Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Communication plays a vital role in relationships
Communication plays a vital role in relationships
Importance of communication in interpersonal relationships
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Communication plays a vital role in relationships
What is a functional family and how does it relate to a well-maintained relationship? How do we keep relationships functioning properly? How can we describe a functional family, when all families are different? Our text book explores several different types of families. They are consensual, pluralistic, protective and laissez-faire. A functional family can be any of the different types, but a well-maintained family is nurturing, loving, committed, and have positive communication. Well-maintained families are adaptable to positive and negative differences. Each family member has a role, it could be position-oriented or person oriented. Well-maintained families have rituals. They have family discussion times, do family vacations, openly communicate, and they usually know their individual role in that structure. My husband and I have been married for thirty-two years. Our parents were married until death. We have based our relationship on trust and commitment because we saw it through our parents. So, I will use my family to describe three specific examples of caring behaviors. We are a normal consensual family. Our family is a blended family. When T. J. and I married we, both brought a child into the relationship. T. J. had a son who was less than three months …show more content…
We were a very active family. Our son Jason was very active in sports. We made sure we were there to cheer him on and encourage him to do well. We placed a priority on their social, psychological, and emotional well-being. We made holidays special and birthdays. We traveled extensively because my husband was in the military. When planned our trips as a family. Other Military families around us became our family. We have always been a good distance from our biological families, so we developed strong bonds with families where we lived. We have friends that are closer to us than our
In chronicling how the family structure has changed in America, it is important to understanding how family was actually defined. When referencing Leave it to Beaver (further referred to as LITB) times, family took on a substantive definition, or the idea that family was equivalent to relative, or related by blood or law. While this definition of family served the time period, it failed to evolve with society. For that reason, sociologists set out to determine a “more inclusive functionalist definition,” that focuses on what families do. “A functionalist definition of families focuses on how families provide for the physical, social, and emotional needs of individuals and of society as a whole” (Witt). With that, the functionalist perspective identifies six primary functions, which include reproduction, socialization, protection, regulation of sexual behavior, affection and companionship, and...
It contains adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults” (p.1). Parents are the main influence in a child’s life and have the responsibility to be affectionate and nurturing towards their children. Conversely, dysfunctional parents with destructive influences tend to have troubled kids. Depending on the child’s social environment, there are some children in this world whom are not as fortunate enough to have a loving mother and father. The functionalist perspective focuses on keeping the family functioning regardless of the dysfunctions that can occur. (Bereska 10) A dysfunctional family is a threat to the stability of the greater society. However, from this functionalist perspective other structures come in by filling in the gaps that are missing in order to restore normality/ the
the use of the family in society and how it can take pressure from the
Family Relations 4(2011):435. eLibrary. Web. The Web. The Web. 09
Fred, Wilma, and Rose present an interesting perspective when looking at their family through a Structural Family Systems Theory. When trying to work with the family a social worker will utilize Functional Family Therapy in order to understand their structure and maybe ameliorate some of the family’s problems. Using Rose and her family as the clients it will be able explain what interventions we can use when we learn the constructs of the theory.
Having a family is no easy task, especially when you are faced with many challenges that are unforeseen. Sometimes one imagines or hopes for an ideal family. The ideal family would consist of a spouse, one or two kids and live happily with little to no conflicts. The reality is that even if one tries to avoid conflict by all possible means, conflict is inevitable. Stressors and strengths within a family can be seen in almost every situation. Although stressors tend to be more noticeable than the strengths. Some of which will be discussed later on, although it will be mainly focused on the strength and stressors faced after a divorce for children. But if one focuses on the stressors more than the strengths, one will only see stressors rather than solutions.
With the passing of time comes the inevitable arrival of change. We see this in nearly aspect in our lives including technology, education, and especially in our relationships. One relationship that has been examined over the years is our familial relationships. The “family” of today is nothing like the “family of the 1950’s. Some of these changes have been viewed as very positive; that they show the strength and resilience of the family despite the turmoil that may arise in the world we live in. Other changes have been viewed as catastrophic for the family, to the point where people have claimed that the concept of family is on a rapid decline.
The information in this paper will discuss the three major sociological perspectives of functionalism, conflict and interactionism. One must first possess an understanding of Sociology, which is the study of society and social interactions. With the understanding of sociology and the factors that make studying the social interactions an interested topic of sociologists. There have been many changes in the family structure in families in the United States as the dynamics of families have been reversed. In the average family in the United States, there are still many single mother families or two-parent families that due to economic changes only one parent works and provides for the family. Many families consist of extended family members
Single-parent families, blended families, same-sex couples, traditional nuclear families and single-parents who have adopted are just a few of the configurations that society in general now views as a family. A healthy family provides a place of unconditional love, acceptance, and support. The functionalist perspective views society as a living organism or a mechanical entity. Primitive societies where everyone performs similar tasks, demonstrating mechanical cohesion. In modern societies, many different tasks are performed by the members, similar to the interdependence of organs in a living organism....
The important thing for a functional family is proper communication, communication gap among the members in a family can disrupt the relationship. So physical health, emotional health, feelings and communication are the pillars of stable
In which members of the society agree upon, and work together to achieve, what is best for society as a whole.” Cliffs notes. (2014). Looking through the functionalist theories it states that families should and do play a huge part in society. Functionalists say that family plays a massive part in their children’s lives by teaching them important things like norms, values, roles and cultures and stability.
"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.
Functionalists emphasise the harmonious nature of the nuclear family, believing it provides a more stable environment for the family and its individual members but also for society as a whole. It draws attention to the positive aspects of family life, fitting in with many people’s experience and expectation of the family as somewhere they are safe and cared for. Functionalists see the father taking an instrumental role, supporting the family by earning a wage with the mother taking the expressive role, caring, nurturing and taking main responsibility for the home and childcare. New Right agrees segregated conjugal roles are human nature and are reinforced by society’s norms and values.
There are many types of family that exists in today’s society, each important to the upbringing of any children of which may be apart of it.
Families provide people with an atmosphere in which to live, grow, and develop. A family culture is established by the parents and instilled in the children during their upbringing. A healthy family is a family which follows a set of strong morals, stays loyal to one another, cooperates, and works together to avoid conflict. An environment where there is openness amongst family members is ideal because minds that are open are more susceptible to avoiding conflict than minds that are closed. If conflict gets the best of a family, it has the potential to increase hostility and create remoteness between family members, however, if a family resolves conflict, it can strengthen and enforce the family relationships.