the theory for only caring for the system itself and dismissing the human aspect. Others, however, tend to support functionalism by describing the need for order through the nature of people. While crime and deviance are unlikely to disappear in the future, governments should not allow it only to introduce new laws and sanctions. Although the connection between violations and social order is undeniable, new approaches need to be established to help the world achieve the ideals of sustainable existence free from wars and crime.
Reference List
Asquith, N. L. (2017) ‘Crime and deviance’, The Wiley Blackwell encyclopedia of social theory, pp.1-16. doi: 10.1002/9781118430873.est0609.
Chattoe-Brown, E. (2019) ‘Does sociology have any choice but to be evolutionary?’, Frontiers in sociology. doi:10.3389/fsoc.2019.00006.
Cohen, S. (2018) ‘Criminology and sociology of deviance in Britain’, in Rock, P. and McIntosh, M. (eds.) Deviance and social control. Routledge Library Editions: British Sociological Association.
Craggs, R. and Marcus, L. (2020) ‘The 10 safest countries in the world’. Conde Nast Traveler.
Fourie, P. J. (2016) ‘Functionalism’, The international encyclopedia of communication theory and philosophy, pp.1-8. doi:10.1002/9781118766804.wbiect049.
Little, W. (2016) Introduction to sociology: 2nd Canadian edition.
Turner, J. H. (2017) ‘Functionalism’, The Wiley Blackwell encyclopedia of social theory, pp.1-9. doi:10.1002/9781118430873.est0135.