When considering the role of family in society, functionalists uphold the notion that families are an important social institution and that they play a key role in stabilizing society. Household labor offers no wages and, therefore, no power. If the ties that bind us together, such as: equality,honesty,respect,unity,morals and values, are stronger than those that would tear us apart, all will be well. For example, if the father assumes an expressive role such as providing daytime care for the children, the mother must take on an instrumental role such as gaining paid employment outside of the home in order for the family to maintain balance and function. Like other social phenomena, it is a social construct that is subject to the ebb and flow of social norms and ever-changing meanings. Conflict theory highlights the role of power in family life and contends that the family is often not a haven but rather an arena where power struggles can occur. This exercise of power often entails the performance of family status roles. The functionalist view would support traditional and historical family norms to reduce the divorce rate. It has its origins in the works of Emile Durkheim, who was especially interested in how social order is possible or how society remains relatively stable. Functionalist Theory Perspective of Family Meet the need to socialize children and reproduce new members. The Functionalist perspective on the family is usually the very first topic taught within the the families and households module. Structural functionalism, or in many contexts simply functionalism, is a broad perspective in sociology and anthropology which sets out to interpret society as a structure with interrelated parts. According to Murdock, the family (which for him includes the state of marriage) regulates sexual relations between individuals. Looking in the functionalist point of view, divorce is seen through a skeptical lens. Sociologist George Murdock conducted a survey of 250 societies and determined that there are four universal residual functions of the family: sexual, reproductive, educational, and economic (Lee 1985). As the primary agent of socialization and enculturation, the family teaches young children the ways of thinking and behaving that follow social and cultural norms, values, beliefs, and attitudes. Researchers found that the person with the most access to value resources held the most power. Much has been decried of, in social conservative circles, about the dangers facing society due to agents ranging from "atheists" to "the homosexual agenda." d. feminist perspective Question 29 Donna, a 33-year-old divorcee with two sons, and Mark, a 50-year-old divorcee with two daughters, become engaged and live together. Functionalism is all about promoting communication, cohesiveness and uniformity. The functionalist perspective The functionalist perspective is concerned with the functionality of healthcare and health within society and will help you to appreciate the greater social significance of your role as healthcare professionals. As money is one of the most valuable resources, men who worked in paid labor outside of the home held more power than women who worked inside the home (Blood and Wolfe 1960). Functionalist Perscpective of Gay Marriage. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, a “good father,” for example, was one who worked hard to provided financial security for his children. Probably the most fundamental thing is that people’s attitudes towards marriage have change. The conflict theorists believe that conflict is bound to happen in a marriage because of all the things in our lives that we share with our partners and the source of that conflict is power. This is very important because it lets people view issues not on a personal level but how they affect the society as a whole. Conflict Theory. The couple had many discussions about marriage and decided that it just did not seem necessary. For the past two years, they have been living together in a condo they purchased jointly. Gender roles are an important part of the economic function of a family. Functions of a marriage include the following: * Marriages serve the function of procreation and a stable setting to raise children. In general, conflict theorists tend to study areas of marriage and life that involve inequalities or discrepancies in power and authority, as they are reflective of the larger social structure. The conflict perspective focuses on conflict as a part of marriage instead of how it contributes to the well-being of society like the functionalist perspective. Interactionists view the family as a group of role players or “actors” that come together to act out their parts in an effort to construct a family. Once children are produced, the family plays a vital role in training them for adult life. The ‘sexual’ function refers to the regulation of sexual activity. b. an extended family. Through each perspective, a different approach is used to understand the society. http://cnx.org/contents/02040312-72c8-441e-a685-20e9333f3e1d/Introduction_to_Sociology_2e. Evidence for this being a functionalist view on the family is that the idea of the four basic functions was created by George Murdock. Parents teach their children manners and civility. This outlet gives way to reproduction, which is a necessary part of ensuring the survival of society. Men tend to assume the instrumental roles in the family, which typically involve work outside of the family that provides financial support and establishes family status. Like all institutions, the three sociological perspectives can help us understand marriage and its role in society. The postmodernist view believes that the nuclear family is no longer the norm and therefore the functionalist theory is not relevant to today’s society. Wasn’t it only a piece of paper? In each family, there is a division of labor that consists of instrumental and expressive roles. Macro perspective meaning it views social development related to balance and change within society. Conflict theorists may study conflicts as simple as the enforcement of rules from parent to child, or they may examine more serious issues such as domestic violence (spousal and child), sexual assault, marital rape, and incest. The sociological perspective called symbolic interactionism focuses on symbols that affect people's interactions. There is greater family and household diversity as a result. Jennie McIntyre (1966) was the first scholar to discern the curious paradox of structural functionalism (SF) within the realm of research and theory about families. Full Text. This solution helps discuss the concept of marriage from both a functionalist perspective and a conflict perspective. Functionalists view the family as a nuclear family and assume that the family is a positive beneficial institution in which family members receive unconditional love, nurturing and care. This content was COPIED from BrainMass.com - View the original, and get the already-completed solution here! The functionalist perspective, also called functionalism, is one of the major theoretical perspectives in sociology. Traditional Failures: Fundamentalist View Of Marriage Still Out Of Touch. The Marxist perspective on the Self-Check, if functionalist perspective on marriage ’ ll have more success on the family symbols that people. 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