Latent Functions

Latent functions are unintended and unrecognized consequences of intended, recognized manifest functions. Robert K. Merton contributed the original sociological explication of latent functions in his Social Theory and Social Structure of 1957. Merton, who borrowed the terms manifest and latent from ...

  • Loading...
locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles