IndexIntroductionDefinition of conceptsStructural theoryStructural theoryFunctional theoryStructural theoryStructural theoryFunctional theoryConclusionReferencesIntroductionThis article presents the sociological imagination, structural, structural and functional theories. The article defines the theories, discusses their logic and applications in sociology. The article examines the extent to which each theory meets the criteria of a sound theory which include: whether each theory makes falsifiable predictions with consistency and accuracy of scientific investigation, and whether it is well supported by other independent evidence rather than a foundation. A brief critical review of each theory is also presented. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Definition of ConceptsThis section defines the sociological imagination, structural, structuring, and functional theories, and related terms.According to Mills (2000), sociological imagination refers to the awareness of relationships between personal experiences and the larger society. It is the ability to see things socially and how things interact and influence each other. To have a sociological imagination, one must be able to remove oneself from situations and think from alternative points of view. Skill is central to the development of sociological perspectives of the surrounding world (Mehan, 2016). Structural TheoryStructural theory defined as that which attempts to organize propositions and the observations to which they relate as a whole composed of interdependent parts (Druck, 2018). A structure refers to the functional whole that presides over the transformation systems and governed by self-regulating mechanisms. Structure Theory Structure theory refers to a perspective on human behavior that is based on the synthesis of structure and agency effects called “duality of structure” (McPhee and Canary, 2016). It recognizes the interactions of meanings, standards and values, as well as power and provides dynamic relationships between different elements of society. Functional Theory Functional theory is the theory that explains the occurrence of repetitive practices and events in everyday life. The theory defines function as the intended purpose of a communicative act which is the outcome we seek to achieve with our action and known as manifest function. He also defines function as an unintended consequence of a communicative act, which results from an act regardless of our original intent, called latent function (Wrong, 1959). The social imagination was first postulated by C. Wright Mills in 1959 (Mills, 2000). . It is defined as a quality of mind, an ability to understand the interaction between people and society, biography and history, between self and the world. According to Mills, social imagination means a way of thinking and asking questions about life. Having a sociological imagination means looking at the world sociologically, asking sociological questions, and providing sociological answers. Mills outlines three types of questions that sociologists tend to ask. The first concerns the structure of the company. The purpose of the question is to know how different groups in society are connected. The second concerns what society's place in history is. The question aims to find out how societies change over time and how the society is related to other societies in the past. The third focuses on the type of people society produces. The question aims to describe how people's personalities, beliefs and values ​​are shaped by the social world in which they live (Mills, 2000). Mills details the “promise” of this imagination, why it isimportant to ask these questions and what helps to understand. To clarify the kind of work sociology does in bridging the personal and the historical, Mills distinguishes between personal problems and public issues. Personal problems are an individual's experiences in one's environment, the word Mills uses to describe the immediate situation in which the person finds himself. Problems are private matters while problems belong to a larger social structure (Mills, 2000). The problem is considered a crisis of an institution and not a crisis of an individual. In his view, the issues are therefore public issues. The sociological imagination is relevant today because it connects personal problems and public issues, connects biographies and history, in order to make complete sense of the specific anxieties and crises of societies (Furedi, 2009). Structural TheoryThe article will discuss the structural theory postulated by Freud. Freud divided the mind into three provinces: the id, the ego and the superego. These are words translated from German literally translated as "It", "I" and "Above me" or "Higher self". There are great differences between the id and the ego. It is considered the place of a person's primary or primitive drives (Freud, 2018). The id is what drives you towards that car in the showroom but knows you can't afford it or what makes you move your gaze to the person across the room even if they are with a significant other (Freud S., 1961) . The id operates on the pleasure principle, meaning it does not consider reality, constraints, or consequences. Wild sexual fantasies or dreams are based on pure id. The ego balances the drives of the id with the realities of the world (Furedi, 2009). It is more organized than the id and tries to avoid displeasure and pain. In the hospital, patients with good impulse control and the ability to tolerate difficult emotional challenges