Functionalists Flashcards
What are the main beliefs of functionalists for family and households?
-They believe society has an agreement on the norms and values
- These are taught through socialisation (primary) for families
-This is so children know how to behave and act in wider society
- have completely positive opinions on society.
What do functionalists believe is the ideal family type and why?
The nuclear family
- Contain a married couple ( man and woman) who have children
- This is so the family is stable and each family member has an ascribed role.
What are Murdock’s four essential functions for the family?
- Sexual
- Primary socialisation
- Reproduction
- Economic
Explain Murdock’s four essential functions and why they are important.
- Sexual - teaching children only to have sex when married and it should only be between a man and a woman
- Reproduction - Encouraged to give birth as this ensures the next generation continues
- Primary socialisation- Teaching children the basic norms and values of society as it helps them integrate into society better
- Economic - the father should work and provide for his family
What is an evaluation of Murdock’s beliefs?
- His beliefs are outdated and have become irrelevant as they don’t apply as much in modern times as there is more family diversity
- For example, single parents or same-sex couples
What does Parsons argue about family functions?
Parsons argues that the family adapts to the society they are in and provides a comparison of the industrial vs the pre-industrial as an example of this
What were Parsons’s comparisons for the pre-industrial vs the industrial?
Pre-industrial
- Families were not geographically mobile as they mostly worked at home
- The family had many functions to perform
- Each family status was ascribed
Industrial
- Families are unit of consumption
- Loss of family functions as institutions replaced them
- families are geographically mobile
- Status was now achieved.
What are examples of primary socialisation and how do they help the family?
Children learn to eat with a knife and fork, queuing up in shops and shaking people’s hands when greeting them
This allows children to learn the basic norms and values of society which allows them to integrate easily into society as everyone is being taught the same.
What is SOAP
It stands for stabilisation of adult personality.
This is the belief that the family is the place where a person can relax and this allows them to return to work refreshed leading to them working to the best of their ability
- This helps the economy as people are working efficiently.
What is an evaluation of Parsons soap function
He ignores that some families are not relaxing for a person as they can have a dark side and instead have the opposite effect on a person
- For example violence and conflict in the family
What did Parsons identify in terms of gender roles?
He identified two adult roles that were based on biological differences
- Men = instrumental - Provide money for the family and control them
- Women = expressive - emotional and caregivers
What is an evaluation of Parsons’s gender roles?
Society has changed and most families are dual earners
He ignores same-sex couples which show that the adult roles are fluid and flexible and not based on biology.
