theories of family - personal life perspective

Question 1

what kind of approach does it take?

Answer 1

bottom up

Question 2

(bottom up) to understand families we must look at the meanings…

Answer 2

individual family members give to their relationships

Question 3

how does PLP differ from functionalism, marxism and feminism?

Answer 3

they are all top down ‘structural approaches’

Question 4

by focusing on ppls meanings what can PLP draw attention to?

Answer 4

range of other personal relationships that are important to ppl that may not be conventionally defined as family (blood/marriage)

Question 5

how can families be defined by PLP?

Answer 5

all kind of relationships which individuals see as sig. + gives a ‘sense of relatedness’

Question 6

what are examples of nonconventional families?

Answer 6

• same sex ‘chosen families’
• fictive kin
• friends
• dead relatives
• pets

Question 7

what did Nordqvist + Smart research in donor concieved children found that parents did?

Answer 7

emphasised importance of social relationships over genetic ones in defining family

Question 8

(donor study) where the couples knew the donor what had to be resolved?

Answer 8

questions abt whether he or she counted as family

Question 9

re(donor study) what were lesbian couples concerned about?

Answer 9

the sperm donor might be treated as the real ‘second parent’