Cole Friedes 9 25 2012 FAD 2230 Exam 1 Outline Chapter 1 Families and Intimate Relationships How Do We Define Family Legal a relationship b w two or more people living together related through birth marriage or adoption Social science a relationship b w blood marriage or affection in which members may cooperate economically and may care for any children Family of orient the family you are born into Family of procreation the family you make by marriage parenthood Fictive kin nonrelatives whose bonds are strong and intimate ex Aunt Suzy who is really just your mother s good friend Functions of Families Marriage every society has it and is a very important aspect It is the institutional arrangement b w persons to publicly recognize bonds Anthropologist William Stephen s definition 1 Socially legitimate social union 2 Public announcement 3 Undertaken with some idea of permanence 4 Assumed with a more or less explicit marriage contract Families regulate sexual behavior incest is universally seen as taboo Function in reproducing and socializing children Pass on important property and deal with inheritance Provide economic cooperation Provide members with social placement their status and their roles in society Provide care warmth protection and intimacy arguably the most important Linking Micro Level and Macro Level Prospective on Families Social Structure a stable framework of social relation that guides our interactions with others Micro Level focuses on the individual and his her interactions in specific settings Macro Level focuses on the interconnectedness of marriage families and intimate relationships with the rest of society Family as a Social Institution Social Institution a major sphere of social life with a set of beliefs and rules that is organized to meet basic human needs Families provide a major aspect of everyone s life that will influence them greatly similarly to the way that political economic and religious beliefs do Social Status and Families Master Status the major defining status or multiple statuses that a person occupies ex Think of yourself What is the first thing you say you are A student A man Etc Marriage Patterns Monogamy marriage b w a man and woman faithful to the respective spouse Polygamy allows for more than one spouse at one time gender unspecified Polygyny when husbands have more than one wife Polyandry when wives can have more than one husband Patterns of Authority Patriarchy social organization in which the norm is that men have natural right of authority over women Matriarchy women have the power and authority in a society Egalitarian the expectation that power and authority are equally vested in both sexes Patterns of Descent Bilateral descent that can be traced through both male and female sides of the family Patrilineal lineage traced exclusively through the man s family line Matrineal lineage traced through the woman s family line History of Family Life in the United States According to original European colonists the family was the centerfold of all society The family was education religion and social aspects Slavery encouraged breeding b w the best slaves slaves were bought and sold families were split apart resulting in a diverse gene pool Industrial revolution urbanization immigration are all macro level perspectives that changed the way the family functioned Developed into what we know as family today Man goes off to work woman raises children etc Families Today The macro changes in the economy highly affect the micro level changes in the family People loosing jobs if the family has no money a stressed family etc are all factors that play into how a family develops and functions Can even spiral into unemployment homeless debt which drastically changes the family The Importance of Social Science Research Not everything is common sense Nothing is truly subjective Empirical Approach answers questions through a systematic collection and analysis of data Goals of Family Research Include 1 Describe certain phenomena 2 Examine the factors that predict or are associated with some phenomena 3 Explain cause and effect relationship or provide insight into why certain events do or do not occur Some Common Research Methods are Survey Focus Group Interview Experiments Observational Studies and Secondary Analysis Theories Helping Us Make Sense of the World Structural Functualism Theory attempts to determine the structure system function and equilibrium of social institutions the family Basically how the family interacts with other social institutions and how it organizes itself in society MACRO LEVEL Conflict Theory emphasizes issues surrounding social inequality power conflict and social change Ex why does virtually every old person receive some form of medical care but children do not MACRO LEVEL Feminist Theory gender is seen as central concept for explaining family structure and dynamics Essentially the same as conflict theory but b w men and women as subordinates MACRO LEVEL Social Exchange Theory draws upon a model of human behavior used by many economists if the costs outweigh the benefits then the person in the relationship will leave MACRO MICRO LEVEL Principle of Least Interest person with least interest in the relationship has the power Symbolic Interaction Theory emphasizes the symbols that we use every day words gestures appearances and how they are interpreted MICRO LEVEL Developmental Theory families go through distinct stages and each stage has its own set of tasks roles and responsibilities Ex family life is much different before you have kids than after you have kids MICRO LEVEL Systems Theory proposes that the family system the family members and the roles they play is larger than the sum of the individual members MICRO LEVEL Are we Rejecting Marriage and Family Relationships According to modern social science research traditional marriage is not dying Chapter 2 Social Status Sex Gender Race Ethnicity And Social Class The Link between Private Experiences and Social Structure Social Stratification the hierarchical ranking of categories of people within society Some people have more less or different opportunities based upon their sex race etc Sociological Imagination recognition that our personal experiences are in large part shaped by forces within society Ex certain categories of people are more likely to experience certain events than others white will marry more than blacks Sex Gender and Patriarchy Sex refers to the biological
View Full Document
Unlocking...