Functionalism
- Created by: Sophie
- Created on: 19-01-13 12:22
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- Functionalism
- Functionalism is:
- Functions
- Society = a biological organism
- Society is based upon a value consensus.
- What are the functions of the family? (Murdock 1949)
- Primary Socialisation
- Economic Needs
- Reproduction
- Sex
- Could other institutions not preform these functions?
- Can only parents/ siblings teach children the norms and values of society?
- Communes and other institutions can provide economic security.
- Women can use sperm donors for reproduction.
- Prostitutes can be used for sex.
- Murdock see's the family through 'rose - tinted' glasses.
- Functionalists ignore issues such as domestic violence and neglect. (The Darkside of the Family)
- Can only parents/ siblings teach children the norms and values of society?
- Functional Fit Theory (Parsons)
- Families play different functions depending on the society in which they are in.
- Pre - Industrial Society
- Parsons believed that in pre - industrial Britain, the most common family was the extended family.
- This is because the needs to the pre - industrial society required the extended family.
- Parsons believed that in pre - industrial Britain, the most common family was the extended family.
- Industrial Society
- After Britain went through the industrial revolution, the needs of society changed. This caused the increase in the 'nuclear family'
- Reasons for the changes.
- Industrial society requires:
- A geographical mobile workforce.
- A socially mobile workforce.
- Industrial society requires:
- Parsons argues that families lost their 'functions' outlined by Murdock after the Industrial Revolution
- Now families have just two functions:
- Primary Socialisation
- Stabilising Adult Personalities
- Now families have just two functions:
- Criticisms!
- The extended family was not dominant before the industrial revolution.
- Young and Willmott (1973)
- It was nuclear
- Laslett (1972)
- Short life expectancy resulted in few extended families.
- Young and Willmott (1973)
- Not all families became nuclear after the industrial revolution.
- Anderson (1980)
- Found that working class families turned to the extended family due to illness, cost and childcare.
- Hareven (1999)
- Found that the extended family was best equipped for the post - industrial society.
- Anderson (1980)
- But the extended family is becoming increasingly popular in modern British society
- The extended family was not dominant before the industrial revolution.
- Pre - Industrial Society
- Families play different functions depending on the society in which they are in.
- Functionalism is:
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