Talcott Parsons - Functions of The Family - Families (Functionalist)

Question 1

What are the 4 Functions of the family - According to functionalists?

Answer 1

• The sexual function
• The reproductive function
• The economic function
• The educational function

Question 2

What were the two basic and vital functions that Parsons found all families must perform?

Answer 2

• Primary socialisation

- The stabilisation of adult personalities

Question 3

Primary Socialisation (Parsons) :

Answer 3

• Nuclear family functions as an agency of primary socialisation.
  Through this process, children learn the culture of their society.
  The family is vital because it socialises children so that they learn and accept society’s shared values and roles.
  This helps them maintain the stability of society.

Question 4

What is the stabilisation of adult personalities?

Answer 4

• The nuclear family functions as an agency of personality stabilisation.
  Everyday life outside the family can be stressful for adults and can put them under pressure.
  However, the husband and wife support each other emotionally and this relieves the pressure (also known as the warm bath theory).
  In this way, the family is a safe haven and plays a key role in maintaining the emotional stability of adults.
  Also, by living with children, parents can act out the childish elements of their own personality.
  this also helps keep adult personalities stable.

Question 5

What are some criticisms of Parsons?

Answer 5

• Critics see functionalist accounts as outdated, unrealistic and sexist.
• Parsons focuses on American middle-class families and ignore social class, and religious and ethnic diversity.
• Parsons ignores alternatives to the nuclear family (such as communes of kibbutzim) that could fulfil the two functions.
• Idealisation - Parsons gives an idealised view of families that does not match the reality. He ignores dysfunctional families in which there is conflict, emotional stress, child abuse and domestic violence.
• Marxists are critical of the nuclear family and see it as functional for capitalist society. In their view, one of its functions is to socialise children into accepting the values of capitalism. In this way, the nuclear family serves the interests of capitalism.
• Many feminists see the family as a major source of female oppression. Nuclear families imprison women in their own homes, where they are tied to childcare and housework.