Theories of the Family Flashcards
(FUNC) outline conflict criticisms as an external critique of functionalism
- Marxists critique F for its inability to explain conflict and change
- society isn’t harmonious - its based on exploitation + divisions
- F is a ‘conservative ideology’ - justifies the existing social order
(FUNC) outline action perspective criticisms as an external critique of functionalism
- Wrong: F has an over socialised and over deterministic view of the individual. e.g. socialisation shapes peoples behaviour - they have no free will
- F reifies society (treats it as a distinct thing over individuals, with its own needs), whereas social reality is only constructed by individuals
(FUNC) name Parson’s 3 similarities between society and a biological organism (organic analogy)
- system
- system needs
- functions
(FUNC) outline Parsons view of the family in terms of social change
- functions performed by the family depends on the type of society
- there are 2 family structures: the nuclear family and the extended family
- there are 2 types of societies: modern industrial (fits the NFs) and traditional pre-industrial society (fits the extended families)
- trad pre industrial society: fams spend their whole lives in 1 village working the same job that could be passed down generationally (agriculture)
- mod industrial society: industries require people to move where the jobs are (a geographically + socially mobile work force is needed)
(FUNC) define structural differentiation
- structural differentiation = the gradual process in which separately specialised institutions develop to meet a different need
(FUNC) define moving equilibrium in terms of social change
- moving equilibrium = as a change occurs in one part of a system, it produces changes in other parts
(FUNC) what is an AO3 evaluation of Parson’s view of the family
- Young and Willmott + Laslett: the NF was the most common family type pre-industrialisation - was the extended family actually the most suited?
- the ext. family hasn’t disappeared - and it still performs important functions (financial stability, childcare)
(FUNC) outline system as a similarity between society and a biological organism
- the human body and society are both self regulating systems of independent parts that work together (organs - institutions)
(FUNC) outline system needs as a similarity between society and a biological organism
- organisms and the social system have needs that must be met to survive
- e.g. members must be socialised
(FUNC) outline functions as a similarity between society and a biological organism
- the function of a system it makes to meet the system needs ensures its survival
- e.g. the economy helps maintain social order by meeting the need for food and shelter
(FUNC) outline Parson’s idea of the family’s loss of functions
- the pre-industrial family was multi functional; e.g. was both a unit of production (F members worked together) and a unit of consumption (fed + clothed its members)
- when society industrialises, the F changes its structure from extended to nuclear and loses many functions
- thus, the NF performs 2 functions: primary socialisation of children + stabilisation of adult personalities
(FUNC) what are Parsons 2 family functions
1) the primary socialisation of children: equips them with basic skills + societies values to integrate them into society
2) the stabilisation of adult personalities: the family is a place where adults can relax / release tensions which allows them to return to the workplace refreshed + ready to meet the demands - its functional for efficiency of the economy
(FUNC) how does Parsons think social order is achieved
- shared culture/ value consensus: the existence of a central value system provides a framework for all inds to cooperate through how they should behave etc
(FUNC) what is the function of the value consensus
- to make social order possible through integrating individuals into society, thus meeting the system’s needs
- e.g. system has to ensure peoples material needs are met, and so with the consensus would value the need for people to work
(FUNC) what are the 2 ways Parsons says the system ensures a value consensus/ individual integration
- socialisation
- social control
(FUNC) how does socialisation ensure a value consensus/ individual integration
- through socialisation, individuals internalise the systems norms and values so that society becomes part of their personality structure
(FUNC) how does social control ensure a value consensus/ individual integration
- positive sanctions reward conformity, whilst negative ones punish deviance
- e.g. those who conform to the norm of individual success through education are rewarded with educational certificates whilst those who deviate are stigmatised
(FUNC) outline the first half of Parsons ‘building block’ model for describing the parts of the social system
- at the bottom, is individual actions; each action is governed by a social norm/ rule
- these norms come in clusters called status-roles; statuses are the positions that exist in a given social system - e.g. teacher
- status-roles also come in clusters, known as institutions; e.g. the family
(FUNC) outline the second half of Parsons ‘building block’ model for describing the parts of the social system
