social world can be value-free and unbiased in any way by the investigator. Emphasis on the organic unity of society leads functionalists to speculate about needs which must be met by a social system for it to exist as such, and the ways in which social institutions satisfy these needs. Functionalism assumes a homeostatic nature of social systems, which work to maintain equilibrium. This is seen as being achieved through socialization of members of the society into the basic norms and values of the society to reach a consensus. If socialization is insufficient to create conformity for some reason, social control mechanisms are in place to restore conformity or segregate nonconforming individuals from the rest of the society. The mechanisms range from gossip, to prisons, to mental institutions.
The conflict perspective began with the works of Karl Marx (Conflict, 2004). It views the most important determinant of social life as being the work people are doing which results in the provision of the basic necessities of life - food, clothing and shelter. Marx believed the way work and the technology to produce it are socially organized has a strong
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