Postmodernism & Personal Life Perspective

Question 1

Post Modernist Approach

Answer 1

fam life = less stable - struc no longer dict by trad = m choice in relas - creates m diverse fam strucs - no longer 1 single dam & uni fam type

Question 2

Giddens (1992)

Answer 2

b4 C18 mar for econ - how would work in unit of prod
C18 mar for love - men dom women must preserve V
contra = greater freedom - sex X just repro - plastic sexu
conflu love - no longer accept male dom - need to fulfill needs - pure love - needs based fam

Question 3

Beck

Answer 3

less mar bc - inc risk concious - nearly 1/2 of mars = div
reflects indu & reflex in P-M soc - decisions = by obsv soc & risks of mar - indu desires mean X mar
fam struc built on personal choice = nego fam - don’t conform to trad fam norms - vary to needs of mems = dec stability - can leave - lone p fams created

Question 4

Individualisation Thesis

Answer 4

Beck + Giddens = IT - emphasises role of personal choice & iden in formation of rom relas & fams
same sex fams = example - no trad soc norm

Question 5

Stacey (1993)

Answer 5

assoc fam change w/ greater variety
studied on P-M fams in California - women forged changed in fam - reject housewife role
destroyed stages - mar, kids, empty nest, retirement, widow hood
new fam strucs - div extended fam
= complete break away from trad nuc fam = accept diverse fams

Question 6

Criticising the Individualisation Thesis

Personal Life Perspective

Answer 6

Smart & May agree w/ Giddens & Beck but disagree w/ explan
1. exags choice over relas - trad soc class & gen n’s still limit
2. sees ppl as indepen & free floating - ignores soc context
3. indu thesis = ethno & only fits needs of white MC US men

Question 7

Evaluation of Stacey

Answer 7

fams = futuristic - feas strucs ahead of trends = things to come
can we gen her findings eg to Brit = ? extent fam diveristy & P-M = common - 60% still born to mar p’s and start life as nuc fam

Question 8

View of Family

Personal Life Perspective

Answer 8

reject M, F, F bc:
1. assume dom fam struc = nuc - ignores diversity
2. = too deterministic - ignore free will
takes bottom up approach - emphs meanings that ppl hold that shape their actions & relas - infu by interactionism & PM

Question 9

Smart - The Connectedness Thesis

Answer 9

rejects assump of dec of fam life found in indu as ethno
views ppl as soc beings who = influ by network of relas & personal history = C Thesis
relas = beyond genetic relatedness that = those who = NB to ppl

Question 10

Connectedness Thesis

Answer 10

1. relas w/ friends - might = like sister/ bro
2. fictive kin - treated like relatives - called auntie
3. gay & lesbian chosen fams - sup network of friends, ex-ps & others X rela by mar / blood
4. relas w/ dead - live in mems & contin to shape idens & actions
5. relas w/ pets - Tiper - children considered pets as part of fam

Question 11

Donor Conceived Children

Answer 11

Nordqvist & Smart (2014) - Some p’s emph NBance of soc relas over genetic in forming family bonds
E.g. Time & effort put into raising a donor-conceived child viewed more NB in defi of being a mum
* Problems w/ comments about how much non-bio children look
like their parents or who counted as their grandparents
* lesbian = concerns about equal between gen & X genetic p

Question 12

Evaluation of Personal Life Perspective

Answer 12

N&S emph NBance of PL approach comp to top down approach - helps understand how ppl construct & define own fam relas
can = too broad & ignore special about blood / mar relas
reject strychnine views about funcs - sees relas as performing func of sense of belonging
acknows belongling X always pos