... is necessary if you want stability in society. All functionalists also believe that certain parts of society have functional prerequisites; something that is essential for society to survive, but they don't all agree on what they are. Davis and Moore believe that all societies should have some kind of social stratification where the rich and poor are separate and people have to work hard to get to the top and that social class is essential as it gives people an incentive to work harder and get to the top, whereas Murdock believed that family was the most important as it's there to socialise people and help them fit in. There is also the fact most functionalists accept that there are dysfunctions in society, but generally they have a positive outlook on society. Functionalists believe that society has an inbuilt conservative bias, they think change in society will be harmful and ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now