...Sociology and Family Sociology use complex sociological theories in order to analyze and explain the cause and effects of social structure, process and actions. When it comes to family there are a few theories that can explain the institution of family and how it affects society. Family is viewed in many different ways; however family is where individuals initially develop their way into society. This paper will discuss how sociological theories like functionalism, conflict and interactionism impact the sociological institution of family. Many theories affect the dynamic of a family but they also go hand and hand with the continuous development of society. Families and society become more of one once they have a full understanding of each other. “One of the most important aspects of what happens to us over the life course is our relationship with our family. Everyone has a family of origin, and everyone creates a family, even if it is a family of one. Types of families vary in form and structure, and have significant implications for our lives” (Rothausen, 1999). No matter how a person views the institution of family, there is usually a strong sense of belonging and respect. Many of times when we think of family, the traditional view comes in mind which is, parents and children. However, the institution of family can be applied in so many ways; like unmarried couples with no kids, close friends, homosexual couples, or just individuals of the same bloodline. What makes...
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...Task 1 As social workers we live and work in very large complex and ever changing society therefore it may be very important as a social worker to know what social class her client, family or community belongs to, as this gives the social worker insight into how to intervene. Social class can be defined in a number of ways but the one that’s widely adapted by social workers is that social class is a large group of people whose economic circumstances, usually measured by their incomes, wealth and occupation, are broadly similar. There are three major social classes in the United Kingdom which include; the working class, middle class and the upper class. Socialists emphasize that social class is essentially an economic concept and they determine individual’s class on the basis of wealth income and occupation. However it is also important to say that there are other factors to consider when determining a person’s social class such as; their family social background, standard of living, home ownership, leisure pursuits, circle of friends and social connections and education. Broadly speaking most of the factors listed above are closely connected with one’s wealth, income and occupation. One may define Identity as who or what a person or thing is. Identity also helps to define who a person is; it is a self representation of a person’s interests, relationships and leisure activities. On the other hand belonging can mean to feel a sense of welcome and acceptance to someone or some...
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...representation of how the family structure was throughout society. Made up of father who worked, a mother who stayed at home to raise the children and family dinners every night. Today in 2012, the family dynamic has changed dramatically. There are several factors that can be attributed to these changes and these changes could continue to change society for future generations. However, perhaps from researching the past and how we got here, we can find ways to strengthen families in the future. Family Changes Since 1960 the family dynamic has changed. Over these mere 52 years families have gone from having both parents in the home, usually with a father who works and a mother who stayed at home to raise the children. Today, many families are broken; children are shuffled between the mother’s home and the father’s home every other weekend. With this broken foundation the family structure itself is becoming weaker, thus creating a difference in society today compared to when our parents and grandparents were being raised. As previously mentioned, the Cleavers made up the traditional family in the 1960’s. This dynamic accounts for less that 15% of families today in the United States (Mintz, N.D). Another drastic change we have seen since 1960 is the divorce rate that has doubled since 1966. Another difference that has grown dramatically since as early as 1970 is the number of homes where couples cohabitate, yet never marry. This type of family dynamic has tripled over...
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...Mother stated that she “likes the neighborhood”. The family has trouble paying rent for the past 3 months due to mother being unemployed (caring for a newborn baby). Family has been living at the current residence for 2 years. Mother states that she feels safe living in her community. Occasionally she will allow her children to play outside together unsupervised. According to mother, “it’s rare to hear of crime”. Home appears safe and clean. There are no potential dangers in the house. Step-father states that he “feel stress because of the income I make”. Family has credit card debt; however, their debt is not a burden to the family. Family currently receives food stamps and child support. Mother states that family is “able to meet basic needs”....
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...Sociology Essay… A family is a group of people that live together and are related to each other through kinship ties or marriage. Kinship means being related through blood or birth. On the other hand, a household is a group of people who live together but are not related to each other through kinship ties or marriage. It is believed that families make up the majority of households but there are others for example, students or friends sharing a flat/house. There are five main different types of families: * Nuclear Family: Two generations living together (mother, father and dependent children) * Traditional Extended Family: Three or more generations of the same family living together or close by, with frequent contact between grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, cousins etc. * Attenuated Extended Family: Nuclear families that live apart from their extended family, but keep in regular contact e.g. via email or phone. * Single Parent Family: A single parent and their dependent children. * Reconstituted Family: New stepfamilies created when parts of two previous families are brought together. George Murdock (1949) was a famous sociologist that argued that some form of the nuclear family existed in all of the 250 different societies he looked at. He argued the family performed four basic functions – sexual, reproductive, economic and educational (social). Murdock’s definition of a family is: A social group characterised by common residence, economic cooperation and reproduction...
