latent function - (noun) Unintentional consequences of a process.
manifest function - (noun) Intentional consequences of a process.
Audio Pronunciation: (la·tent func·tion and man·i·fest func·tion)
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Usage Notes:
- Plural: latent functions and manifest functions
- Functions and dysfunctions along with latent and manifest functions were theorized by Robert Merton (1910–2003) in Social Theory and Social Structure (1949, revised in 1957 and 1968).
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