Functionalist View on The Family Flashcards
Murdock: _______________________
Murdock: The universal functions of the family
What did Murdock (1949) believe
That one particular type of family - the nuclear family - is universal. It exists in every society because it performs four essential functions which benefit society
What are Murdocks four functions of the nuclear family
- Sexual
- Reproductive
- Economic
- Education
What is Murdocks Sexual function of the nuclear family
It reduces the potential for conflict caused by sexual jealousy by channelling peoples sex drives into socially and morally approved exclusive relationships - aka marriage
What is Murdocks Reproductive function of the nuclear family
Ensures that societies exist
What is Murdocks Economic function of the nuclear family
Involves parents freely choosing to go out to work to earn income and, as units of consumption, buying goods and services aimed at maintaining both the health and standard of living of themselves and their children
What is Murdocks Education function of the nuclear family
Involves parents and other adult family members socialising children into the values and norms of their culture so that they can interact successfully with others and conform to social expectations about behaviour
What did Parsons (1951,1955) say about Murdocks functions
That some of these functions have been taken over by other specialised institutions but he insisted that the nuclear family still had two basic functions
What are Parsons two functions of the family and explain them
- The primary socialisation of children, aimed at helping children to successfully take their place in society as good citizens and workers
- The stabilisation of the adult personality, which suggests that the home and family function to de-stress and revitalise male workers so that they are both mentally and physically fit enough to work effectively every day
What do functionalist view the nuclear family as
The ideal family form and other types of family are deficient or broken versions of this nuclear ideal. They believe that the nuclear family is beneficial to society because it socialises children to be both good citizens and workers.
What argument is functionalism influenced by
Sociobiological arguments
What does parsons argue supporting the sociobiological argument
That husbands and wives ‘were equal but different’. He argued that men were biologically suited to the ‘instrumental’ breadwinning role while wives were more suited to the ‘expressive’ role which involves the nurturing and socialisation of children, taking the main responsibility for the maintaining the home and the emotional maintenance of the family members
What have functionalist views been criticised as
As very conservative
What do feminists say about the functionalist view
They claim functionalism is part of a patriarchal ideology aimed at preserving male power and convincing society that a women’s role should be in the home rather than the workplace
How do interactionalist criticise the functionalist view
They are critical of the functionalist notion of primary socialisation because this assumes a one-way top-down process of children as empty receptacles being filled with values, norms and knowledge by their parents. This ignores the fact that family interaction is more complex than this and is actually a two-way process with both parents - parents learn a lot also from their children
