...Sociological theories are usually thought of as statements of how and why particular facts about the social world are related. The conclusions drawn from empirical observation and testing help individuals and society to be improved in the ways they lead their lives. This essay is going to explain three mostly commonly mentioned sociological theories of the family which are Functionalism, Marxism and Feminism. | Functionalists believe that each part of society has a function, and they are very positive about society so they always see the good in all things. By looking at society on a large scale they argue that society is based on consensus, meaning that we are socialised to agree on the norms and values in order to survive. Functionalists believe that the family should be seen to perform functions which benefit both its members and society in general. According to Murdock (1949), "the family is a universal institution with universal functions". | In other words, families are found in all societies regardless of for example culture differences. Functions performed universally are reproduction which keeps the human race, primary socialisation which teaches children the norms and values of society, economic where family provides for its members such as food and shelter, and educational where family socialises the young into society’s norms and values which are affected by culture and class. Functionalists believe that the following functions are important for the wellbeing of...
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...FAMILY THEORIES (HDFS 865) Fall 2010 Tuesdays, 2:25-4:55 pm 1339 Sterling Professor Lynet Uttal Office: 338 Old Middleton Building, 1305 Linden Drive luttal@wisc.edu 306 Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive (corner of Charter) 608-263-4026 Office hours: By appointment. Send me an email with 2-3 times you are available. Course Overview HDFS 865 Family Theories is a survey course that examines the interdisciplinary study of families. The course content is organized into two sections: a) theories, ideologies and definitions of families and b) applications of family theories in practice, family programs, and policies. This course will examine “what is theorizing in family studies?” Family theories are explanatory frameworks for different ways of understanding families. Theorizing about families involves conceptualizing the lived experiences of people in relation to their own families as well as developing explanations of the social role of families in society, tracking demographic changes over time, and identifying ideologies and social forces that influence and are influenced by family life. Some theories look at how individuals develop over the life span in the context of families; others define the forms and functions of families as a social unit in society. Some look at “the family” as a unit and focus in on the internal dynamics of relationships between family members, while others look at “the family” as a subsystem or institution in the larger scope of...
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...Name Course Tutor Date Drug, Alcohol, and Crime Introduction Alcohol refers to an intoxication ingredient that’s found in wine, beer, and liquor while a drug relates to any substance apart from food that if smoked, inhaled, injected, consumed or is dissolved under the tongue it results in a physiological change of the body. The combination of the two might lead in a crime which is can be denoted as unlawful practices that are punishable by the law. Alcohol and drugs contribute much to the high rate of the offence in most societies though considering other risk factors such as child exposure to violence and mental or biological health. The risk factors aside research have examined alcohol and drug abuse to be the major contributor to crime. The relationship of narcotics to crime is quite complex and yet controversial; the puzzling question is whether people who use drugs are already crime oriented or is there a direct connection between drugs and alcohol consumption to criminal activities. Taking a case study of the Australian community it has been documented that the estimated cost of alcohol and drug-related crime range from $1.96 billion to over $4 billion. The statistics are quite the same to every as alcohol and drugs prove to be the biggest ingredient to spark up the crime. Through observational study, it has been identified that illegal drug users who engage in intensive drug use are bound to amplify and take part in pre-existing criminal activities. This has sensitized...
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...Family Counseling Theory Family therapy in a nutshell is a form of therapy in which the counselor works with the entire family at once instead of individual members. Often, a family therapist will even reschedule a session if one or more members of the family aren't present. The essential theory behind family therapy is that a family is a system made up of parts and a problem with one of the parts affects the entire system. Families try to maintain stability, if one member of the family does anything out of the "norm" for that particular family; the other members of that family will fight against him or her to bring things back the way they used to be. This is problematic, especially if one member of the family is in therapy and learns new coping styles, yet the family is fighting their healthy changes. The theory that will be addressed is that of Virginia Satir. Virginia Satir was considered the Mother of Family Therapy. (Wikipedia) Satir is a Wisconsin native raised on a farm in Neillsville. At an early age, Satir was intrigued by the family and she knew intuitively that there was more that went on in families than was apparent to the naked eye. Her family moved to Milwaukee, WI in order for her to attend high school. Later she attended the Milwaukee State Teachers College, which is now called University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Satir went on to publish Conjoint Family Therapy, Peoplemaking and The New Peoplemaking (Margarita Suarez/Virginia Satir Global Network) just...
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...Family Systems Theory LaTova Quattlebaum Simmons College Family Theory September 24, 2015 Family Systems Theory The family systems theory has many strengths, one being that it “encourages nurses to see individual clients as participating members of a larger family system” (Kaakinen, Coehlo, Steele, Tabacco, & Hanson, 2015, p. 76). That being said working labor and delivery this concept holds true as the birth of an infant affects everyone in the family not just the woman, all roles within the family system are switched and everyone has to adapt. That adaptation could be adaptive or maladaptive in order to maintain stability (Kaakinen et al, 2015, p. 76). A weakness is that the theory maybe too “abstract for beginners” (Kaakinen et al, 2015, p. 79). Healthcare facilities appear to focus on the individual rather than the family, with that happening it makes it harder for new nurses to recognize the importance of “a family as a whole, is greater than the members of the family” ( Kaakinen et al, 2015, p.79). Looking at the family as a whole, during the laboring and birthing process, it is essential to take care of the mom laboring, but as equally as important to care for those attending the labor (i.e. dad, grandparents, and siblings) as their negative experiences could ruin the entire labor experience for the family as a whole. References Kaakinen, J. R., Coehlo, D. P., Steele, R., Tabacco, A., & Hanson, S. H. (2015). Family health care nursing: Theory...
