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3.4.1. Sociology
Sociology, according to Charon 1987:6, is an attempt to understand human action in the context of our social life. Human beings are known as
social animals, influenced by interaction, location, and socialization.
3.4.2. Anthropology
According to Webster +PJC www.websters-online-dictionary.org, anthropology is the science of man, including the study of the distribution of
physical and cultural attributes in relation to mans origin, location, history, and environment; -- sometimes used in a limited sense to mean the study of man as an
object of natural history, or as an animal.
3.4.3. Sociological Perspective in Literature
According to Emile Durkheim, a various characteristics of social elements contribute to the living and growing of society and its institutions. This
idea is carried through today as the functionalist perspective in sociology.
3.4.3.1 The Functionalist Perspective
According to Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, functionalism is the doctrine that what makes something a thought, desire, pain or any
other type of mental state depends not on its internal constitution, but solely on its function, or the role it plays, in the cognitive system of which it is a
part. The functionalist perspective also called functionalism, functionalism is the nature of mental states which determined by what they do, by how
20 they function. So each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to
societys functioning as a whole. The government, or state, provides education for the children of the family, which in turn pays taxes on which
the state depends to keep itself running. That is, the family is dependent upon the school to help children grow up to have good jobs so that they can
raise and support their own families. In the process, the children become law-abiding, taxpaying citizens, who in turn support the state. If all goes
well, the parts of society produce order, stability, and productivity. If all does not go well, the parts of society then must adapt to recapture a new
order, stability, and productivity. For example, during a financial recession with its high rates of unemployment and inflation, social programs were
trimmed or cut. Schools offered fewer programs. Families tightened their budgets. And a new social order, stability, and productivity were occurred.
Functionalists believe that society had been held together by social
consensus, or cohesion, in which members of the society agree upon, and
work together to achieve, what is best for society as a whole.
3.4.2.2 The Function of Human Behaviour
According to Robert Merton, a famous American Functionalist Sociologist, human functions had been divided into two types. The first type
is Manifest Functions. This type is intentional and obvious, The manifest function of attending a church or synagogue, for instance, is to worship as
part of a religious community, but its latent function may be to help
21 members learned to discern personal from institutional values. With
common sense, manifest functions became easily apparent. The other type is latent functions. This type is unintentional and not
obvious which often demanded a sociological approach to be revealed. A sociological approach in functionalism is the consideration of the
relationship between the functions of smaller parts and the functions of the whole.
3.4.4. Cultural Maintenance
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