Functionalism and Poverty

Bethune cookman university Poverty From A Functionalist & A Conflict Perspective amic adequate to(p) Problems SO 132 John Arthur Jackson, III 9/29/2012 This assignment will analyze two different forms of amicable analysis and how it relates to explaining the existence of poverty. Functionalists Perspective & Its View Concerning Poverty As it concerns social analysis, the functionalists believe that society is a stable, and orderly schema comprised of interrelated, and interdependent parts all working together to earn homeostasis (equilibrium).As far as the individual is concerned, they view them as existence shaped by society, a relatively passive people molded by their get laid and interactions with society. Any change that take places in society is deemed disruptive and the system would seek to restore balance quickly. In addition, any part that is dysfunctional is correlated to the system as a whole, and there is not one thing that stands in isolation from the other. Co ncerning poverty, functionalists argue that poverty is not as apparent as the figures say it. There is a consensus that even though poverty is a social problem, it isnt as abundant as we think it is.This consensus is come to after the functionalists consent into consideration the antipoverty benefits that are available for those who experience and just like that poverty is much lower than popular belief. So in lament terms functionalists adduce that if we take into account all of the available benefits that are for poor people then we would come to a conclusion that poverty is lower than estimation. As you croupe see, poverty from this perspective is just a way of life, and perhaps probably an incentive, encouraging everyone to work that much harder to promote overall well-being and possible social mobility.Possibly, there is an ultimate balance by the existence of poverty by depicting a clear division of power and wealth. There will ever be the rich, and there will always be t he poor and thus balance. Poverty, serves to remind those who arent in that position to have a reason to pull ahead or to achieve just to avoid having to conform to the problem of poverty. Also, the existence of poverty allows others to compare themselves to, just to make the contrast between the two cater certain thankfulness to their situation. As to say that, whatever they are going through couldnt get that much worse than someone who is already in poverty.Conflict Perspective & Its View Concerning Poverty The idea that society is just a continuous power struggle between social menagees over the availability and allocation of scarce resources would be the perspective of the Conflict Theorists. The premise of their argument is that there doesnt need to be a reason to place burden on people who realise themselves in an impoverished socioeconomic condition. Logically, if we keep open to place blame on the people who are living in poverty, we continue to shift the focus off of the problem and onto the individual which shouldnt be the case.There should be a firm emphasis on the bigger societal problems that occur by the hands of the unstable capitalists and avaricious elitists who continue to perpetuate a falsified ideology for people to believe in. Conflict Theorists claim that poverty is rooted in past and present prejudice and discrimination that keeps people of color out of the economic mainstream (Kendall 2012). The subpar socioeconomically related living conditions that impoverished African Americans and other minorities find themselves in are just the fuel to the fire. Inadequate housing, sub-standard schools, and crime-ridden neighborhoods (Kendall 2012) causes the high poverty rate among the aforementioned racial groups. The lacks of regulated social policies that concern the ever-present and ongoing problems of economic inequality continue to perpetuate the capitalistic ideology as well as subordinate the ethnic groups that face this alienatio n. The conflict theorists agree that the geomorphologic problems (substandard schools, inadequate housing etc. are beyond the poor persons control.So in order to rectify this situation, it would behoove the nations political and business leadership to formulate a way to compensate people who are living in poverty in accordance to being able to afford the basic necessities of life. In addition, the wealthy must face a tax cut, so that the middle class can strengthen and the lower class can shrink. In other words, in order to significantly reduce the problem of poverty conflict theorists believe that we must stop blaming the victim for being poor, but instead find a way that benefits and help the poor people become more affluent, not financially only but economically as well.