The Functionalist Perspective of the Family

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  • Created by: elisha7
  • Created on: 27-06-17 20:19
What do functionalists believe society is based on?
A value consensus- a set of shared norms and values-into which society socialises its members.
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What do functionalists regard society as?
A system made up of different parts or sub-systems that depend on each other, such as the family, the education system and the economy.
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What do functionalists often compare society to?
A biological organism like the human body, with organs such as the heart and lungs performing vital functions for the well-being of the body as a whole.o
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What do functionalists view the family as?
A particularly important subsystem- a basic building block of society
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What does functionalist George Murdock (1949) argue the family performs?
Four essential functions to meet the needs of society and its members; stable satisfaction of the sex drive, reproduction of the next generation, socialisation of the young, meeting it's members economic needs.
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What does Murdock (1949) accept about the family?
That other institutions could perform the four essential functions.
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What does Murdock (1949) argue about the nuclear family?
That the sheer practicality of the nuclear family as a way of meeting these four needs explains why it is universal-found in all human societies without exception.
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How have sociologists criticised Murdock (1949)?
Some argue that whilst the functions are important, they could be performed equally well by by other institutions, or by non-nuclear family structures.
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Why do Marxists and Feminists reject Murdock's (1949) approach?
They reject it as it is a 'rose-tinted' harmonious consensus view that the family needs of both wider society and all the different members of the family.
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Why do feminists in particular criticise Functionalism?
They argue it neglects conflict and exploitation, also ignoring the fact that the family serves the needs of men and oppresses women.
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Why do marxists in particular criticise Functionalism?
They argue it rejects that the family needs the needs of capitalism, and not those pf family members or society as a whole.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What do functionalists regard society as?

Back

A system made up of different parts or sub-systems that depend on each other, such as the family, the education system and the economy.

Card 3

Front

What do functionalists often compare society to?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What do functionalists view the family as?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What does functionalist George Murdock (1949) argue the family performs?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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