Glossary
Functionalism
What is Functionalism?
Functionalism explains something by examining the role it plays in a larger system. The term has distinct meanings in psychology, sociology, anthropology and philosophy of mind. They should not be treated as one theory.
Functionalism in psychology
Associated with William James and John Dewey, psychological functionalism focused on what consciousness and behavior do, including how they help an organism adapt. Its emphasis differed from structuralism's effort to analyze the contents of mental experience.
A functionalist question about fear, for example, is what role it plays in responding to danger. Asking that question does not establish that every instance of fear is beneficial.
Functionalism vs. behaviorism
Psychological functionalists studied what mental activity and behavior do. Watson’s behaviorism instead made observable behavior its central subject, rejecting the study of conscious experience as a sound basis for objective science. An interest in what behavior does does not make the two approaches identical.
Functionalism in sociology
Sociological functionalism, associated with thinkers such as Émile Durkheim and Talcott Parsons, examines how institutions, norms and practices relate to social organization. A study of education might ask how schools transmit knowledge, skills and cultural values.
The approach need not assume every consequence is good. Robert Merton distinguished manifest and latent functions—intended and unintended consequences—as well as dysfunctions. Critics nevertheless argue that an emphasis on order and stability can give too little attention to conflict, change and individual agency.
Functionalism in anthropology
Bronislaw Malinowski's approach interpreted cultural practices in relation to human needs. Explaining a practice's function does not mean someone deliberately designed it for that purpose, or that it benefits every member of the group.
Functionalism in philosophy of mind
Here the term refers to defining a mental state through its causal relations to inputs, other mental states and behavior. This is distinct from both early psychological functionalism and sociological structural functionalism.
Why it matters
“What does this do?” can be a productive question about a mental process or social institution. The next task is to support the answer, rather than assume that something must be useful because it exists.