Functionalist family model

Question 1

George Murdock family functions

Answer 1

Education - primary socialisation (children tought societal norms and values)

Economic - family provides and econmic function to all members by pooling reasources and ensuring they have what they need

Reproductive - produces the next generation of society

Sexual - ensures adult sexual relationships and controlled and stable

Question 2

Talcott parson updated family functions

Answer 2

Talcott Parsons argued the state provided education and some economic function. He decided there are two irreducible functions in the modern familt

Question 3

Talcott Parsons

Primary socilisation

Answer 3

• agrees family teaches children societal norms and values, but argued it teaches norms especially about family or comunity
• instututions like school, media religion ect teacht children the universal norms values of society. (secondary socialisation)

Question 4

Talcott Parsons

Stablisation fo adult personalities

Answer 4

• Parsons argued families prevent adults from behaving disruptive or disfunctianlly, instead encouraging confority to social norms espeically in times of stress
• he described this in the warm bath theory - when a man comes home from work and relaxes into his family like a bath. Taking away stress.

Question 5

Evaluations of the functionalist family view

Answer 5

Marxists and feminsts - argue functionalism paints and idealistic view on family, a model that doesnt work for everyone. Many have stress inducing family relationships.

Conflict theorists - argue family roles dont actually benefit society, only the powerfull groups. Feminists argue familt exists only for the benefit of men