![]() As such, the family performs several important functions.įirst, the family is the primary unit for socializing children. A functional understanding of the family thus stresses the ways in which the family as a social institution helps make society possible. Recall that the functional perspective emphasizes that social institutions perform several important functions to help preserve social stability and otherwise keep a society working. Romantic love is the common basis for American marriages and dating relationships, but it is much less common in several other contemporary nations. Wives and husbands have different styles of communication, and social class affects the expectations that spouses have of their marriages and of each other. The interaction of family members and intimate couples involves shared understandings of their situations. The family can also be a source of conflict, including physical violence and emotional cruelty, for its own members. The family contributes to social inequality by reinforcing economic inequality and by reinforcing patriarchy. In addition, sudden or far-reaching changes in the family’s structure or processes threaten its stability and weaken society. It socializes children, it provides emotional and practical support for its members, it helps regulate sexual activity and sexual reproduction, and it provides its members with a social identity. The family performs several essential functions for society. Table 11.1 Theory Snapshot Theoretical perspective Let’s review these views, which are summarized in Table 11.1. ![]() Sociological views on today’s families generally fall into the functional, conflict, and social interactionist approaches introduced earlier in this book. ![]() Summarize understandings of the family as presented by functional, conflict, and social interactionist theories.
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