“Functionalism” in Communication: the Origin and Evolution of a Historical Concept

ZHAN Ning ZHOU Chenjing

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Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication ›› 2022, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (5) : 24-48.

“Functionalism” in Communication: the Origin and Evolution of a Historical Concept

  • ZHAN Ning ZHOU Chenjing
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Abstract

Functionalism, as a key concept throughout the history of the communication research, not only lacks a unified and clear definition, but also implies ambiguous and imprecise interpretation in Communication. Tracing functionalism in the context of social theory and communication research, this paper first reviews how Harold Lasswell and Robert Merton clarified functionalism in response to the transition of the American social sciences in the 1940s. Then this paper explores how their functionalist approaches are revised and how communication research is labeled by “functionalism” by Charles Wright and Elihu Katz. Under the rigid label of “functionalism,” use and gratification research resonates with media effect research, although it was once regarded as the hope of settling the restriction of the short-term effect research. After the 1960s, the traditional functionalist paradigm stressing systematic equilibrium has been gradually reconstructed with the change of the society. Communication research absorbing the functionalist trend containing more theoretical approaches keeps developing on the basis of disrupting tradition.

Key words

functionalism / communication research / use and satisfaction research / media effect research / social theory

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ZHAN Ning ZHOU Chenjing. “Functionalism” in Communication: the Origin and Evolution of a Historical Concept. Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication. 2022, 44(5): 24-48

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Funding

This paper is supported by Humanities and Social Sciences Project of Shandong Province (No.21DXWJ05); Fundamental Research Funds of Shandong University (No.2020GN070).
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