Structural-functionalism and structuralism

Structural-functionalism asks what each part of society does to keep the whole working, while structuralism asks what hidden pattern organises human thought. Malinowski and Radcliffe-Brown studied function in small societies, Parsons built a grand theory of the social system, Merton added dysfunctions and unintended consequences, and Levi-Strauss searched for universal structures of the mind. For example, a rain ritual may not cause rain, but it can still function to unite a village and coordinate farming work.