Human Beings as the Puppets of Society Essay -- Papers Behavior Sociol

Human Beings as the Puppets of Society Sociologists have long argued about whether or not we are controlled by the structure of the society in which we live, in other words, are we or are we not ‘puppets of society’. Social structure theorists such as Functionalists and conflict theorists like Marxists, believe that we are ‘puppets’ and that our behaviour is controlled by the structure of the society in which we live. Both theories suggest that people are controlled by society but this argument is opposed by social action theorists such as Symbolic Interactionists who believe that society is created by the individuals themselves. To show far it can be argued that human beings are ‘puppets of society’ this essay will look at functionalism and social control through the family, Marxism and social control within the education system and then look at the opposing theory of Symbolic Interactionism. It is also intended to discuss the recent structuration theory of Giddens who argues that these theories are no longer valid in determining if we are ‘puppets’ because both structure and action are necessary for society to exist and thus in some instances in our lives we are ‘puppets’ and others we are not. According to Jones, Functionalists like Durkheim consider ‘human behaviour as learned behaviour’(2004, p.6), in other words everything we know and do has to be taught to us given that when we are born we have no knowledge of anything. They argue that all our behaviour is learnt through the socialisation process. Functionalists consider that primary socialisation is the basis to learning the norms, values and roles of society and... ...eeded, so it could be argued, therefore, that even though at times we are free agents and have an individual choice in our actions we are also ‘puppets of society’ because of the many of the structures of society. References List Czerniawski, G., 2004. What is the Role of Education? Sociology Review, 14 (2), 24-25 Giddens, A., 2002. Sociology. 4th ed. Polity Press Jones, P., 2004. Introducing Social Theory. Cambridge: Polity Press Wilson, A., 1985. Society Now: Family. London: Tavistock Publications Bibliography Moore, S., 2001. Sociology Alive. 3rd ed. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Ltd Haralambos and Holborn, 2000. Sociology Themes and Perspectives. 5th ed. London: Collins Educational Bauman Z & May T., 2003. Thinking Sociologically. 2nd ed. London: Blackwell Publishing Ltd