Functionalism is a current of thought present in various sciences and disciplines.
The concept of functionalism appears in various sciences and branches of art to name the current that announces the preponderance of formal and utilitarian components . The term can refer, therefore, to a doctrine of architecture, a school of linguistics or a movement in psychology, to name a few cases.
At a general level, it can be said that functionalism is a school of social sciences , whose origin dates back to the 1930s. This theory is linked to thinkers such as the Frenchman Émile Durkheim and the Americans Talcott Parsons and Robert Merton , among others.
Functionalism in psychology
From the point of view of psychology , functionalism is influenced by American pragmatism and evolutionism (emerged at the end of the 19th century in the United States). He was strongly opposed to structuralism and proposed the study of the mind based on the functions that each individual developed and not from the structure of the mind (as structuralism did).
In functionalism, our interaction with the environment, the behaviors we have and the effects they cause on our respective environments were studied above all. William James, James R. Angell, and John Dewey are the most prominent authors within this psychological movement.
Functionalism aims to analyze the mind based on the functions that people develop.
The concept in linguistics
In linguistics, this current is led by André Martinet, one of the founders of the International Society for Functional Linguistics (SILF), which laid the foundations of linguistic functionalism .
The cornerstone of functionalism is the principle of relevance , meaning that to study any object a point of view is needed. Once you have this point of view, you begin to carry out the study focusing on the area that concerns linguistics and leaving aside those aspects that should be studied by other disciplines.
The study of language from a functional point of view also requires observation and respect for each of the facts of study. The result of all this is to instigate the function of language in all its aspects and establish theories that help set the standards of knowledge within this discipline.
The empirical and systems theory in functionalism
The functionalist movement's main characteristic is a vision that focuses on the empirical and the importance of practical work. This favored the development of disciplines such as scientific anthropology , with specialists who dedicated themselves to traveling around the world to develop their work directly in the field of study.
The theory of functionalism is based on systems theory and assumes that the organization of society in a system requires the resolution of four essential issues: the control of tensions, adaptation to an environment, the search for a common objective and the integration of different social classes.
In the communication sciences , functionalist theory emerged at the beginning of the 20th century . According to this conception, the media intend to generate some type of effect on whoever receives the message, so they seek persuasion. These receivers also present certain requirements that the media have to meet.