15.2 Theoretical And Historical Perspectives On Families Flashcards
Primary Socialization
The process by which children learn the cultural norms and expectations from behaviour of the society into which they are born
Primary socialization occurs largely in the family
Personality Stabilization
According to functionalist theory, the family plays a crucial role in assisting its adult members emotionally
Marriage is the arrangement through which personalities are supported and kept healthy
Talcott Parsons + nuclear Family
He regarded the nuclear family as best equipped to handle the demands of industrial society
He believed the husband adopted the “instrumental” role as breadwinner, whereas the wife assed the “affective” or emotional support role in the home
Parsons views are now criticized for being inadequate, outdated, and overly focused on the family alone
Ernest Burgess + Family
He describes family as “a unity of interacting personalities” in which the behaviour or identities of individual family members mutually shaped one another over time
Williams Waller
He developed the principle of least interest to show that the partner who is least committed to, or interested in, their romantic relationship has more power and might often exploit that power
Betty Friedan
In her book The Feminine Mystique, (“The problem with no name”) she wrote, the isolation and boredom of many suburban American housewives trapped in an endless cycle of child care and housework
3 topics in feminist approaches to understanding families
- The division of household labour
- Unequal power relationships within some families (especially the phenomena of domestic violence and intimate partner violence)
- Care work
Larger Transfromations in Family Forms
The formation and dissolution of families and households and the evolving expectations within personal relationships
