Functionalism and the family. 10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family 2022-10-15
Functionalism and the family
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Functionalism is a sociological perspective that focuses on the ways in which social institutions, such as the family, contribute to the stability and cohesion of society as a whole. According to functionalist theorists, the family performs several important functions that help to maintain social order and ensure the smooth functioning of society.
One of the main functions of the family is socialization, or the process by which children learn the values, norms, and behaviors of their culture. The family is the primary agent of socialization, as it is through interactions with parents, siblings, and other family members that children learn how to behave and interact with others.
Another important function of the family is economic production and consumption. In many societies, the family serves as the basic unit of economic production, with members working together to provide for the needs of the group. In addition, the family is responsible for consuming goods and services, which helps to fuel economic growth and stability.
The family also serves as a source of social support and emotional well-being for its members. In times of crisis or stress, family members can provide emotional support and assistance to one another, helping to alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Finally, the family helps to transmit cultural values and traditions from one generation to the next. Through the transmission of cultural practices and beliefs, the family helps to preserve the continuity and stability of society.
In conclusion, functionalism emphasizes the important role that the family plays in maintaining social order and stability. By performing functions such as socialization, economic production and consumption, providing social support, and transmitting cultural values, the family helps to ensure the smooth functioning of society as a whole.
Families: Functionalism
Fourth, the family provides its members with a social identity. Obviously this has been widely criticised! Why or why not? Families are certainly not like that for everyone. Parents, siblings, and, if the family is extended rather than nuclear, other relatives all help socialize children from the time they are born. One reason for this is to ensure that infants have adequate emotional and practical care when they are born. The role of secondary socialisation according to Parsons Parsons agreed with Murdock about the importance of the family providing primary socialisation for children. Inculcation of Values Every society has a certain set of values and its education system is primed to inculcate those values in its students. Thus, each structure, in interdependent, and performs a useful function in the smooth running of society.
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Functionalism and the Family
Inheritance of Property — means that in order for property to be handed down to a legitimate heir, sexual relationships need to be restricted to one person, thus the offspring would be blood related. That is: these institutions are said to be functional for societies as a whole. Media The mass media includes television, social media, movies, books etc. The three main functionalist sociologists in this topic are Murdock, Parsons and Fletcher, who all have a different view towards family but main argument is the functions it provides for society. For many people religion can act as a form of support that helps them deal with mentally and emotionally overwhelming situations.
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How does functionalism affect family?
Functionalists believe that the family is regarded as a basic building block of society. In this way, children learn the dominant ideology a set of shared beliefs and values and become functioning members of society. Share this: Facebook Facebook logo Twitter Twitter logo Reddit Reddit logo LinkedIn LinkedIn logo WhatsApp WhatsApp logo Functionalists view the family as a nuclear family structure, i. Murdock believes that the family have to provide 4 main functions: primary socialisation, financial support, the meeting of sexual and emotional needs and reproduction. These historians have noted the evidence suggesting that industrialization follows different historical patterns in different industrial societies.
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The Functionalist Perspective on the Family
One such example is that of the Nair, a group of Indian Hindu castes, who lived historically in large family units called Tharavads that housed the descendants of one common female ancestor. Family, a social institution, is traditionally defined in the Western world as a husband, wife and children. The process of allowing individuals of all social backgrounds to gain credentials that will broaden their prospects in the future is commonly called social placement. What are the functionalist views? However this started to change when the modern industrial family emerged between 1900 and 2000, as more women were given the opportunity to become educated, this led to more women in the workforce. Additionally, the purchase of medical supplies and equipment provides a boost to businesses that produce these items. Stable families underpin social order and economic stability. Functionalism gives a highly optimistic view of the family.
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Functionalism And Symbolic Interactionism In The Family In...
Families meet needs that are necessary for societies to exist. Gender and marital happiness in later life. Social Functions of the Family Recall that the functional perspective emphasizes that social institutions perform several important functions to help preserve social stability and otherwise keep a society working. The functionalist perspective is a male-dominant perspective Strong et. It behaves as an interrelated whole, rather than a collection of isolated traits.
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Free Essay: FUNCTIONALIST AND THE FAMILY
Family and other contributing factors heavily shape a personality along with their actions. By this, the warm bath theory is reinforced, as the family is the place where you can find peace and be away from all the cryptic things going on around them. Marxists believe that the family is a tool of capitalism and its main function is to According to Marx, the family also gives individuals property rights and allows for the assignment and maintenance of kinship order. Although the functional perspective assumes the family provides its members emotional comfort and support, many families do just the opposite and are far from the harmonious, happy groups depicted in the 1950s television shows. Through participant observation and an interview, I was able to uncover Family, FamilyStructure, And Structural Functionalism The idea that society functions in a manner similar to the human body is known as structural functionalism.
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What is the functionalist theory perspective on marriage and family?
One function of the family would be reproduction or having children as this is imperative for the world as they will be the future workforce. The last function looks at the Unit of Consumption whereby families work to produce goods, which are bought by the families to enable them to be fed and clothed, which bring greater profit for the capitalists. Post modernists also believe that everyone is entitled to the same opportunities in education, healthcare and family support as in their view, there are no class divisions working and ruling classes , in most societies. Zietlin et al summarises this view of the world, The post modern world is shaped by pluralism, democracy, religious freedom, consumerism, mobility and increasing access to news and entertainment, Zietlin class handout 2009. A classic study by Mirra Komarovsky 1964 found that wives in blue-collar marriages liked to talk with their husbands about problems they were having, while husbands tended to be quiet when problems occurred.
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15.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family
Violent video games and hostile expectations: A test of the general aggression model. StudySmarter Originals, Shikha Shah Functionalists generally see divorce as a negative thing, as the family is a key institution in society. Broadly speaking it is assumed by functionalists that societies operate in the interests of all of their members so that there is no reason for fundamental conflict in society. One reason for this is to ensure that infants have adequate emotional and practical care when they are born. Imparting Skills One of the primary functions of schools is to impart skills to students and make them employable or capable of generating employment.
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Functionalism In Families And Societies
He argued that in countries where there were more nuclear families than extended families, industrialisation happened first; therefore, nuclear families brought about industrialisation among other factors , and not the other way around. In particular, it may contribute for several reasons to social inequality, and it may subject its members to violence, arguments, and other forms of conflict. For example, in Japan, industrialization stresses the importance of holding a job for life with the same company, and employees are encouraged to view their colleagues as part of an extended family. It is as if the playing field for families is tilted in ways that are barely visible to the naked eye. They also note that family members take on status roles in a marriage or family. This reflects the fact that most societies have a limited amount of resources, so it is necessary to use them in the most efficient way possible.
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