perspectives on the role of the family Flashcards
kinship
relationships between people who are related to each other by blood, marriage or adoption
nuclear family
a unit sharing a common residence that comprises mother, father and children, natural or adopted.
extended family
a unit consisting of the nuclear family plus other kin who may live under the same roof or n close proximity so that contact is regular and frequent
household
this includes all those who live under the same roof or occupy the same dwelling. These people need not be necessarily related.
commune
a type of cooperative household made up of mainly unrelated people who agree to share work, possessions and religious or social objectives
kibbutz
a type of commune or household found in Israel (plural ‘kibbutzim)
fidelity
faithfulness, usually in a relationship
consensual
all agree willingly
multi-functional
performing lots of functions, such as the pre-industrial family
urbanisation
the process of people who had previously lived in the countryside moving to the towns and cities, usually to find work in factories, mills and so on
isolated nuclear family
a family that is self-contained and which has little contact with extended kin
geographical mobility
refers to people and families physically moving across the country, usually in search of work or education
ascription/ascribed role
a role assigned at birth over which an individual has little choice or say. For example, members of a royal family inherit a role . In patriarchal societies, females involuntarily occupy a subordinate role
structural differentiation
the emergence of specialised agencies which gradually took over many of the functions of the pre-industrial extended family
basic and irreducible functions
the two crucial functions performed by the nuclear family in modern capitalist societies: the primary socialisation of children, and the stabilisation of adult personalities
stabilisation of adult personality
an irreducible function of the nuclear family according to Parsons, in which the male worker’s immersion in his family supposedly relieves him of the pressures of work and contemporary society, just as a warm bath soothes and relaxed the body
instrumental leader
the role of economic provider or breadwinner for the nuclear family. Parsons claimed that this is usually the role of the male
expressive leader
the role of nurturer of children, primarily responsible for the primary socialisation of children, and emotional caretaker. According to Parsons, females have a ‘natural’ empathy for this role
loss of functions
the functionalist idea that the multi-functional extended family of the pre-industrial era lost many of its functions after the industrial revolution
consumption
refers to the spending of money on goods and services. A successful economy needs to competitively market its goods and services in ways that attract consumers to spend their cash on them
ethnocentric
judging other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one’s own culture
ideology
a set of ideas which most people believe to be true but which in fact are myths or misrepresentations. They are usually encouraged by powerful groups because such ideas tend to justify and legitimate the power and wealth of those groups
falsely conscious
a way of thinking that prevents a person from perceiving the true nature of their social or economic position
alienation
a concept which Marxists in particular suggest is now becoming a common characteristic of how workers feel about their jobs. Alienation refers to a lack of satisfaction, identification and control that workers experience on a daily basis and the fact that they work merely for a wage
