The Usefulness of Functionalism for an Understanding of...

The Usefulness of Functionalism for an Understanding of the Family The Functionalists see the family as an important and vital institution in society. They take a MACRO view and look at interdependence between the family and other organisations. Functionalists look at the positive parts to society but overlook the negatives. They emphasise on the value consensus and see the family as being universal. Other people’s outlooks disagree with this view, such as the Marxists, the Marxist Feminists and the Radical Feminists. Item B describes the way in which functionalists view the functional pre-requisites or the essentials of societies if they are to survive. Functionalists’ writers such as†¦show more content†¦An example of such a group are the Kibbutz. The Israeli Kibbutz is a form of commune, and is one of the most famous and successful attempts to establish an alternative to the family. Here, the emphasis is on collective child rearing, the community as a whole taking over the tasks of the family. Murdock does not consider diversity when considering these pre-requisites. Functionalists also believe in value consensus. It is the idea which suggests that the role of agencies such as the family is to socialise members of society into shared norms and values, which is the basis for social order. Primary socialisation completes this value consensus. Parsons was an American functionalist writer who examined family life in the 1950s. He argued that there are two basic functions of the family that are found in every society. These are the primary socialisation of children and the stabilisation of human personalities. Parson believes that this socialisation in the family is so powerful that society’s culture actually becomes part of the individuals’ personality – people are moulded in terms of the central values of the culture and act in certain ways almost without thinking about it. Parsons therefore argues that families are like factories producing human personalities, and only the family can provide the emotional warmth and s ecurity to achieve this. Parsons,Show MoreRelated The Usefulness of Functionalism for an Understanding of the Family660 Words   |  3 PagesThe Usefulness of Functionalism for an Understanding of the Family Functionalists focus on the roles of the family as an institution and its interaction with other institutions, such as the ratio of functions the family has to perform compared to those that other institutions such as schools and the NHS perform. Functionalism sees the use of the family in society and how it can take pressure from the government by becoming an almost dependent institution that will help Read MoreAssessment of the Usefulness of Functionalism in Understanding the Family1223 Words   |  5 PagesAssessment of the Usefulness of Functionalism in Understanding the Family Functionalism is a structuralist theory. This means it sees the individual as less important as the social structure of society. It is a ‘top down’ theory. The family can be defined as an intimate domestic group composed of people related to each other by blood, sexual relations and legal ties. When assessing how useful functionalism is when looking at the family, other views/perspectives Read MoreFunctionalist View of the Family1317 Words   |  6 PagesAssess the usefulness of the functionalist view for an understanding of the family today? Functionalism is a structural theory. In functionalism, social institutes like families are the key parts of the structure/system. These institutions are seen as working in an integrated way that keeps society in a state of consensus. Functionalists stress the positive role of a family for society and its members. They argue that the families’ role is universal and functional. A famous functionalist, calledRead MoreCase Description and Theoretical Analysis of Tracy3601 Words   |  15 Pagesclassmate Evie Zamora. However, Tracy’s identified past family history is a source of emotional trauma for her. Tracy is the youngest child, with an older brother named Mason. Their parents are divorced and both children currently reside with their mother. The father does have visitation rights, however due to his current job he is not consistently available. He does try to offer financial support but has some difficulty, resulting in stress upon the family especially for Tracy’s mother. 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