The Amish Community: Community Analysis

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According to the functionalist standpoint, there are many different aspects in society that depend on each other in order for a community to function as intended. As a functionalist, I believe that society is bonded together by social consensus. This means that members of society must agree upon what is best for a community as whole and work cohesively with one another to be sure that what they agreed upon is actually occurring. According to the Meriam Webster dictionary, the theory of organicism is defined as "the explanation of life and living processes in terms of the levels of organization of living systems rather than in terms of the properties of their smallest components". Functionalism is often viewed as an extension of a theory called…show more content…
After my Freshman year of high school, I was able to spend a week in an Amish community. Something I quickly learned was that what is acceptable in one Amish community, may not be acceptable in another community. The Amish community that accepted me as one of their own for a week is located in northern Indiana, close to the Indiana and Michigan border. They placed me in a role that other woman my age are doing. While back in Fishers I was a high school student, I had completed my education past what normal Amish communities provide. This particular Amish community was focused around farming. Small children are raised together their mothers, as well as other women in the community, while their fathers spend their days working in the fields to provide for their families needs. The fathers bringing home food and other materials allowed the children to grow. The children, once old enough, attended school together in a small building through a junior high education level. Now in their teenage years, the children were able to make a decision if they want to be baptized and stay in the community, or leave and join general society. Female members that choose to remain part of the Amish community were often married soon after finishing their education and they began their own families. The male members that chose to stay in the community began to work on the farms and in their fields with the other men. Most families continued to live together under the same roof, and when their parents were no longer able to work, their children cared for them. This cycle was continued with every generation throughout the

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