The functionalist view on the family Flashcards
What do functionalists believe society is based on?
Value consensus, which ensures them to cooperate to meet society’s needs and achieve shared goals.
What do functionalists compare society too?
A biologic organism - like the human body.
How are the family viewed by functionalists?
They are an important sub-system. (a basic building block of society).
What were the 4 essential functions Murdock believed the family had?
- Stable satisfaction of the sex drive.
- Reproduction.
- Socialisation.
- Economic needs.
What do Marxists criticise about Murdock’s theory?
- Reject his “rose-tinted” glasses and that family meets the needs of both wider society and all the different members of the family.
- Argue that it meets the needs of capitalism, not those of the family.
What do feminists criticise about Murdock’s theory?
- Reject his “rose-tinted” glasses and that family meets the needs of both wider society and all the different members of the family.
- See the family as serving the needs of men and oppressing women.
What other needs did Parsons say the family may need to meet?
Welfare, military, political or religious functions.
According to Parsons, what will effect how the family performs?
Will depend on the kind of society - this will effect the shape/structure of the family.
What are the two kinds of family structures Parsons distinguishes?
The nuclear family - of just parents and their dependent child.
The extended family - of three generations living under one roof.
What are the two basic types of society according to Parsons?
Modern industrial society (nuclear family)
Traditional pre-industrial society (extended family)
What does Parsons theory conclude about industrialisation?
When Britain began to industrialise, extended families began to give way to the nuclear family, because emerging industrial society had different need from pre-industrial society, therefore, the family had to adapt to these needs.
What 2 basic needs did Parsons believe the industrial society in having?
A geographically mobile workforce and a socially mobile workforce.
What did feminists criticize about Parson’s theory?
Women may want to work. (It isn’t up to date?.
What did Marxists criticize about Parson’s theory?
It supports capitalism.
What did functionalists criticize about Parsons theory?
It is too deterministic - it incorrectly assumes an almost robotic adaptation of societies values via our parents.