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...Family Tradition and Theories Author’s Name Institution Family Tradition and Theories My family lives in the middle East and it consists of my grandfather Mansour, grandmother Fahiama, my father Amer, my mother Nada, my 17 years old sister Mariyah, my 23 years old brother Abdullah, my aunt, uncle and I. Our family tradition is taking breakfast together every Friday. Every member of the family ought to be present at the breakfast table no matter the time he or she slept last night. Even if one member of the family is mad at the other, he or she must be present at the table at 10 a.m. and none is supposed to leave the table until all the family members are through with their breakfast and said our prayers. This is because most of my family members are preoccupied and so they are always busy and do not find time to sit together with the rest of us who are not busy and have meals together. This makes connecting as a family very difficult and that is why the Friday meeting is compulsory for all of us. When we take breakfast together as a family, we share more than just food. Taking breakfast together is a way of building protective assets that strengthen our health and development. When we take breakfast together, we catch up with one another and spend time together even if it is for two hours only. We chat, ask one another how they spent their night, week, how they are faring in their jobs and about their plans for the day. Therefore, when we take Friday breakfast...
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...Feminist Family Theory Feminist family theory has its roots in the feminist movement. Feminism can be defined as the search for rights, opportunities, and identities women believe they deserve (Thomas 2000). Feminism in the United States might be said to have begun with the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony fought for the right to vote, a battle that was not won until ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920. Often we see that several extreme philosophies are presented, and after a time, a middle ground is reached that incorporates elements of each philosophy but is not as extreme as any individual one. This is also the case with feminism. By the 1980s, the distinctions among the feminist branches melted away. Feminists focused on issues related to women’s second-class status in society and in families, reproductive rights, discrimination faced in the workplace, and how a gendered society affects the socialization of women. In the 1960s, one of the dominant theories of the family was structural functionalism. Structural functionalists proposed that roles in families should be divided in a “natural” way, generally based on sex. They proposed that families functioned best when men did the instrumental tasks of earning money and providing for basic needs, and women did expressive tasks of caretaking for family members. In 1972, sociologist Jessie Bernard wrote The Future of Marriage, in which she contradicted...
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...The Family Structure Theory Assignment. Introduction: Family systems theory describes patterns of interaction between the individuals that make up the family systems. Family members’ behaviors and attributes influences patterns of living in systems theory. Each family has its unique history, traditions, culture, and value systems. The family’s patterns of behavior separate each family from the others. Nurses utilize the family systems perspectives to learn about the family composition, interpersonal relationships, norms, value systems, interactions, effective communication skills as well as family decision making strategies and coping mechanisms. The family structural theory also assists the nurses to predict overall family patterns. In order to use the family structural theory to access the impact of second marriages on the children, we have to understand some basic concepts about families. Families evolve through many developmental stages due to many activities ranging from marriages (heterosexual, homosexual), childbirth, separations, divorces, or remarriages to adolescents springing into young adulthood, moving out of the home and living independent lives; to the aging years. Every developmental stage presents peculiar challenges that require mastery and adaptation. Family developmental stages can apply to the traditional nuclear families and extended family structures as well as nontraditional family networks such as remarriages. In situations when couples bring...
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...sociological theories. Sociological theories are statements on how and why certain facts about the social world are related. A few sociological theories include the, functionalist theory, conflict theory, and interactionism. Family happens to be a social institution that can be applied to all these fundamental sociological approaches. Most of the time when we think of what a family is , we will think of a nuclear family. This “nuclear family” would normally consist of a married couple, man and women, with one or a few children. This is not the most common form of family these days. Today we have gay and lesbian families, single parent families, multi-cultural families, and even cohabiting families. Another common thing we see today is the blended family created by remarriage including step parents and siblings. These types of families were once ignored or even considered a failed family many years ago. This is not the case today in the society we now live in. All the above and more of these varieties of families are now being acknowledged as legitimate alternatives to what once was the “nuclear family”. We will take a look at the different theoretical views that sociologist use to view family. The first theoretical view would be the functionalist theory. Functionalism addresses society in terms of its elements as a family. All the different functions a family will typically perform. This goes for any type of family as well. This family can be the nuclear family, or the...
