The functionalist perspective is based largely on the works of Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons, and Robert Merton. According to functionalism, society is a system of. interconnected parts that work together in harmony to maintain a state of balance and social. equilibrium for the whole. For example, each of the social institutions contributes important. functions for society: Family provides a context for reproducing, nurturing, and socializing. children; education offers a way to transmit a society’s skills, knowledge, and culture to its youth;