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Comparing and contrasting sociological theories on family
Comparing and contrasting sociological theories on family
Comparing and contrasting sociological theories on family
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Families are what make up our society. Sure, there is the individual, but every individual is part of a family. Just like cells are the basic building blocks of life, despite the fact that organelles make up the cell. There are an infinite number of family models in our society. The one that seems to receive the most attention, however, is the model family. The model family supposedly internalizes everything perfect in our society. This family has been discussed in television sitcoms, movies, books, and in every-day encounters between friends. The prevalence of the model family, despite popular opinion, is nonexistent. There is no model family, much like there is no perfect human. The main reason why a model family cannot exist is because the model family is a relative term. One person may picture the model family as a husband, wife, a few kids, and a dog. In contrast, some may picture a husband, wife, six kids, and three guinea pigs. Even if someone were to believe they had the perfect …show more content…
To many of us, the model family would be those families in a position of power. For example, the Obama family is powerful, therefore we look upon them with a sense of awe and in a light of perfection. It is only when an imperfect quality comes out into the open that we begin to question the modality of an entity. The truth is that it is not the families of power that seem to be perfect, but the families who can hide their imperfections. Whether they are in a position of authority or part of society’s lowest ranks, the ones who can make it seem like everything is fine are the families that can conceal the internal and external conflicts affecting the family. One recent occurrence was with Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods was known for being a great golfer until he was caught having an affair. After that he was not known for being much more than a good golfer that had cheated on his
McCullough describes the family as a paradox. "It was, plainly, a family of paradoxes: privileged and cushioned beyond most people's imagining, yet little like the stereotype of the vapid, insular rich; uneducated in any usual, formal fashion but also uninhibited by education - ardent readers, insatiable askers of questions; chronically troubled, cursed it would seem, by one illness or mysterious disorder after another, yet refusing to subject others to their troubles or to give in to despair" (pg. 37).
Taylor and Lou Ann demonstrate a symbiotic relationship between the roles and characteristics in a family. Edna Poppy and Virgie Mae replaces the missing physical and emotional traits in a stable household. The examples tie into the fact that not all families in this book match “the norms” and expectations, but are equally valued, blood or
It’s not easy to build an ideal family. In the article “The American Family” by Stephanie Coontz, she argued that during this century families succeed more when they discuss problems openly, and when social institutions are flexible in meeting families’ needs. When women have more choices to make their own decisions. She also argued that to have an ideal family women can expect a lot from men especially when it comes to his involvement in the house. Raymond Carver, the author of “Where He Was: Memories of My Father”, argued how his upbringing and lack of social institutions prevented him from building an ideal family. He showed the readers that his mother hide all the problems instead of solving them. She also didn’t have any choice but to stay with his drunk father, who was barely involved in the house. Carvers’ memoir is relevant to Coontz argument about what is needed to have an ideal family.
not only a family but a society. In a play riddled with greed, manipulation and dishonesty,
In conclusion, we all have our views and versions of the typical, or perfect, family, yet how come we buy in to the media's portrayal of the violent and abusive family dynamic? Is it a plague running rampant? Is it an issue amongst us all? Yes. Is it the norm? No. Nor is it the widest range of the family. Families who educate themselves, as well as support one another through emotional bonds, and the such, come closer to, and are the most widely recognized form of a sculpted and politically accurate family, as close to "typical or "normal" as it could ever get. We need families to help us when we fail, hold us when we're scared, teach us when we are unsure, and show us that a "normal family" is not specific, but is positive. In this sense we need stronger families; would you want to be the weakest link in your families' ongoing history? Think about it.
As we have learned through Skolnick’s book, as well as Rubin’s research, the make up of the family is influenced by many factors. The economy, culture, education, ethnicity/race, and tradition all help to create the modern family. The last few decades have heavily influenced the family structure, and while some try to preserve the past, others embrace the future. Through it all, we find you can have both.
What's important to note is that family, or even the concept of family itself, doesn't appear in any of those ideals. Holmes and Holmes (2002) observed that “The family reunions of yesterday are now rare, and when they occur they are often a source of stress.” (p. 19) That quote solidifies one reason why family interaction today is: “It’s just too stressful, so we avoid it. Where does marriage fit into our culture of individuals?
