Sociology of Family

1149 Words3 Pages

"A family is a small social group of people related by ancestry or affection, who share common values and goals, who may live together in the same dwelling, and who may participate in the bearing and raising of children. They have a physical or emotional connection with each other that is ongoing" (Vissing, 2011) and is the foundation of all societies. They can be formed by a grouping of father-mother-children or even more complicated combination of relatives. In the primary stage of family life in the United States, everyone from every generation lived together in one house. Subsequently, the idea of traditional family evolved and a married couple with children is at present, often called the traditional family. There are many types of families; however, this paper will focus on the traditional family. It will describe how the functionalist perspective, conflict perspective, and the interactionism theory apply to the sociological institution known as a family. It will explain some of the similarities and differences between the sociological theories in regards to families and how they affect the family members. Families play an important role in shaping individuals and through them it also shapes the whole society. But what does the term traditional family mean and who decides what constitutes a traditional family? According to Merriam-Webster (2011), the definition of a nuclear or traditional family means “a family group that consists only of father, mother, and children”. A family might include anyone related by blood or by adoption such as: step parents, grandparents acting as parents, and even brothers and sisters sharing the same household. However, worldwide “the family is regarded as the most ba... ... middle of paper ... ...es. A family’s strength determines the strength of the society in which we live. It is the responsibility of each of us to protect and strengthen families in whatever capacity we can. Perhaps it will once again flourish. Works Cited Dunn, R. (2010, March 12). The Three Sociological Paradigms/Perspectives. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m33962/1.2/ McLennan, G. etal. (2000) Exploring society: Sociology for New Zealand students. Auckland: Pearson Education New Zealand Limited. Murdock, G.(1949). Social Structure. New York: The MacMillan Company. Strong B, etal. (1998). The Marriage and Family Experience. 7th Ed:. Wadsworth Publishing Company. P. 10 Vissing, Y. (2011). Introduction to Sociology. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu

Show More
Related

  • Sociology Of Families Chapter Summaries

    1093 Words  | 3 Pages

    Chapter 10 of Teresa Ciabattari book Sociology of families talks about the social policy and the future of families. The chapter starts by giving the readers a brief review of what we have learned so far in chapters 1-9. The chapter discusses the different approaches to what a family is and the changes of what the meaning of family is in the united states. The propose of the chapter is to get a better understanding of the book’s ideas yet to also see what the types of impacts they’ll have in our future society. The chapter is spilt into many categories such as Defining family, family change, family continuity, family diversity, inequality and social policy; housing policy and family inequality, state welfare policy and family, and so forth.

    Read More

  • Sociology: Dramatic Changes To the American Family

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    A family is a group of people consisting of the parents and their children who live together and they are blood related. The family is always perceived as the basic social units whether they are living together in the same compound or at far distance but are closely related especially by blood. Therefore, the family unit has had a great influence on the growth and the character traits possessed by the children as they grow up and how they perceive the society they live in. the family also shapes the children to be able to relate well with other people that are not part of their family and with a good relationship it impacts to the peace achieved in country. This paper addresses the reasons as to why the family is considered the most important agent of socialization. It’s evident that families have changed over time and they have adopted different ways of living. This paper also tackles on the causes of the dramatic changes to the American family and what the changes are. Different people with different race, gender and preferences make the family unit and this makes the difference in marriages. This will also be discussed in this paper.

    Read More

  • Sociological Concepts Of The Family

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sociologists view the family as a universal institution that is central to social life (Powell and Branden 2007). The family is defined as a group of people related by descent, marriage, or adoption (pg 365). Marriage plays a pivotal role in families, marriage is the socially acknowledged and approved and often legal union of two people, allowing them to live together and to have children by birth or adoption (pg 365). The key to understanding the family are the concepts of endogamy and exogamy; endogamy is marriage to someone with similar characteristics in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, education level, social class,

    Read More

  • Defining Family

    1913 Words  | 4 Pages

    Determining family structure and dynamics as well as defining the family is a complex process. Personally, I come from a very traditional family. Much like the assumptions made by the students in the article Defining Family: Young Adults’ Perceptions of the Parent-Child Bond by Mellisa Holtzman (2008). This is what comes to mind when most people define family; a nuclear family, with married parents, and biological children. However, a family is a complex system and can take on many different forms.

    Read More

  • Sociology Of Family In The Family

    1527 Words  | 4 Pages

    The film, “The Sociology of Families and Households”, examines families from a sociological perspective, as it discusses the ways in which the meaning of family has changed throughout history. To better understand how families have changed throughout several decades, the film discusses how structural functionalism, Marxist theory and feminist theory have played a role in defining what a family is, or was at that time in history. The film also examines a few key challenges facing families, such as divorce, single parent households, finding a balance between work and the family and the formation of stepfamilies. Conclusively, the film discusses how the changes in society affect how families function

    Read More

  • Sociological Theories and the Family

    1721 Words  | 4 Pages

    These are the Functionalist, Conflict, and Interactionist Perspectives. Each perspective views society in different manners, with each being correct and relevant since social institutions are too complex to be defined by any one theory. Each perspective will be used to explain the perspectives’ relevance to the family. The sociological definition of the family is “a set of people related by blood, marriage or some other agreed-upon relationship, or adoption, who share the primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for members of society” (Schaeffer, 2009, p. 288). While the nuclear family (a man, a woman, and their children) was once the primary definition of family, now it refers to many familial configurations.