- institutions are grouped to form sub-systems; e.g. shops
- these form the economic sub-system; whose function is to meet society’s material needs
- finally these sub-systems make up the social system
(FUNC) outline the A in Parson’s AGIL schema
- Adaption: the social system meets its members’ material needs through the economic sub-system
(FUNC) define Parsons AGIL schema to outline the sub-systems needed to meet societies needs
- Adaption
- Goal attainment
- Integration
- Latency
(FUNC) outline the I in Parson’s AGIL schema
- Integration: the separate parts of the system must be integrated together to pursue shared goals. this is the role of the sub-system of religion, education and media
(FUNC) outline the G in Parson’s AGIL schema
- Goal attainment: society needs to set goals and allocate resources to achieve them. e.g. the function of the education sub-system sets goals like a degree
(FUNC) outline the L in Parson’s AGIL schema
- Latency: refers to the processes that maintain society over time. the family sub system provides tension management
(FUNC) name the 3 aspects of Merton’s internal critiques of functionalism
- indispensability
- functional unity
- universal functionalism
(FUNC) outline indispensability as Merton’s internal critique of Parson’s functionalism
- Parsons assumes every aspect of society is ‘functionally indispensable’ in its existing form
- M suggests that there are functional alternatives - structures can be well performed in alternative structures
- e.g. primary socialisation may not be best performed by the NF - but also by other fam types
(FUNC) outline functional unity as Merton’s internal critique of Parson’s functionalism
- P assumes all parts of society are integrated into a unity + are functional for all, there is also a moving equilibrium
- M says that in complex moderns society, society has many parts which have functional autonomy and aren’t integrated
(FUNC) outline universal functionalism as Merton’s internal critique of Parson’s functionalism
- P assumes that everything ins society performs a positive function
- M says that some things may be positive for one group - they may not be for another
(FUNC) outline Merton’s distinction between manifest + latent functions
- M uses the example of the Hopi Native American tribe who in times of drought, performed a rain dance aiming to produce rain (its manifest (intended) function)
- however, the ritual also has latent (unintended) functions, such as promoting solidarity in times of hardship
- Merton’s distinction reveals the hidden connections between social phenomena which the actors may not be aware of
(FEM) what aspects of inequality are Liberal Feminists most concerned with
- education
- the family
- employment
(FEM) what are the 2 main methods of change in LFs view
- changes in socialisation/ culture
- changes in law
(FEM) Liberal: what does Oakley distinguish between
- Oakley distinguishes between 2 things; gender and sex
- gender is the social differences between men and women
- sex is the fixed biological differences between men and women
(FEM) outline a contextual eg of sexism in the media
- a Daily Mail front cover of female politicians with their legs on show captioned ‘Never mind Brexit, who won legs-it’
- this shows how women in any position of power are sexualised and not taken seriously
(FEM) what is radical feminists’ stance on the progress of society
- society is not making progress
- don’t think that changes in attitudes + the law will make a difference
(FEM) Radical: what is Firestone’s view
- the root of patriarchy is the biological differences in men and women
- women bear children and so are more dependent on a man
- men also benefit from women’s unpaid labour + sex services
(FEM) Rad: what is Brownmiller’s view
- men are able to control women through fear of rape
- e.g. it keeps them from staying out late at night
(FEM) Rad: outline sexual politics
- the male domination over women in all spheres of life
- this is possible due to fear of sexual assault
(FEM) Rad: outline RF’s views on sexuality
- sexuality is a social construct; heterosexuality has been forced on society as the norm
- the media emits the message of the female body as a sexual being for male consumption
(FEM) Rad: outline political lesbianism
- a solution to eradicate female subordination
- not sleeping with the enemy (men) removes the patriarchy imposed by the family structure
(FEM) Rad: outline Greer’s solution to patriarchy
- ‘separatism’/ living separately from men to create female independence
(FEM) what do Marxist Fs say is the source of women’s oppression
- capitalism
- ruling class men are the beneficiaries
(FEM) Marxist: what 2 aspects are women’s subordination due to
- the emergence of private property
- women not owning the means of production
(FEM) Marxist: what 4 ways does the nuclear fam play into w’s oppression
- w reproduce the labour force for free
- w absorb men’s anger from the workplace - wives are men’s takers of shit (Ansley)
- w are cheap labour due to pay gap
- the NF performs ‘ideological conditioning’ - teaches capitalist ideology (passive workers)
(FEM) outline the difference feminist view
- women aren’t a single homogenous group
- due to intersectionality, women have different experiences