Society seems to have many different opinions when it comes to relationships and families and what is ideal. The ideal family may not exist anymore. We now have in our society families that are complete that do not necessarily contain the traditional material. The traditional family, as society would see it; usually consist of a married, mother and father and usually children. Moms are supposed to stay at home while dads work the forty-hour a week job. However, in our 2003 world, families exist in a lot of non-traditional ways. A lot of families now consist of single parent families, or same sex parents and their children, or even couples that are unmarried but live together. And even now, if a family contains what society sees as traditional as far as having a mom, dad, and kids, other aspects are not traditional anymore. Women now have more opportunity in the workplace than they have ever had, therefore, many moms are career moms and dads are sometimes staying at home. Years ago, these types of families were given labels for being dysfunctional or abnormal, however, this label is not holding up as well as it did years ago. There are many non-traditional families that are raising children in a loving, nurturing home with a substantial amount of quality love. Quality is the key in any relationship between anyone. Society is finding out that it is not the traditional image that makes a loving family, but the quality of a relationship that people give to each other is what really makes a family. In the essay "The Myth of the "Normal" Family", written by Lousie B. Silverstein and Carl F. Auerbach, they make references to the cultural idea of what a "normal" family should be and what i...
There was an article in The New York Times called “The Changing American Family” by Natalie Angier that illustrates this point. The writer discussed the way in which the typical family structure has morphed into the many versions that can be seen today. Through her research, Angier noted that “anthropologists have traditionally used the term ‘fictive kin’ to separate such relationships from ‘true’ kinship based on blood or law, but many researchers have recently pushed back against that distinction, arguing that self-constructed families are no less real or meaningful than conventional ones.” (23) Personally, I think that if someone acts like family, then they become my family. These “fictive kin” do not exist to me. The title of a family member must be
In a Utopian society most of us would rejoice in knowing that two people such as Mel and Kel who care so deeply for one another, have found each other and are willing to spend the rest of their lives together. Unfortunately we don’t live in a society of that quality and admiration. In any culture, it’s generally conceived that the family is the absolute core of a society. In that, the norms and values of a civilization are directly conveyed from one generation to another through this bloodline. But what exactly is a family? Are there distinct specifications, qualifications or even guidelines that govern the framework for what a family should be? In the Webster’s dictionary a “family” is clearly defined as: “the basic unit in society having as its nucleus two or more adults living together and cooperating in the care and rearing of their own or adopted children.
The idea of family is different from person to person. Regardless of the differences, everyone’s family is unique and special in their own way. No one can judge or discriminate against people for their meaning and interpretation of what a family looks like. For example, family may have two parents; one parent; or no parents (since these are brief phrases, semi-colons shouldn't be used). The variation and differences between families makes culture and society so diverse. Family does not have limitations or boundaries (true). As long as the definition of family contains the qualities of unconditional love, and endless support, help, and guidance; all different families (awk) will be able to succeed and achieve a greater feeling of happiness and a sense of belonging and acceptance.
Out of the numerous commodities and resources that are scarce on the planet in which we inhabit a family, or even a family system, can never be parallel to even an iota of them. This is due to the fact that everyone, no matter what age at what time period of their life, has a family. That family may not be the cookie cutter family that society imposes on the media world. People develop without knowing their family, people create new families of their own, or they can even find something or someone to call family because of this family will never be scarce. Family is an objective concept to every single person and the definition varies significantly from being as simple as the smallest of toys to as complex as a group of people interconnected
Murdock’s idealised view of the family could now be seen as outdated as it is no longer the most common family structure in Britain today although it can still be used as an argument against other perspectives. While there have been many changes to the structure of the family and the roles performed within it, the nuclear family remains an ideal for the majority of people in society.
Everyone is born into some form of family, with the family taking the responsibility of nurturing, teaching the norms or accepted behaviors within the family structure and within society. There are many types of families, which can be described as a set of relationships including parents and children and can include anyone related by blood or adoption. Family is the most important, “for it is within the family that the child is first socialized to serve the needs of the society and not only its own needs” (Goode, 1982).
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.