believe that society is based on a value consensus - a set of shared norms
and values - into which society socialises its members
Regard society as a system made up of different parts or sub-cultures
that depend on each other, such as family, education system and the
economy
Peter Murdock argues that the family performs four essential functions to
meet the needs of society and its members:
Stable satisfaction of the sex drive - with the same partner, preventing the
social disruption caused by a sexual 'free-for-all'
Reproduction of the next generation - without which society could not
continue
Socialisation of the young - into society's shared norms and
values
Meeting it's members economic needs - such as food and shelter
Marxists and Feminists reject his 'rose-tinted' harmonious consensus view that the family meets the
needs of both wider society and all members of the family, they argue that functionalism neglects
conflict and exploitation
Parsons' 'functional fit' theory
Parsons distinguishes between two kinds of family
structure:
The Nuclear family: of just parents
and dependent children
The Extended family: of three
generations living under one roof
Parsons argues that the particular structure and functions of a given type of family will 'fit' the
needs of society in which its found
Geographically mobile workforce
Parsons argues that it is easier for the
compact two-generation nuclear family to
move than for the three-generation
extended family
The nuclear family is better fitted to the
need that modern industry has for a
geographically mobile workforce
Socially mobile workforce
The nuclear family is better equipped than the extended family
to meet the needs of industrial society
Loss of Functions
Pre-industrial family was a multi-functional unit
More self-sufficient unit than the modern nuclear family
According to Parsons, when society industrialises, the
family changes its structure and looses many of its
functions
Nuclear family specialises in performing just two
essential functions:
Primary Socialisation of Children - to equip them with
basic skills & society's values
Stabilisation of Adult Personalities - where adults can relax and release tensions