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...Nicole Turpin Sociology 315 Marriage & Family Professor Scheier Page 25 3. What important changes in family patterns do you see today? Important changes in family patterns I see today are more independency and the value of family is coming back into perspective. Do you see positive changes, negative changes, or both? I see both positive and negative changes in families today. The positive I see are fathers being more involved in their kids’ lives rather than just the moms and the negative I see is more single parent families. What do they mean for families, in your opinion? In my opinion that means that people are not taking family as serious as they should and I also think there is a huge lack of respect in relationships which is why there are many people not staying together these days. 4. What are some examples of a personal or family problem that is at least partly a result of problems in the society? I think the best example of both personal and family problems that is at least a result of problems in the society is a lack of respect. There is a lack of respect for people towards each other and the homes of families. Common courtesy has completely gone out the window somewhere along the line. Page 49 2. Choose a magazine photo and analyze its content from one of the perspectives described in this chapter. Then analyze the photo from another theoretical perspective. How do your insights differ depending on which theoretical perspective is used...
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...Using the Material from Item 2b and Elsewhere, Assess the View That the Growth of Family Diversity Has Led to the Decline of the Traditional Nuclear Family Using the material from item 2B and elsewhere, assess the view that the growth of family diversity has led to the decline of the traditional nuclear family In the past, traditionally families have mostly been the ‘traditional nuclear family’ made up of a married man and woman and at least one child. However there has recently been a decline in the amount of traditional nuclear families and an increase in the amount of diverse families. There are now less people following the traditional view that the nuclear family is the ‘normal’ way to live. The diverse families now include families such as, lone parent families, reconstituted family, extended family, lone person households, cohabiting couples and same sex couples. In this essay I will discuss the view that the traditional nuclear family has decline as a result of the growth of family diversity and the reasons why people are no longer following past tradition. New right believe that the incline in family diversity is a cause of many social problems. They believe that the increase in family diversity is the reason for economic problems. Charles Murray believes that there is now a ‘perverse incentive’ for young girls to get pregnant. He believes that there are young girls purposely getting pregnant with the knowledge that the government are going to give them a house...
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...Evaluate the view that contemporary families have become more child centred Firstly , child centred society is where children have become more valued and therefore focused on and protected. In this essay I will be evaluating the view that modern families have become more child centred. I will do this by including childhood in the past compared to childhood now , and how childhood has improved through rights and economic improvements and so on. Firstly , childhood is a phase of life between infancy and adulthood and can be said as a modern development as it didn’t develop in western society until the 16th and 17th centuries. For example , a historian Phillip Aries explained that in medieval times childhood did not exist as a separate status. That they were seen as “Little adults” even though they required constant care they were expected to take on adult roles and responsibilities as soon as they were physically able to do so. Such as child labour. It wasn’t until the nineteenth century until that there were restrictions (laws) made to protect children from exploitation and hardship. Which therefore greatly separated children from the adult work life and responsibilities. Children began to be seen as innocent and needed to be protected , as they are also vulnerable. This emphasizes that as attitudes changed towards children there was a social change over time , which has led to child centeredness today. Secondly , strong discipline was used to teach children appropriate behaviour...
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...Explain how theories of masculinity have transformed the sociology of the family? Finbarr Lawton, University College Cork, Department of Sociology. Student Number: 111310236, Module title/code: Sociology of Family, SC2026, Module Coordinator: Linda Connolly Submission Date: 14/1/13 Throughout my essay I will attempt to look at different theories of masculinity and try to show how these theories have transformed the sociology of family in recent decades. I will start by looking at the sociology of family, giving a brief insight into the main theory’s and how it helps us to understand what the sociology of family is essentially about. Following on from this I will look at masculinity giving the main ideas of it and how it has changed and shifted roles in past decades. Before going into detail about masculinity and how it has changed by looking at theories of fatherhood, work, and unemployment and Hegemonic masculinity. Finally I will finish by looking at the main advantages and disadvantages of this change in masculinity in recent decades looking also at how it has changed the sociology of family. When looking at the sociology of family we see that it is an extremely broad field of study and can really be split into four main theories of which to look at the sociology of family, these being: 1. “Functionalist theory: Looks at the essential tasks provided by the family e.g. Socialisation: Regulation of sexual activity. Social placement: Material and emotional...
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...Britain, families are often thought to more ‘symmetrical’, whereby the relationship between married and cohabiting couples has become less patriarchal, or male-dominated, and much more an equally balanced partnership. Both partners share household chores, childcare and decision-making, and both partners are more likely to be involved in paid employment.” Applying material from Item B, and your knowledge, evaluate the view that contemporary families have become partnerships of equals. (20 marks) There are many evaluation points to the view that contemporary families have become partnerships of equals. I am going to focus on the four main points of the domestic division of labour, gender inequalities, power and the ‘dark side’ of family life. The sociologists Young & Wilmott (1973) support that contemporary families have become partnerships of equals. This is because they believe that the family is a ‘symmetrical family’, where the family have joint conjugal roles. Consequently, domestic labour is divided equally between the husband and the wife of the family. Additionally, Kan et al (2009) agree with Young & Wilmott (1973) as he found that the time spent on housework by men in the 1960s was 90 minutes per day, whilst in 2004, men spent 148 minutes per day on housework. However, both the sociologists Oakley (1974) and Craig (2007) challenge that contemporary families have become partnerships of equals. Oakley (1974) believes that there is patriarchy in the family, where...
