Functionalist

Question 1

Overview of functionalists view?

Answer 1

-People are shaped by society
-People are socialised by norms and values
-Top down approach

Question 2

Who are our functionalist sociologists?

Answer 2

Murdock
Parsons

Question 3

Murdock belif?

Answer 3

After studying 250 society’s he found that the nuclear family is universal

Question 4

What are murdocks 4 functions?

Answer 4

-Stable satisfaction of sex drive
-Reproduction of child
-Socialisation of the young
-Meeting economic needs

Question 5

Murdock- Sex?

Answer 5

Universal family satisfied sexual needs, if we didn’t have this then everyone would be sexually frustrated

Question 6

Murdock- Reproduction?

Answer 6

Having children means we can carry on the next generation w/o children society wouldn’t be able to continue

Question 7

Murdock- socialisation?

Answer 7

Nuclear family is essential to pass on norms and values and traditions for the value consensus

Question 8

Murdock- economic?

Answer 8

Nuclear family (farther) provides finances for food and shelter meeting economic needs

Question 9

Critics of Murdock?

Answer 9

-Outdated
-Ethnocentric
-Not all family members needs are met
-Rose tinted view

Question 10

Critics- outdates?

Answer 10

-We are more diverse in a society we have different family types now such a the Kibbutz

Question 11

Critics- ethnocentric?

Answer 11

Only looked at one society who share similar values
e.g. nayer of sudan

Question 12

Critics- Not all family members needs are met?

Answer 12

Ignores domestic violence

Question 13

Critics- rose tinted?

Answer 13

Nieve, we’ve changed as a society

Question 14

Parsons beliefs?

Answer 14

Because of the shift of the pre industrial society to industrial society’s its lead to the shift of extended nuclear family to private because it’s easier be geographically mobile

Question 15

Parsons 2 roles of the family?

Answer 15

Primary socialisation of children
Stabilisation of adult personalitys

Question 16

Parson- primary socialisation?

Answer 16

Teaching children norms and values of family, only nuclear family can portray this role as they are in a supportive environment

Question 17

Parsons- stabilisation of adult personality?

Answer 17

Men- instrumental role in society being breadwinners, not expressing emotions
Women- expressive role, show emotions housewife
These roles give adults the ability to balance stress

Question 18

Parsons- warm bath theory?

Answer 18

Family is like a warm bath, it relieves all the stress and tensons from work helping the men function for there next day at work

Question 19

Willmott and young symmetrical family?

Answer 19

Criticsm
Did a study looking at family and kinship in the east london disagreeing with the industrialisation brought upon the death of the extended family
The movement towards the nuclear family wasn’t as fast as functionalist say we still have extended family in the 20th century
-Extended family is in decline: Slum clearances and the creation of council estates
Welfare state and employment opportunities
More emphasis on women’s rights
Changing attitudes in the home and a move toward egalitarianism

Question 20

Harris et als evaluation of Wilmott and Young?

Answer 20

Nuclear family has become privatised/isolated family has simply changed in postmodernist time
People more individual then they were 40 yrs ago reflecting family relationships suggesting that their has been a decline in both family and community occupation

Question 21

Dobash and Dobash Femenist critics of Wilmott and Young?

Answer 21

Spectacle of weather the housework is equal

Question 22

Parsons- critics Losett?

Answer 22

Extended family wasn’t dominant in preindustrial society
Most common was nuclear family 10% were extended
Had a short life expectancy so unable to have an extended family

Question 23

Parsons critic wilmott and young?

Answer 23

Extended family still common as life in industrial was hard
‘Mum centered’ working class means must have close connection with daughter

Question 24

Parsons- extended family is common today?

Answer 24

Dispersed extended family
Parent have close ties with adult children and preform function