What is the role of the family for the individual and society? » Strengths and limitations of functionalist views

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

The functionalist perspective on family and its key theorists
The main functions of the family according to functionalists
Strengths of the functionalist view of family
Limitations and criticisms of the functionalist approach
How to evaluate functionalist theories in exam answers

Functionalist Views on the Family

Functionalists see society as a system of interconnected parts that work together to maintain stability and social order. They view the family as a vital social institution that performs essential functions for both individuals and society as a whole.

Key Definitions:

Functionalism: A theoretical perspective that sees society as a complex system of interdependent parts working together to maintain stability.
Social institution: An established set of norms and relationships that fulfil basic social needs.
Nuclear family: A family unit consisting of two parents and their children.
Social consensus: General agreement among members of a society about basic values and norms.

Key Functionalist Thinkers

★ George Peter Murdock

Murdock studied 250 societies and claimed that the family performs four essential functions:

Sexual: Providing a regulated and stable satisfaction of sexual needs
Reproductive: Producing new members of society
Economic: Providing food and shelter for family members
Educational: Socialising children into society's norms and values

★ Talcott Parsons

Parsons focused on two 'irreducible' functions that the family performs:

Primary socialisation: Teaching children the basic norms and values of society
Personality stabilisation: Providing emotional security and support for adults

He argued that the nuclear family is best suited to modern industrial society because it's small and mobile.

Functions of the Family for Society

According to functionalists, the family performs several vital roles that help maintain social order:

✓ Socialisation

Families teach children society's norms, values and expected behaviours. This helps create social consensus and stability.

✓ Social Control

Families regulate behaviour and discourage deviance, helping to maintain order in society.

✓ Economic Support

Families provide for members' material needs and contribute to the wider economy through work and consumption.

Functions of the Family for Individuals

Functionalists also highlight how families benefit individual members:

♥ Emotional Support

Families provide a 'safe haven' where members can receive emotional support, love and understanding. This helps adults cope with the stresses of modern life - what Parsons called 'personality stabilisation'.

♥ Identity Formation

Families help individuals develop a sense of self and belonging. They provide status and roles that help shape personal identity and give meaning to people's lives.

Case Study Focus: The Warm Bath Theory

Parsons described the family as a 'warm bath' that helps wash away the stresses of daily life in the competitive world of work. He argued that in industrial societies, the family has become specialised in providing emotional support.

According to this theory, the family serves as a place where the breadwinner (traditionally the husband) can relax and receive emotional support after a stressful day at work. This helps maintain the workforce and, by extension, the economy.

Strengths of the Functionalist View

The functionalist perspective offers several valuable insights into family life:

Recognises important functions: Functionalism highlights the genuine and important roles that families perform in society, such as socialisation and emotional support.
Explains family universality: The perspective helps explain why some form of family exists in virtually all societies - because it fulfils essential social needs.
Provides a positive view: Functionalism offers a positive interpretation of family life that resonates with many people's experiences of family as supportive and nurturing.
Explains social stability: The approach helps us understand how families contribute to social cohesion and the maintenance of shared values.

Limitations and Criticisms

Despite its contributions, the functionalist view has been widely criticised:

⚠ Idealised View

Functionalists present an overly positive, 'rose-tinted' view of family life that ignores problems like domestic violence, child abuse and inequality.

⚠ Outdated Model

The focus on the nuclear family ignores the increasing diversity of family forms in modern society, such as single-parent families and same-sex couples.

⚠ Gender Bias

Functionalists often assume traditional gender roles are 'natural' and beneficial, ignoring how they can restrict women's opportunities and reinforce inequality.

Feminist Critiques

Feminist sociologists have been particularly critical of functionalist views:

They argue that functionalism ignores power imbalances within families
The 'functions' described by Murdock and Parsons often benefit men more than women
The 'warm bath' theory assumes women should provide emotional labour for men
Functionalism can be used to justify gender inequality as 'functional' for society

Marxist Critiques

Marxist sociologists argue that functionalists ignore how the family serves capitalism:

The family reproduces the workforce needed by capitalism
It socialises children to accept hierarchy and inequality
It acts as a unit of consumption, buying products that benefit the capitalist economy
Women's unpaid domestic labour benefits capitalism by supporting male workers at no cost

Applying This to Exam Questions

When evaluating functionalist views in your exams, remember to:

Outline the key functionalist ideas (Murdock's four functions and Parsons' two functions)
Discuss both strengths and limitations of the perspective
Compare with other perspectives like feminism and Marxism
Use examples of different family types to challenge the focus on the nuclear family
Consider changes in family life since these theories were developed

A balanced evaluation will get you the highest marks!

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