Download AS-Level Sociology

Functionalist Family
Today’s Lesson: To investigate the
view functionalist sociologists take
of the family and to evaluate this
viewpoint.
Starter…
Mind map the words you
associate or identify with
FAMILY
Lesson Objectives
• To gain an understanding of the
functionalist viewpoint of the family.
• To be able to use examples of
functionalists to back up the views they
hold of the family.
• To be able to critically assess the
functionalist viewpoint and its views of
the family.
A Household or A Family?
What is a household?
A household is an individual or group of
people who live together, they may or
may not be related through blood or
marriage.
What is a family?
A family is a form of household where all
the people who live together are related
through either kinship ties or marriage.
Differences between a family and
a household
• A household can consist of one person
• A household can consist of people who
are not related
• A household exists at one address
• A family can live apart and still be a
family
• A family is related by blood or law
whereas households may not be
Functionalism
Functionalism is a theory
which views society as
being a system of
interconnected parts and
they compare society to
the human body.
The Body – Society
Body Parts – Institutions
within society, the family
being one of these!
Functionalism
Functionalists see both humans and
societies to have certain basic needs
which must be met in order for society
and humans to survive.
Social institutions meet these basic needs
and therefore for a social institution to
be functional it needs to contribute to
the survival of the whole society.
Think…
What needs do individuals and societies
have which the family as an institution
could contribute to in order to help
meet these needs?
Task
What functions you think the family may provide to
the individual and society in order to help them
meet their needs.
Some functions of the family…
Emotional Support
Educational
Economic
Nurture
Functions
of
the
Family
Guidance
Security
Functionalism
Family – Institution in Society
For Functionalist’s the institutions in
society are important as they help
maintain social order and social
cohesion.
Functionalism
Murdock (1949)
- Studied 250 societies of different cultures.
- Murdock saw that in each of these societies the
nuclear family existed.
- Below are the four functions Murdock saw the
family to provide.
Sexual
Stable sexual relationship for adults
Reproductive
Continuing
to create
society
In conclusion, Murdock
claimed
the family
is members
nuclear or
and
it is inevitable
and that
Economic “universal”
Pools
resources
to provide
for each
families
otherexist in every society.
Educational
Teaches norms and values of society
Functionalism
Parsons (1950’s)
Parsons saw the family as being a
- Compared to Murdock,
Parsons
onlythe next
factory
that produces
batch of
of citizens.
provides two vital functions
the family.
Primary
Teaches children the norms and
Socialisation values of society.
Stabilizes personalities and
Stabilization emotional relationships. Parents
also provide security to help
individuals cope in wider society.
Think…
Is the family all hunky dory as the
functionalists seem to assume it is?
Evaluation
On your post-it-notes write down one strength
and one weakness of the functionalist
viewpoint of the family. (You may wish to use
other sociological perspectives to critique
functionalism)
Ensure you put at the top strength or weakness!
Strength
Weakness
Criticisms
• Functionalists are criticised for ignoring
the negative aspects the family can
bring such as child abuse, neglect and
violence.
Criticisms
• Marxist Feminists would argue that
women end up staying at home being a
housewife and not getting paid for this.
Criticisms
• Some parents fail to bring up their
children to make them socially
acceptable and they may be bad role
models for the young.
Task
Return to the worksheet and in the last
box draw how you now see the family
through the functionalist perspective.