- they critique mainstream feminism for claiming a ‘false universality’
(FEM) outline the postmodern feminist view
- PMFs are concerned with the language and relationship between power + knowledge
- discourse = a way of seeing, thinking or speaking about something (a viewpoint)
- discourse gives power over those it defines by allowing its users to define others
(MARX) outline the structure of Marxist society
- built on an economic base (capitalism)
- society/ institutions (the superstructure) are formed to maintain capitalism
(MARX) outline pre modern society
pre-modern society;
- based on agriculture
- land was the main source of wealth and so was a motive force of the ruling class
- aim of production was consumption - not accumulation
- was a strong collective consciousness
(MARX) outline modern society
post industrial revolution, is modern society;
- cities + populations grew - as did poverty, crime and social issues
- people now work to generate money for themselves + produce goods for the owner of the means for production (bourgeoisie) in return for a salary
- workers have to take on low-paid roles
- modern production maximises output + minimises cost (profit is key)
- with the era of enlightenment, people looked to rational thought
(MARX) outline the case study of Grenfell Tower
- the Grenfell Tower is based in Chelsea; one of the most affluent areas
- in 2017, killed 72/350 residents
- the fire was due to the less safe - but cheaper - materials used in its construction (flammable cladding) which enabled the fire to spread quicker
- Laws around construction were ambiguous and allowed loopholes for cheaper construction
- constructors of the block are also to blame as they cut corners to spend less money; profit is key and comes at the danger of the w/c
(MARX) outline the case study of the Rana Plaza
- a Bangladesh factory producing fast fashion collapsed - killing 1,100 people
- after years of protest, murder charges were filed to those involved in forcing workers to come in after a crack in the structure was alerted to factory owner
- consumers of fast fashion must acknowledge their contribution to the continuity of w/c exploitation
(MARX) outline a contextual example of Marxism
- white collar crimes are ignored; Donald Trump comitted a white collar crime (tax fraud) and has remained in a signification position of power; president
(MARX) outline Gramsci’s core views
- a humanist Marxist
- hegemony (ideological leadership) explains how the RC maintains their position
- the WC must develop a counter hegemony to become dominant
- he rejects economic determinism as an explanation of change
- G explains the RC dominance in society by 2 things: coercion (uses institution such as police to force WC to accept its rule) + consent/ hegemony (uses ideology to legitimise their rule)
(MARX) outline Gramsci’s view of revolution and hegemony
- the RC relies heavily on consent to maintain their rule which they’re able to do as they control society
- revolution hasn’t yet occurred due to the RC hegemony that society accepts
- the WC can only revolt by having a counter hegemonic bloc - where an organic intellectual (class conscious leader) will bring about an ideological revolution
(MARX) what 2 reasons does Gramsci think the ruling class hegemony is never complete
1) the RC are a minority:
- to rule they need to create a power bloc by making alliances w/ other groups - like the MC
2) the proletariat has a dual consciousness:
- their ideas are influenced by both bourgeois ideology as well as the poverty + exploitation they experience (their material conditions)
- they can see through the dominant ideology to an extent
(MARX) outline 2 criticisms of Gramsci
- he overemphasises the role of ideology + underemphasises the role of both state cohesion and econ factors
- many are aware of their exploitation but wont revolt due to fear of consequences
- e.g. Willis: describes WC lads as ‘partially penetrating’ bourgeois ideology by recognising that in schools, meritocracy is a myth
(MARX) outline Althusser’s model of society vs Marx’s base superstructure model
- Marx: societies economic base determines institutions, ideologies + actions. challenges to the base causes changes in the structure + the downfall of capitalism
- Althusser: society is made up of 3 levels that have relative autonomy (independence)
- the economic, political and ideological level
- a collapse in one level means the others will still exist
(MARX) outline Althusser’s concept of ideological and repressive state apparatuses
- ISAs: Institutions like school that shape inds ideology to subtly socialise the status quo
- RSAs: Institutions like the police, military that use force + coercion to maintain order and enforce the RC’s dominance
(MARX) outline Marx’s concept of historical materialism + development of production
- materialism = the view that humans have material needs (e.g. food, shelter etc). in doing so they use the means of production
- in early history, production is unaided human labour - but over time people develop tools to assist production
- in working to meet their needs, humans enter social relations of production - cooperating with each other
- as the means of prod. develops, so does the social relations of prod and so a division of labour/ 2 classes are formed (class that owns means of prod and the class that doesn’t)
