Role of the family

Question 1

Socialisation: What do Functionalists believe?

Answer 1

Functionalists believe that the nuclear family is the most effective structure to socialise their children most effectively

Question 2

Socialisation: Why is Primary Socialisation crucial?

Answer 2

Primary socialisation is crucial for an individual to adapt to the society in which they live and to learn its culture

We are socialised into a common culture which builds social solidarity.

Question 3

Socialisation: For Functionalists, how is the family seen?

Answer 3

The family is seen as a ‘Personality Factory’ whereby a child is seen as a blank slate and the function of the parents is to train and mould the ‘passive’ child into the image of society. This is assumed to be the mother’s role as she has the nurturing role.

Question 4

Socialisation: What does a child learn according to Functionalists?

Answer 4

Cultural norms and values

Question 5

Socialisation: What does a child subscribe to according to Functionalists?

Answer 5

The Value Consensus and belonging to society

Question 6

Socialisation: According to Functionalists what does the teaching of acceptable norms achieve?

Answer 6

The teaching of acceptable norms and values creates a value consensus/agreement which therefore benefits society as a whole as everyone agrees to the same values and society can function effectively.

Question 7

Socialisation: What date do you associate with Parsons?

Answer 7

1951, shortly after WWII

Question 8

Socialisation: What does Parson’s believe about the identification with adults in the development of children?

Answer 8

Parsons believes that identification with adults of the same sex is crucial because children want to become like them, so they can fill similar social roles when they grow up.

Question 9

Socialisation: What are the two gender roles according to Parsons?

Answer 9

Instrumental Role – Breadwinner

Expressive Role – Carer / Nurturer

Question 10

Socialisation: What is the theory of the New Right about the absent fatherism?

Answer 10

The New Right agree and argue that ‘absent fatherism’ can lead to a lack of socialisation for a son. He will then engage in ‘compensatory masculinity’ where he turns to the streets to ‘compensate’ for the lack of socialisation and therefore prove his masculinity through hyper-male gang violence.

Question 11

Socialisation: What does the theory of the New Right cover?

Answer 11

Absent fatherism

Question 12

Socialisation: First Stage of Parsons Theory:

Answer 12

Parsons notes that as parents know their child, they can adapt their treatment of them individually.

Question 13

Socialisation: What values does Parsons refer to?

Answer 13

Children are taught ‘particularistic values’ which are specific to their child’s personality

‘Universalistic values’ – values which are judged in a more objective way, such as exam result

Question 14

Socialisation: Second stage of Parson’s Theory.

Answer 14

However, these values will change when they interact with other institutions, such as education during secondary socialisation where they will be judged on ‘universalistic values’ – values which are judged in a more objective way, such as exam results.

Question 15

Socialisation: New Right and Functionalist. Discuss.

Answer 15

The New Right support the Functionalist view on the importance of primary socialisation, but they highlight the impact of the breakdown of a nuclear family (such as a single parent family) and the negative impact that this can have on the primary socialisation of a child.

Question 16

Socialisation: Interactionists and Functionalists. Discuss.

Answer 16

Interactionists argue that the Functionalist views on primary socialisation imply that it is a ‘passive’ process whereby the individual’s socialisation is governed by the structure of society (value consensus). However, they argue that this process is much more negotiated (Giddens) and that is an ‘active’ process.

Question 17

Socialisation: Marxists argue that the role of primary socialisation….

Answer 17

Marxists argue that the role of primary socialisation is not to learn common values to create social solidarity. Zaretsky argues that the family contains a capitalist ideology whereby the working class are socialised into accepting the values of the ruling class

Question 18

Socialisation: Radical Feminists and Functionalism. Discuss.

Answer 18

Radical Feminists do not share Functionalism’s ‘positive function’ of the family. They argue that primary socialisation is the starting point whereby patriarchal gender identities are taught and reinforced.

Question 19

Socialisation: Brannen & Heptinstall

Date

What do you remember?

Answer 19

2003

Research of 1000 questionnaires to10-12 year old children and 63 in-depth interviews in London found that children saw parental unconditional love as far more important than the family structure that they lived in (as opposed to the Functionalists arguing that the nuclear family is the most effective structure for socialisation). They also believed that socialisation is a two-way process – children are active in the process of socialisation (agreed with by Giddens) where children were co-participant and co-constructors of family life.

Question 20

Socialisation: Name and discuss a Liberal Feminist

Date

Answer 20

Ann Oakley (1974) disagrees with the views of Parsons as she does not accept any natural or inevitable division of labour or allocation of social roles based on sex.

1974 Daddy’s birth year