Sociology of Family

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"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

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