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...Sociology can be seen as the scientific study of groups in the human society and social interactions which aims to understand social situations, which looks for repeating patterns in society. Sociology can be seen as a natural science because it consists of those disciples which apply systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses to the study of society. Sociology can be seen as one of the social sciences which had a late start; the subject of sociology fell on it way in the middle of the 1800. When the American society was in the middle of the Industrial Era. Sociology developed great recognition during this time with the great success of the French and American Revolution. The first and main contributor to sociology in the social world was Auguste Comte; his method of practice was called positivism which states that “the theory that knowledge can be acquired only through direct observation and experimentation, and not through metaphysics or theology.” Another major contributor to sociology was Herbert Spencer; he was credited in finding the Science as a field of study. Spencer came up with the idea of Social Darwinism which implies “people would gravitate to either the bottom or the top of society…the principle was termed “survival of the fittest.”” Karl Marx also played a huge part of early Sociology. Marx was a social activist who came up with the theory of class conflict, which says that; “the lower and...
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...Sociology and Marketing Hand in Hand Written By Yomna, Aiman, Anaa To excel in business, you need more than a solid grasp of math and economics. Business requires an understanding of people -- large populations in particular. Sociology provides the educational background needed for managers to understand their employees and customers. Business leaders that understand sociology are able to anticipate customer needs and respond to employee problems in ways others cannot. What is Sociology? Sociology is the study of human social relationships and institution. Sociology is a subject that differentiate the alternating matter of society like from race to crime, family to social class, beliefs of similar culture and it talks about the social stability to radical change in the whole societies. The study of sociology helps the individual to understand how human act and realization both shape and shaped by the surrounding culture and social structure. Sociology is an exciting and helpful field to study that evaluates and explains the important matter in our personal live, our communities and the world. For our personal lives sociology studies the social cause and consequences of things like racial and gender identity, family conflict, aging and religious. As for the society level, sociology examines and explains matters like for example prejudice and discrimination, poverty and wealth, crime and law, school and education and social movements. With the help of the 4 main...
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...Definition of Sociology The subject has been looked from various points of view and now it is an opportune time to define the subject properly. According to P.A. Sorokin “sociology is a generalizing science of socio-cuitural phenomena viewed in their generic forms, types, and manifold interconnections. ” (Bierstedt, 1970. 3-28) Sociology is the scientific study of human society and social behaviour. The subject matter of sociology is huge and complex, and the knowledge produced by sociological research is still imperfect in many ways. However, it has taught us a great deal about ourselves. (RotarTson, 1977 :3) No formal definition of sociology is very satisfactory. Short definitions don’t really define; long definitions are clumsy. Yet a definition of some sort is needed, and sociology is often defined as the scientific study of human social life.. Human beings behave differently from other animals. They have unique forms of group life; they pursue customs, develop institutions, and create values. Sociology applies scientific methods to the study of these phenomena in the research for scientific knowledge. Sociology concentrates its study upon the group life of human beings and the product of their group living. (HurTon and Chester 1984: 25-27) The sociologist is especially interested in the customs, traditions, and values which emerge from group living, and in the way group living is, in turn, affected by these customs, traditions, and values. Sociology is interested in the...
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...What is sociology? Sociology is the study of how society is organised and how we experience life. Sociology examines how our behavior individually and in groups is influenced by social processes and what that means. Sociology studies people in their everyday environments at every level. Sociologists study a variety of things including human interaction which means people’s behavior with others in any situation for example, a teacher with their students. These interactions and roles lead to social institutions such as family or mass media. These institutions all form the social structure which is linked to the way in which a whole society is organised. Sociologists have advanced theories about how society works, this is due to the fact that it is a controversial issue where sociologists have different opinions and so different perspectives about how society works. Sociology involves looking at social trends and patterns of behavior e.g. different behavior’s in a classroom and different explanations for things. Within sociology, there are many different theories created by sociologists such as Max Weber, Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx, who all worked in the 19th / early 20th centuries. Emile Durkheim believed that sociology was a separate science from other subjects and should concern itself with the scientific study of social facts. Max Weber was concerned with studying sociology from the point of view of social actions. Karl Marx believed that everything that happens in society...
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...1 Sociology - Presentation Transcript 1. 1.The Sociological perspective What is Sociology? Sociology is the scientific study of human society & social behavior. 2. What is Sociology? * It focuses primarily on the influence of social relationships upon people’s attitudes and behavior and on how societies are established and change. * The ultimate aim of sociology as summed up by Samuel Koenig is “ to improve man’s adjustment to life by developing objective knowledge concerning social phenomena which can be used to deal effectively with social problems.” 3. The Sociological Perspective * 1. The sociological perspective is important because it provides a different way of looking at familiar worlds. It allows us to gain a new vision of social life. * 2. This perspective stresses the broader social context of behavior by looking at individuals’ social location, employment, income, education, gender, age, and race –and by considering external influences –people’s experiences –which are internalized and become part of a person’s thinking and motivations. (cont…) 4. * We are able to see the links between what people do and the social settings that shape their behavior. * 3. The sociological perspective enables us to analyze and understand both the forces that contribute to the emergence and growth of the global village and our unique experiences in our own smaller corners of this village. 5. Subject Matter of...
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