Functionalism Flashcards
Who were the sociologists involved in the functionalist perspective?
- George Murdock
- Talcott Parsons
- Willmott and Young
What did George Murdock say were the 4 essential functions of the family?
1) stable satisfaction of sex drive
2) reproduction of the next generation
3) socialisation of the young
4) meeting economic needs
What did Murdock say about the nuclear family?
It is universal and practical
1) stabilisation of sex drive
GM
- sexual gratification for both partners
- helps strengthen society as the disruptive effects that would result is there sexual freedom as it unites people
2) Reproduction of the next generation
GM
- reproduce society and pass on the same norms and values of the previous generation
3) Socialisation/educational
GM
- culture and traditions of society are passed on
4) Economic function
GM
- specialisation of labour
- ‘rewarding experiences’ for spouses working together
What are the criticisms of George Murdock?
1) outdated- family circumstances change
2) ethnocentric- influenced by American society
3) no consideration of family diversity- same sex
4) not all needs of family members are met- abuse
5) adopts a rose tinted view of family- naive
What did Parsons say about the family and their functions?
The functions a family perform depend on the type of society they live in which effects and shapes the structure of the family
Talcott Parsons main idea
3–> 2 generational families
classic extended family–> nuclear family
= the effects of industrialisation
pre industrial to industrial society
Effects of industrialisation
TP
GEOGRAPHICAL MOBILITY
- smaller families easier to move for work
SOCIAL MOBILITY
- intelligence is more important than social status, less conflict with only one older generation
What were the two impacts of the societal shifts?
TP
- loss of functions by family
- only 2 essential ‘irreducible functions’
What were the 2 functions of the family according to Parsons?
PRIMARY SOCIALISATION OF CHILDREN
- learn norms n values- sexual division of labour
STABALISATION OF ADULT PERSONALITIES
- emotional support, cope with stresses of daily life
What were the 2 roles Parsons assigned to parents?
EXPRESSIVE- housewife
INSTRUMENTAL- breadwinner
What theory did Parsons come up with?
The warm bath theory
What is the warm bath theory?
- family relives the stress and tension from work
- helps adult be functional for the next day at work
- all member are content with family life
What were the criticisms of Parsons?
- only focused on middle class families
- ignores all types of family diversity
- no mention of other forms of family (communes)
What did Parsons and Willmott n Young say about the family?
Argues that the classic extended family had largely disappeared in modern contemporary society.
- replaced by isolated/privatised nuclear family or some form of modified extended family
What did Willmott n Young mean by the symmetrical family?
- disagree with Parsons and say that in the 1950s there were still a large number of extended families
- do not believe that industrialisation brought about the death of the extended family
What do Willmott n Young believe caused a decline in extended families in the 1960s?
1- slum clearances and the creation of council estates
2- welfare state and employment opportunities
3- child centred society
4- more emphasis on women’s rights
Evaluation points of Wilmott and Young
Harris study 2006
- the nuclear family is not becoming isolated or privatised
- it has simply changed in postmodern times
What do feminists say about the symmetrical family?
Oakley researched how housework was shared and found that women still do the majority so stay at home dads are a minority and women still do more household domestic tasks
- sceptical of the notion that housework is shared and equal
Evaluation point of the functionalist perspective
People are more individualistic than they were 40 years ago reflected in relationships and family
- decline in family/community obligations
