Functionalism Flashcards
Name Murdock’s 4 essential functions that families need to meet the needs of society.
Stable satisfaction of the sex drive, reproduction of next generation, socialization of the young and meeting its members economic needs.
functionalists believe society is based on a _____ consenus
value
What is a value consensus?
a set of shared norms and values into which society socialises its members
What do functionalists often compare society to?
a body, e.g organic analogy.
Why do functionalists compare society to a body?
Because bodies have vital organs that performs vital functions to the well being of the body as a whole. so the family meets societys needs.
Name the 3 sub-systems that depend on each other
family, education and economy
What can be seen to functionalists as the ‘building block to society’?
society
Name at least two criticisms of Murdock’s take on the nuclear family.
Feminism - oppressing women, only serving men
Marxists - meets the needs of capitalism, not family members
general views - can be performed by non-nuclear structures.
What theorist believes the family performs different functions to others depending on the society it is found in?
Talcott Parsons (1955)
what are the two kinds of family structure Talcott Parsons believes in
Nuclear and extended
which family was more dominant in the industrial era and why?
Nuclear - because they were better fitted for a geographically mobile workforce
What two functions of the family does Talcott Parsons believe in
Primary socialisation and stabilisation of adult personalities
What is the warm bath theory?
Where a woman runs a bath after work to distress him from the capitalist system
What kind of theory is functionalism?
Structuralist, consensus and macro
What are the two roles functionalists believe should be in place in a family?
Segregated conjugal roles. Instrumental - man, breadwinner
expressive - woman, emotional needs
monogamy minimises _____ in society
conflict
Why do family structures change in society?
to meet the needs of society, can change in response to industrialization
What does Young & Willmott say about the nuclear family in the pre-industrialisation
It existed because of families working in knitting mills etc
does functionalists believe that the modern nuclear family have less functions or more?
less because families now tend to be a unit of consumption instead of production
Why is the nuclear family now outdated?
because of family diversity
do functionalists see the nuclear family being beneficial to and society or not?
they do because everyone works together to get jobs and needs done.
what could be two criticisms of the fucntionalist perspective on family
- It benefits the capitalist system (Marxism)
2. Nuclear family is unequal and unfair (feminism)
How does the nuclear family stabilise adult personalities?
marriage and family life perform the function of protecting members from stress of day to day life. e.g warm bath theory