    Read More

  • The Nuclear Family And Alternative Family Structures

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    The reason why I say this is because that is what a nuclear family is also referred to as a traditional family. Another reason for this is because I grew up in a nuclear family and believe that is what it should consist of and till this day I still live in a nuclear family.

    Read More

  • The Family As A Social Institution

    3202 Words  | 7 Pages

    Sociologists look at society from either a macro or micro view and the theories that define their work are based on those perspectives. There are several family theories that we learned about this semester. Briefly, Structural-Functionalism and Conflict Theory are “macro” theories in sociology. Structural-Functionalism sees society as a living machine made up of different parts which work together for the good of society. Individuals, as well as Institutions work together, and the family is the key to the well-functioning machine. Emile Durkheim, considered the Father of Sociology argues social solidarity, where people do the right thing, create harmony and have shared values. According to Durkheim the nuclear family is the only type of institution that can achieve that. Conflict Theory sees society as a pyramid with those at the top having more power and influence than those at the bottom. Males in society have more power than females. There is a power imbalance, which could lead to oppression o...

    Read More

  • Social Institution

    2229 Words  | 5 Pages

    “A family can be defined as a set of people related by blood, marriage or in some other agreed upon relationship, or adoption, who share primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for member of society". (Schaefer, 2009, p. 288) This leads to a wide open range of interpretation on the exact definition of how a family is truly made up. Depending on your culture, religion, or geographical location a family may represent and be comprised of many different ideals and social norms. There are many theoretical perspectives that have their own interpretations on the subject of what a family is and how it is perceived. I will attempt to expound on three of these perspectives; Functionalism, Conflict, and Interactionalism.

    Read More

  • Marriage And Family Essay

    1152 Words  | 3 Pages

    What is a family? A family is two or more people consider themselves to be blood related, or related by marriage, or adoption. Our families are who we love. We as families look different in so many ways. A family’s caregiving unit might have a couple, a mother, a father, and children. A family could also be a single parent and child, a group of siblings, a small or large group of friends. A family defines itself in many different ways. Families are the foundation of how our society and how it works. It is how we come into the world and nurtured and given the tools that we need to go out into our world. We are both capable and healthy or not our families influence our lives either in a good way or a bad way. While families

    Read More

  • The Family as an Agent of Socialization

    1399 Words  | 3 Pages

    To thoroughly elaborate on the institution of family we most look at the family as it was before and how much it has changed over time. Throughout the years we are recognizing that the family is slowly being replaced by other agents of socialization. Families in the past consisted of a mother and a father and most times children. We are, as many societies a patriarchal society; men are usually the head of the households. This has always been considered the norm.

    Read More

  • What Is My Family Essay

    1324 Words  | 3 Pages

    The definition of family is “It finds its origin in marriage; it consists of husband, wife, and children born in their wedlock, though other relatives may find their place close to this nuclear group, an the group is united by moral, legal, economic, religious and social rights and obligations” (Ravelli and Webber 283). My family fits perfectly into the definition of what a family is. My family is a nuclear family; I have a mother, father and

    Read More

  • Essay On Extended Family

    2500 Words  | 5 Pages

    Family is the most important thing in the world a single word, with many different meaning. As the backbone of society family plays an important role in who an individual can be. The family can determine the class of an individual, the education level, and their religion. There are different types of families that have existed and some that are still present today. In the past the nuclear family was the ideal model. The nuclear family also called domesticity is characterized as, women being responsible for keeping the home and children and men being the breadwinner. It is two adults living together in a household with their own or adopted children. Another type of family is the extended family. The extended family is defined as a family group consisting of more than two generation of relatives living either within the same household or very close to one another. Grandparents, aunts, and in-laws are examples of extended families.

    Read More

  • Social Life As A Social Institution

    871 Words  | 2 Pages

    Family is arguably the most important social institution in an individual's life. A family is defined as a group of individuals that are related through blood ties, adoption or marriage, that form an economic unit, where the adult members are responsible

    Read More

  • Defining Family and a Personal Reflection

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this discussion, I will be explaining how I define family. I will also include my immediate and extended family. I will also describe what family means to me, how mine differs from other families in my neighborhood, and also how they are similar. I will also describe my family’s ethnicity and how it may affect any of my family’s health. To me, a family is a group of people that are brought together by blood, adoption, or marriage.

    Read More

More about Sociology of Family

Open Document