Final answer:
Functionalism is a theoretical perspective in sociology that sees society as a structure with interconnected parts designed to meet the needs of society, maintaining order and stability. It observes how different social functions fulfill manifest and latent roles in keeping society functioning as a whole.
Step-by-step explanation:
The theoretical perspective that focuses on finding general laws that identify different elements of society, show how they relate to each other, and demonstrate their role in maintaining social order is known as functionalism. This approach views society as having a system of interdependent inherently connected parts, similar to a living organism where each part has a role to play in the survival and stability of the whole. Functionalists examine social structures and institutions to determine the manifest and latent functions they serve, which are the recognized and unrecognized consequences of social processes, respectively.
Functionalism, a macro-level perspective, is interested in large-scale social forces and the way they help society function. By analyzing the macro-level needs each movement serves, functionalists can explain why and how social phenomena appear and persist. For example, in the context of social movements, a functionalist might explore how they serve to voice collective concerns, thereby contributing to social equilibrium and cohesion.