Bronislaw Malinowski, an anthropologist, posited that these cultural institutions were direct expressions of human needs. Alfred R. Radcliffe-Brown stressed the importance of the interdependence of institutions within a social system. Society is seen as a self-regulating organism, with basic social institutions satisfying basic needs. The conflict perspective examines the lack of harmony among the parts of the system. Struggle over power and resources is seen as normal social interaction.
Stability is what requires explanation.
Sociologists using the conflict perspective examine sources of tension, techniques of conflict control, and how those with power maintain and increase their influence. Karl Marx is best known for his writings on the relationship between economic life and other social institutions. His views are best summed up in his theory of base and superstructure. The base is the economy, comprised of the relations of production, the mode of production, and the means of production. The superstructure consists of the ideologies of society and other institutions such as the family, law, politics, religion, and the state.