fuctionialism

Question 1

What does George Murdock believe?

Answer 1

• he argues the nuclear family performs 4 essential functions to meet the needs of society, (sexual, reproductive, education, economic)
• agrees the nuclear family must co-operate economically and maintain sexual relationship
• argues the nuclear family is universal

Question 2

How did George Murdock conclude that the nuclear family is universal?

Answer 2

he studied 250 societies and found they all some form of nuclear family and he concluded that it exists all around the world

Question 3

Criticisms of George murdock

Answer 3

• nuclear family is no longer universal, we have a range of different family types that can meet the needs of society
• feminists would argue Murdock ignores how oppressive the nuclear family is for women.
• marxists would argue Murdock has a very harmonious view of family. They argue family meets the needs of capitalism, and doesn’t meet the needs of everyone.

Question 4

What does Talcott parsons believe?

Answer 4

• argues the functions the family performs depend on the kind of society in which it is found. He calls this theory ‘functional fit’
  -he distinguishes between two types of family: nuclear and extended
  -argues there are two basic types of society, modern industrial society and traditional pre industrial society.
  -argues the nuclear family fits the needs of modern industrial society and the extended meets the needs of the tradition pre industrial society
• believes in britian the nuclear family is the dominant family type

Question 5

Tradition pre-industrial society

Answer 5

• extended family
• people lived in the same village all their lives
• all family worked on the same farm
• the family was a multi-functional unit

Question 6

Modern industrial society

Answer 6

• nuclear family
• industrialisation and urbanisation meant people moved around for work
• society is meritocratic

Question 7

Who argues the two different types of society:
traditional pre-industrial society and modern industrial society?

Answer 7

Talcott Parsons

Question 8

What does a geographically mobile workforce mean?

Answer 8

we now need to move location for work, nuclear family is more compact and better suited for this

Question 9

what does a socially mobile workforce mean?

Answer 9

we no longer have obligations to our kin and so we are able to work hard and achieve, we do not need to follow in the footsteps of parents

Question 10

What functions did the family perform in pre-industrial society?

Answer 10

• teaching the children -> parents, teachers, schools
• providing care -> healthcare systems
• making clothes -> the textile industry

Question 11

how does the family fit into the organic analogy?

Answer 11

• the family works with education, religion and politics to ensure the smooth running of society and has key functions to carry out to ensure society is stable.

Question 12

What are the 4 essential functions George Murdock believes the family needs to perform? and how do individuals and society benefit from them?

Answer 12

• SEXUAL - Stable satisfaction of the sex drive. Benefits individual by giving fulfilment. Benefits society by stopping a sexual free for all.
• REPRODUCTION of the next generation of workers. Gives individual fulfilment. Benefits society by giving new ideas and new working population.
• EDUCATION and socialisation of the young. Individual benefits as they learn norms and values. Society becomes more qualified and skilled.
• ECONOMY - Meeting its members economic needs. Society and individuals can live a better quality of life and live more comfortably.

Answer 13

• es