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In reference to the readings and lecture notes, manifest concept signifies the intended function of social policies, actions, or processes that are deliberately and consciously intended to be beneficial in their impact on society. These functions or dysfunctions are deliberate and known. Manifest functions result from all means of social actions but are most generally deliberated as aftermaths of the work of social institutions like religion, education, family, and the media and as the product of social laws, rules, policies, and norms (Merton, 68). Take, for instance, the social institution of education. Manifest also entails making something obvious or proving something. The manifest function of the rain dance was used as an example by Merton in his 1957 Social theory and Social Structure, which is to produce rain. The outcome is intended and desired by individuals participating in the ritual (Merton, 70). Schooling is an example of a manifest function; it transmits knowledge to the next generation. There are more than a few major manifest functions connected to education. The first is socialization. Learners are taught to practice several societal roles beginning from preschool and kindergarten. The manifest functions of school education include imparting learners with practical skills, providing an intellectual framework, and conveying society’s values.

On the other hand, latent function signify one that is not deliberately intended, but that, however, has a beneficial effect on society. This function is anticipated and has unintended consequences of an action or social structure. An example of latent function can be that in a clinic or health institution, the specialists, while treating a patient suffering from a particular kind of incurable illness, somehow saves the patient, hence discovering a new treatment method. Education can also fulfill latent functions. It is evident that a lot of things go on in schools that as little with formal education. In schooling, education encourages the growth of youth cultures that normally conflict with parental or state values. Latent functions include socialization with peers and conformity to norms.

China’s one-child policy is both manifest and latent functions in its context. The Chinese government introduced the one-child policy to curb population growth; the female population deficit is its unintended outcome. It is a manifest function in a way that it is intended to cover population growth. It happens to be a latent function in a way that has unintended consequences f female deficit. In the case of China’s one-child policy, forcing or encouraging people to change their fertility behavior without addressing their essential preferences might have unanticipated outcomes. The makers of this policy and other government representatives anticipated the female population deficit (Zhang, 141). It is a manifest function since the government implemented it to control the population, mandating that the enormous majority of couples in the nation could only have one child. It was intended to improve economic, social, and environmental problems associated with its rapidly growing population. Depending on where they dwell, couples can be fined thousands of dollars for having an extra child without a permit, and there are common reports of sterilization or abortions. Critics believe that this policy has unintended consequences of sex discrimination as boys are viewed as culturally preferable.

Understanding both manifest and latent functions is of great importance in sociological inquiry. It has direct inquiry to theoretically fruitful fields of inquiry. Manifest and latent functions serve to offer guidance and direction to the attention of the sociologist to precisely those realms of attitude, behavior, and belief. Understanding manifest and latent functions play a role in conveying society’s values, providing students with an intellectual framework, and imparting practical skills. They are both parts of the structural function approach, which perceive society as interconnected and complex. Understanding this concept helps in important progress in sociological knowledge and inquiry.

Works Cited

Merton, Robert K. “Manifest and latent functions.” Social theory re-wired: new connections to classical and contemporary perspectives (2nd edition). New York: Routledge: 68-84.

Zhang, Junsen. “The evolution of China’s one-child policy and its effects on family outcomes.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 31.1 (2017): 141-60.