Personal Life

Question 1

What do many sociologist now find more useful rather than just looking at the family as an institution?

Answer 1

Relationships
Includes things like FICTIVE RELATIONSHIPS (people you call family that aren’t biologically related to)
Rships of choice = more becoming more important than biological ones

Question 2

What does the Connectedness Thesis argue?

Answer 2

We have choices BUT these = always made within a web of connectedness
All voices = linked + influenced by networks of existing Rships + personal histories

Question 3

What does the Individualism Thesis argue?

Answer 3

We can start/ end Rships whenever we want to

Question 4

Are Smart (2007) + May (2013) connectedness or individualist theorists?
What do they argue?

Answer 4

Connectedness theorists

= impossible for Rships to just start/ end due to our lives becoming interwoven + embedded

Question 5

Give 3 ways Smart (2007) + May (2013) criticise the Individualisation Thesis

Answer 5

1. Traditional norms do still limit people’s Rships (arranged marriages)
2. choices about Rships = still influenced by S’s n+v (60% adults = married)
3. Structural forces still limit + shape Rships (social class inequalities/ gender norms)

Question 6

Give one way in which gender can limit the choices in Rships/ Ids/ families we can create for ourselves
(Divorce)

Answer 6

W = more likely to get custody of children after divorce
Seen as more naturally suited
Affects opportunities to form new Rships; W = looking after children, less chance to form new Rships

Question 7

Smart (2007)

Answer 7

Argues that we must study the personal life

Focus on the bonds between people, importance of memory, cultural heritage etc.

Question 8

What are 5 factors which Smart argues are importune too study?

Answer 8

1. Memory (shows what = significant to a person)
2. Biography (diff experiences of diff members, not treated as 1 shared set of experiences)
3. Embeddedness (web Rships, elements of past = carried forward, Rships don’t end with death, symbols keep love going)
4. Relationality (you = not an individual, = web of Rships to others, affect our behaviour e.g. sister, mother…)
5. Imaginary (2 realms of family life, ‘live with’ + ‘live by’, family we ‘live by’ affects our ideal of how we SHOULD act within our families)

Question 9

What concept did Morgan create?

What did argue it meant?

Answer 9

‘Family Practices’
Argued = what we do that creates our sense of ‘being a member of the family’
e.g. emptying dishwasher
Conflicts can arise when members have different expectations of each other’s responsibilities

Question 10

How is the Social Action/ Interactionism different form other theories?

Answer 10

Takes micro, action approach
Focuses on individuals, small groups + interactions between them
S = socially constructed - individuals create meanings
S = shaped + influenced by individuals