Functionalism Flashcards
What is the general perspective of functionalism?
Society is in agreement and harmony. Everything is fair.
What is the organic analogy?
That the body and society are very similar. They both have needs, functions and are both independent.
What are Murdock 4 essential functions and how do they benefit individuals and society?
Sexual- provides fulfilment and contentment and stops sexual free-for-all
Reproductive- provides fulfilment, contentment, family, and comfort and it grows the economy
Education- more knowledge and learns norms:values and produces skilled workers and reducing criminals
Economic- live more comfortably and boosts the economy
Why does Murdock argue that the nuclear family is universal?
He studied 250 societies- they all had a form of nuclear family
What are the criticisms of Murdock?
Nuclear family is not universal- more kings of family that can meet the needs of society
Marxists- Murdock had a very harmonious view of the family and that the family doesn’t meet the needs of everyone- meets the needs of capitalism
Feminists- Murdock invited how oppressive the nuclear family is for women- nuclear family serves the needs of men and is unequal for women
What 2 types of family does Parsons talk about?
The Extended family- the nuclear family+grandparents (vertical) or aunties and uncles (horizontal)
The Nuclear Family- a two generation family of a man+women and dependant children
What two types of essential need does the modern industrial family have?
A geographically mobile workforce- moving around for work and the nuclear family is more compact and better suited for this
A socially mobile workforce- moving between social classes and no longer and obligations to our kin and we are able to work hard and achieve, do not need help out and harvest or follow in the footsteps of our parents.
due to a loss of functions, what two essential do the modern nuclear family specialise in?
The primary socialisation of children- teaches children the basic norms and values of society. The child internalises societies culture and this ensure value consensus is maintained.
The stabilisation of adult personalities- family provides stability and emotional security, a safe haven away from the stresses of everyday life. Family works like a warm bath easing away the worries of the world.
What is the instrumental role?
The male role- DIY, gardening, bringing in the income, manning key decisions
What is the expressive role?
The women role- cooking, cleaning, looking after kids, caring for sick relatives, reading to children, emotional labour.
Evaluation of Parsons
Willmott and Young- pre-industrial family was nuclear not extended as Parsons claims.
Extended family has not disappeared- continues to exist because it performs important functions, e.g., financial help. It is just geographically dispersed.
The expressive and instrumental roles are not biologically suited to the male and female, they are socially constructed
Willmott and Young- family she changed and it is more symmetrical mix where the man and women are sharing roles equally
Evaluation of Functionalism
Very conservative theory, takes for greater that the nuclear family is normal and universal
Ignores family diversity- the nuclear family is no longer useful
It ignores conflict within the family. Is the family a nice place to? Dark side of the family?
It assumes that all families perform useful and essential functions, married couples are pictured as living in domestic bliss, being good in bed and effective socialisers of the next generation
