Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Theories of the Family
- Positive views of the family
- Functionalist theories
- GP Murdock
- 'Family is a universal institution'
- Four major functions
- Stable satisfaction of the sex drive
- Reproduction of next generation
- Socialisation of young
- Meeting it's members economic needs
- Criticisms
- Marxists & Feminists
- 'Rose tinted'
- Neglects conflict and exploitation
- Meets needs of men - oppresses women
- Meets needs of capitalism - not family members and society
- Talcott Parsons
- 'Every family has two basic functions'
- Primary socialisation of children
- Children learn basic elements of culture through family
- Criticisms
- 'Too deterministic'
- Attempts at socialisation can be resisted by children
- Socialisation is a 'two way process'
- Adults are not 'all powerfull'
- Stabilisation of adult personalities
- Family acts as 'safety valve'
- An escape from the outside world
- Provides emotional security
- Criticisms
- Marxist
- Zaretsky
- Family is 'a servant of the capitalist state'
- No cost to employers
- The family 'provides a distraction from the harsh realities of captitalism'
- The theory of 'fit'
- Dominant family type meets needs of the economy of the time
- Nuclear family fits needs of industrial economy
- Geographically mobile
- Not reliant on wider kin
- Criticisms
- Wilmott & Young
- Pre-industrial society was nuclear - not extended
- Evalualtion
- Analysis of nuclear family based around the middle class American version
- Parsons
- Work published in 50's - no longer relevant
- Westerns societies have become multi-cultural
- Feminist
- 'functionalists ignore 'the dark side' of the family'
- Conflict
- Male dominance
- Child abuse
- Insufficient attention to the 'dysfunctions of the family
- Basic func views
- Importaince of nuclear family
- New Right thoeries
- Critical views of the family
- Marxist theories
- Feminist theories