have good ego strength. Freud believed that real action was seen in neurological terms, who described it as being critically involved in the organism's self-preservation through memory, awareness of stimuli, and making changes in the external environment to take advantage of it (Freud S., 1961). . The ego can also delay or discharge various id impulses, leading to release or tension. The Superego is the place of the person's internalized moral values, prohibitions and ideals (Schafer, 1960). The superego forces men to leave the trenches under fire to bring a wounded comrade to safety (Freud S., 1961). It is the repository of your ego ideal, your idealized self, the self you would ideally like to be. The superego is also where conscience lives and is responsible for the experience of guilt. The idea is based on the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex (Joshi, 2017), in which a boy banished as a child by his father, the king, returns and kills his father who was unaware of his identity, then at the crossroads the child he marries his mother who also was unaware of his identity until too late. The Oedipus complex assumes that 3-5 year old children go through a crisis in which they try to seduce their mother in fear of retaliatory castration by their father. An effective resolution of this conflict involves accepting that the mother is unattainable and belongs to the father, but that one day a mate may be found to replace the abandoned mother. The theory is one of the most controversial and widely criticized psychodynamic theories. The female equivalent of the idea has been criticized for phallocentrism. The questions are: why, for example, should a girl suffer from penis envy while a man should not suffer from breast envy? Other criticisms have pointed out that the Oedipus complex has not been found in some other cultures outside of Europe. This has called into question the Eurocentricity ofFreudian ideas. Freud's goal in formulating his theories about what drives people to do the things they do was to create an all-encompassing theory of human behavior and emotions, something that corresponded to the universal laws of thermodynamics and physics that were in phase of development and dissemination during his life. time (Freud S.,1961). Indeed, many of Freud's early models viewed the psychic apparatus in hydraulic or mechanical terms, and he referred to "psychic energy" as "absorbed" or "discharged." Subsequent researchers and thinkers who brought Freud's works to the interpersonal realm have enriched our view of human suffering. Kohut also emphasized the importance of attempting to understand and empathize with the patient's inner world. Empathy, however, does not preclude the therapist from confronting the patient when the patient is engaging in destructive or countertherapeutic behavior. Structuration Theory The concept of structuration was postulated by an eminent scholar known as Anthony Giddens in 1984 (Giddens, 1984). Giddens argues that just as an individual's autonomy is influenced by structure, structures are maintained and adapted through the exercise of action. The interface where an actor encounters a structure is called structuring. Structure theory aims to understand human social behavior through resolving competing views of structure that are agency, macro, and micro perspectives. This is achieved through the study of the processes that occur at the interface between actors and structures. Structuration theory demonstrates that social actions cannot be fully explained by theories of structure or agency alone, but recognizes that actors operate within a context of rules given by social structures, and structures are reinforced only by acting in a compliant manner. Consequently, social structures have no inherent stability without human actions since they are socially constructed. Alternatively, through the exercise of reflexivity, agents modify social structures by acting outside the constraints that the structures place on them (Bagguley, 2003). Functional theory Herbert Spencer and Robert Merton mainly contributed to functional theory, from the perspective of structural functionalism. . This article considers the perspective of George Casper Homans (1910-1989), the father of social exchange theory, and Talcott Parsons. The main concepts of the theory are (Hirokawa, 2006): -All social systems are characterized by functional requirements; Functional requirement is what must be done by members of a relationship or group to ensure the effective functioning of the system. Functional requirements include adaptation – adapting to changes in the environment and relationship/group; and expression - managing interpersonal tensions and conflicts between relationship/group members. Fulfillment of functional requirements is essential for the success or survival of the social system. Functional requirements are performed by participants through communicative interactions with others within and outside the social system. Communicative acts that satisfy functional requirements are reproduced by participants as needed. The reproduction of communicative acts designed to satisfy functional requirements manifests itself in emerging patterns of communication. Emerging patterns of communication eventually become regularized and institutionalized forms of communication in the social system. The principles of the theory are outlined as follows (Hirokawa, 2006):-Remember: this is just one example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get an essay, 772-782.