The primary goal of the welfare system was to provide temporary assistance to families in need. Unfortunately, the system has also fostered dependency. Functionalists would call this dependency a latent function of the welfare system.
Latent functions is the unintended functions of a phenomenon in a social system, For example, the welfare system was intended to provide temporary assistance and not foster dependence by its beneficiaries. However, dependency on aids by beneficiaries instead of working for survival has been a latent function of the welfare system.
