A successful business executive would be ranked above others in a society which values individual achievement while individuals who fight battles and wars would be ranked above others in a society which values bravery and gallantry. Individuals who conduct themselves in accordance with these values are ranked above others. Talcott Parsons believed that order and stability depends upon the value consensus in the society.The Structural- functionalist perspective seeks to explain social stratification in terms of its contribution to the maintenance of social order and stability in society.
Relevance: Sociology: Paper I: Social Stratification