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Glite Dictionary
🧠 Mind's adaptive role 🏢 Focus on purpose
functionalism

functionalism

1 8.1
The belief that the purpose of something matters more than its appearance
  • noun
  • /ˈfʌŋkʃənəlɪzəm/
  • Specialized
: funcionalismo
  • Functionalism, on the other hand, does implicitly incorporate values of harmony and interdependence into its analysis of society.

And in functionalism, the idea is that we construct objects based on behavior.

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Examples

  • Furthermore, most critics of scientism and functionalism in MIS research are advocating a change in emphasis rather than complete abandonment of the scientific method.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Functionalism was a popular approach in the social sciences, which has more recently come under criticism.

    Academic text (2000)

  • But have we found an argument for higher standards, particularly higher standards that go beyond the demands of functionalism?

    Academic text (1997)

  • And in functionalism, the idea is that we construct objects based on behavior.

    Robinson Erhardt

  • Lomax's view of folk music was particularly influenced by the anthropological theory of functionalism.

    Academic text (2013)

  • Popularized by British anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski, functionalism held that cultural practices existed because they served functions in the communities that maintained them.

    Academic text (2013)

  • Functionalism emphasizes that the purpose of a functionalism in architecture should dictate its design.

  • In sociology, functionalism suggests that each aspect of society serves a specific role to maintain stability.

  • The theory of functionalism in anthropology argues that customs and traditions arise from their practical benefits to society.

Surface Forms

functionalism singular
functionalisms plural

Morphology

functionalism = functional (semi-transparent) = function + al + ism

The adjective 'functional' plus '-ism' yields a doctrine or approach; the morphological link is clear but the application across different fields is specialized.

Etymology

Functionalism comes from function ('purpose' or 'work') plus the ending -ism ('a belief or system') and the middle -al meaning 'relating to'. So functionalism is the idea that what matters most is what something 'does'—its 'purpose'—which is why it focuses on usefulness rather than decoration.