personal life perspective on the family

Question 1

who do PLP criticise?

Answer 1

criticise structural theories, they assume that the traditional nuclear family is the only family, ignore family diversity, they also argue that structural theories are deterministic and ignore the choice we have in choosing our families

Question 2

PLP general overview of perspective

Answer 2

1. free will and can make their own choices
2. people have potential to make decisions about their life course but cannot create their own personal biography as there are outside influences i.e. class, gender
3. no hierarchical boundaries between friends and kin
4. not focused on maintaining the nuclear family

Question 3

what do PLP believe about the family?

Answer 3

take the definition of family beyond blood and marriages - i.e. friends, fictive kin = auntie etc. pets, dead relatives, chosen support network
need to understand the meaning before the relationship

Question 4

what do PLP believe about Donor conceived children?

Answer 4

Nordqvist and Smart found that parents of DCC placed a greater emphasis on social relationships over genetic ones i.e. more time and effort

Question 5

Evaluate PLP

Answer 5

helps understand how people construct family
highlight positive functions of intimate relationships i.e. chosen families
recognise relatedness is not always positive
can be seen as too broad