(MARX) outline Marx’s concept of class society and exploitation
- primitive communism: in early humanity, society was classless, there was no private ownership/ exploitation, everyone worked + everything was shared
- there were 3 successive class societies; ancient (exploitation of slaves legally tied to their owners), feudal (exploitation of serfs (agricultural worker) legally tied to the land) and capitalist society (exploitation of free wage labours)
(MARX) outline Marx’s concept of capitalism
- cap is based on the division between the owners/ bourgeoisie and the labourers/ proletariat
- 1) P are legally free + separated from the means of prod. they have to sell their labour in return for wages
- this exchange of labour + wage is unequal. the capitalist makes profit
- 2) through competition, ownership of the means of production becomes concentrated in fewer hands. this drives independent owners into the proletariat
- competition also results in lower wages - causing immiseration (impoverishment of the proletariat)
- 3) cap continues to expand means of prod in its pursuit for profit meanwhile tech advances de-skills the workforce
- concentration of ownership + de-skilling of proletariat produces class polarisation of the minority capitalist class and the majority working class
dont need to know
(MARX) outline Marx’s concept of developing a class consciousness
- capitalism sews the seeds of its own destruction
- e.g. by polarising the classes, brining the proletariat together in factories + low wages, this creates the conditions for which the WC can develop a consciousness for its won econ/ pol interests
- as a result, the WC becomes a class for itself, whose members are class conscious + aware of the need for a revolution
(MARX) outline Marx’s concept of ideology
- the class that owns the means of prod also owns + controls ideology
- thus, the dominant ideology in society is that of the bourgeoisie
- the institutions that produce + spread the ideology (e.g. education, media) are controlled by the ruling class and spread sets of ideas beliefs that legitimise the existing social order
- ideology curates a false class consciousness + helps to sustain class inequality
(MARX) outline Marx’s concept of alienation
- M believes that our true nature is based on our capacity to create things to meet our needs
- alienation is the result of our loss of control over our labour
- alienation exists in all class societies – but under capitalism its at its peak for 2 reasons;
1) workers are completely separate from + have no control over their means of production
2) the division of labour is at its most intense – the worker is reduced to an unskilled labourer mindlessly repeating a meaningless task
(MARX) outline Marx’s concept of the state, revolution and communism
- Marx defines the state as ‘armed bodies of men’
- the state exists to protect the interests of the RC who own institutions. They use the state in the class struggle to protect their priv property, suppress opposition + prevent revolution
- the proletarian revolution that overthrows capitalism/ the ruling class will be majority against the minority
- revolution will: abolish state/ create a classless + communist society, abolish exploitation + priv ownership, end alienation as humans regain control of their labour + its products
(MARX) name the 2 aspects of criticisms of Marx
- Marx’s view of class
- economic determinism
(MARX) outline marx’s view of class as a criticism of Marxism
- M has a simplistic, one-dimensional view of inequality, he sees class as the only division: Feminists argue that gender is a more fundamental source of inequality
- Marx’s 2 class model is also simplistic: Weber subdivides the proletariat into skilled + unskilled
- class polarisation has not occurred: the MC has grown (instead of being swallowed into the proletariat) and the industrialist WC has shrunk
(MARX) outline economic determinism + ideas + revolution as a criticism of Marxism
- Marx’s base-superstructure model is criticised for economic determinism (the view that economic factors are the only cause of everything in society). This view fails to recognise that humans have free will + can bring about change through their own actions
- the model also neglects the role of ideas: weber argues it was the new emergence of new ideas (Calvinist Protestantism) which helped to bring about modern capitalism
- Marx is also criticised for his prediction of a revolution that has not come true: M thought a rev would happen in the most advanced capitalist countries – but its only the economically backwards countries like Russia that have seen Marxist led countries
(MARX) outline the ‘two Marxisms’
- the absence of revolution in the west has led Marxists to reject the economic deterministic model and have tried to explain why capitalism has persisted
- there are 2 approaches: humanist/ critical Marxism (has similarities with action + interpretive theories), scientific/ structuralist Marxism (is a structural approach + has similarities with positivist theories)
(FUNC) what are Murdock’s 4 functions of the family
- stable satisfaction of the sex drive
- socialisation of the young
- meeting its members economic needs
- reproduction of the next generation
