Families & Households.

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Sharanjit Sunner                Sociology

L6A JTH                SC

30/10/03

AS October Assessment-Families & Households

  1. Functionalist sociologists have argued that industrialisation led to a loss of functions for the family. Parsons referred to this process as ‘structural differentiation’.
  2. Two benefits of the reproductive function of the family for society and/or family members: without sexual reproduction, society would die out. Also, the family legitimises certain sexual relationships and their offspring.
  3. Through industrialisation the family lost its production function to factories and its education, health and welfare functions to the state.
  4. Parsons claims that nuclear families now specialise in primary socialisation. Through primary socialisation children learn culture, i.e. language, values, norms, etc. This is the first and most important part of the socialisation process. Parsons argues that every individual must learn the shared values and norms of society. Without this there would be no value consensus (an agreement of values by members of society based on the integration between different parts of society), and without consensus, social life would not be possible. The family therefore is responsible for moulding the children’s personalities in terms of society’s culture to the point where it becomes a part of them. The family also specialise in the stabilisation of adult personalities. Parsons argued that the emotional security couple provide for each other act as a counterweight or balance to the stresses and strains of everyday life which make the personality potentially unstable. Since adults are largely isolated from their wider extended families, spouses tend to lean on each other increasingly for emotional support. The family provides an individual with a sense of belonging and purpose in life. Parsons makes an analogy of the family to a warm bath. The family relieves the pressures of everyday life and recharges the batteries of individuals.
  5. Functionalism is a structural or systems theory, it examines social institutions which are larger than any single individual and it sees these institutions of society as moulding and shaping the individual.  The various parts of society are seen to be interrelated and, taken together, they form a complete system. To understand any part of society, such as the family or religion, the part must be seen in relation to society as a whole. Functionalists will examine a part of society, such as the family, in terms of its contribution to the maintenance of the social system. When examining the family, functionalist sociologists are interested in three main question:
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  • What are the functions of the family to society?
  • What are the functional relationships between the family and other institutions?
  • What are the functions of the family for its individual members?

Functionalists view the family as a very positive institution-it is seen as good for society and the individuals who compromise it.

Parsons and Murdock see the Nuclear family as the ideal family form-they’re firm believers in the ideology of familism. With Parsons’ nuclear family model the male is portrayed as the ‘instrumental leader’ who is best suited to the demands of the world of work and ...

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