Final answer:
Functionalism is the anthropological perspective that sees cultural institutions and practices as fulfilling necessary roles in meeting individual or societal needs.
Step-by-step explanation:
A perspective in anthropology that emphasizes that cultural institutions and practices serve individual or societal needs is called functionalism. This theoretical approach views society as a system where each part functions together to create a cohesive whole. Functionalism is particularly concerned with how cultural elements such as norms, values, traditions, and institutions work to meet the needs of a society or serve a purpose within it. This includes how education, as a cultural institution, fulfills the value society places on learning and knowledge. While there are other perspectives like conflict theory and symbolic interactionism, functionalism specifically looks at the utility and necessity of cultural features in maintaining a functional society.