Cole Friedes9/25/2012FAD 2230 Exam 1 OutlineChapter 1: Families and Intimate RelationshipsHow 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 membersmay 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’ whois really just your mother’s good friend)Functions of Families-Marriage: every society has it, and is a very important aspect. It is the institutionalarrangement b/w persons to publicly recognize bonds. -Anthropologist William Stephen’s definition: 1. Socially legitimate social union2. Public announcement3. Undertaken with some idea of permanence4. 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 interactionswith others-Micro Level: focuses on the individual and his/her interactions in specific settings-Macro Level: focuses on the interconnectedness of marriage, families, and intimaterelationships 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 isorganized to meet basic human needs. -Families provide a major aspect of everyone’s life that will influence themgreatly, 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 personoccupies.-ex: Think of yourself. What is the first thing you say you are? A student? Aman? 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 husbandPatterns of Authority-Patriarchy: social organization in which the norm is that men have natural right ofauthority over women-Matriarchy: women have the power and authority in a society-Egalitarian: the expectation that power and authority are equally vested in bothsexes.Patterns of Descent-Bilateral: descent that can be traced through both male and female sides of thefamily-Patrilineal: lineage traced exclusively through the man’s family line-Matrineal: lineage traced through the woman’s family lineHistory of Family Life in the United States-According to original European colonists, the family was the centerfold of allsociety.-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 perspectivesthat 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 thefamily-People loosing jobs, if the family has no money, a stressed family, etc are allfactors that play into how a family develops and functions. -Can even spiral into unemployment, homeless, debt, which drasticallychanges 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 andanalysis of data-Goals of Family Research Include:1. Describe certain phenomena2. Examine the factors that predict or are associated with some phenomena 3. Explain cause and effect relationship or provide insight into why certainevents do or do not occur-Some Common Research Methods are:-Survey, Focus Group, Interview, Experiments, Observational Studies, andSecondary AnalysisTheories: 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 familyinteracts 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 ofmedical care but children do not? MACRO LEVEL-Feminist Theory: gender is seen as central concept for explaining family structureand dynamics—Essentially the same as conflict theory but b/w men and women assubordinates. MACRO LEVEL-Social Exchange Theory: draws upon a model of human behavior used by manyeconomists: if the costs outweigh the benefits, then the person in the relationshipwill leave. MACRO/MICRO LEVEL-Principle of Least Interest: person with least interest in the relationship hasthe 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 itsown set of tasks, roles, and responsibilities. Ex: family life is much different beforeyou have kids than after you have kids. MICRO LEVEL-Systems Theory: proposes that the family system—the family members and theroles they play—is larger than the sum of the individual members. MICRO LEVELAre we Rejecting Marriage and Family Relationships?-According to modern social science research, traditional marriage is not dyingChapter 2: Social Status, Sex, Gender, Race, Ethnicity, And Social ClassThe 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,
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