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...Social Theories and the family Merlinda Sandoval SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology Instructor: Jennifer Moyer-Taylor September 19, 2011 The social theories functionalism, conflict and interactionism have different views on the way families function in today society. These theories help us understand why people see things in the manner that they do, the patterns of their beliefs and their behaviors which are based on their social needs as a family unit (Vissing, 2011). Families are one of the most important social institutions that are always changing. These social institutions state that the family unit makes us what we are as individuals and that they help construct our personality as well as who we will be when we become adults. The functionalism perspective in regards to the family is that the family takes care and protects their children (Vissing, 2011). Functionalist believe that society needs to function together in order to fulfill the needs of an individual and that their roles and behaviors are structured. These institutions of society include the family, government, education, just to name a few these institutions have a specific function in fulfill which contributes to society as a whole (macro). For example, the family sends their child to school to learn and in turn the family pays taxes to the state, the state in turn uses these funds to keep the school going. The family, child and society each have a role to play that produces stability and productivity...
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...Bowen Family Systems Theory I have quite a large family. My nuclear family consists of my mom, dad, brother and myself. My mom’s side of the family equates for that majority of our family. My mother is the youngest of nine! As one could guess, I have many aunts and many cousins. Because there are so many people of all different ages there are many patterns of interaction and diversity issues that affect the family dynamics. The nature of my parent’s relationship is extremely loving, affectionate and kind. My parents were strict in many aspects but lenient in other aspects. Luckily my nuclear family and extended family have not had to face issues with substance abuse, violence or disabilities. However we did have to face two major losses in the family, both of my grandmothers. When thinking about interaction patterns, family rituals and celebrations come to mind. Our celebrations particularly Christmas and birthdays were rituals, which bring us together. Christmas is important because my family is Catholic, so this connects us all in a special way. When it comes to diversity issues, issues arise between the young individuals and the older individuals pertaining to beliefs. Even though most of the family is Catholic, everyone is unique and has their own personal beliefs that sometimes can be cause for arguments. This can affect family dynamics. Overall, though there is a mutual respect for everyone. Bowen’s approach has eight major concepts. One of them, Triangles/...
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...The foundation of Family Systems theory are these eight components. The differentiation of self, the triangle, the nuclear family emotional process, the family projection process, the multi-generational transmission process, sibling position, the emotional cutoff, and the emotional processes in society. The differentiation of self is a concept on a continuum from 0 to 100 with 100 being complete self differentiation. The concept is simply being able to differentiate between one’s emotions and one’s thoughts. Someone with high levels of self differentiation are able to make more rationale decisions under considerable amounts of stress while someone on the opposite end of the spectrum may react more impulsive. Multi-generational transmission...
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...Lori, I enjoyed your post. I had not considered mindfulness as an intervention for child abuse survivors, however, I can understand the benefits based on your post and related articles. Per Gladding (2015), many child abuse survivors will need more than one modality as if affects a child’s emotions, cognitions, or physical abuse. Additionally, Solution focused therapy (SFT) is suggested due to the extremist nature of focusing on solutions for problem behaviors (Oliver and Charles, 2015). SFT is a strengths-based approach, it is fueled by the client acting and solving the present problem (Oliver and Charles, 2015). Conversely, Bowen family systems theory (BFST) is another intervention to use with child abuse survivors because it focuses on...
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...Marxism is the study of capitalist societies. The theory first came from the German sociologist Karl Marx. Marxist theory mainly studied the nuclear family (N.F). The definition of the nuclear family consists of a mother, father and their dependent children. Marx believed within the capital society there were two types of social classes the ruling class (bourgeoisie) and the working class (proletariat). His theory was the proletariat own nothing and the bourgeoisie owned all the means of production. Friedrich Engels was also a father of Marxist theory alongside Karl Marx. In 1884 Engels believed several theories of the functions of the N.F. It was to allow husbands to control their wives and this was to ensure the paternity of the sons. Therefore, wealth can be kept in the hands of bourgeoisie families (the ruling class) through inheritance from father to son. This is useful that he identifies the male superior towards the in the N.F and the importance functionalists believe of reproduction to keep the wealth within the family. Also shows the functionalists theory of the economic function of the family to be kept in the family showing the unfair advantage the bourgeoisie had on the proletariat. Eli Zaretsky in 1976 said the N.F reproduces the next generation of workers and it consumes the good of capitalism. It acts as a safety net for male frustration created by work. Zaretsky identifies the usefulness of the N.F giving an understanding of the dominating roles with the...
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...Running head: FAMILY VIOLENCE Family Violence and the Application of the Situational/Stress Theory Family Violence There has recently been an increased awareness that crimes of violence are not only perpetrated by strangers in public places rather instead research has uncovered a large amount of violent criminal behavior that occurs between intimates in private locations, such as the home (The Canadian Encyclopedia). These crimes have been underreported because of concerns about privacy, because of fear of retribution or because of concerns about maintaining the integrity of family relations. Family Violence is seen in many forms. “It is the baby who is battered, the child who is sexually assaulted, the woman who is punched and kicked by her husband, the elderly man who is attacked and exploited by his children (Ward, 2006).” One of the most common forms of family violence in Canada today appears to be Intimate partner violence. Overall, 7% of Canadians 15 years of age and older either in a current or previous marital or common-law union in 2004 experienced spousal violence in the past 5 years (Statistics Canada, 2004). This victimization of women is compounded by difficulties that they face in getting out of these abusive relationships. Women are often constrained by lack of employment, the responsibility for children and the fear of social disapproval from family and friends for not being...
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