1/10/2013 Chapter 1How Do We Define Family:-Legal vs. social science Definitions- Family: A relationship by blood, marriage, or affection, in which member maycooperate economically, may care for children, and may consider their identity to be intimately connected to the larger group.o Blood- mom, dad, and siblingso Marriage- husband/wifeo Affection- best friends, co-workers, pets- Youngest children tend to stay close to family-Other definitions of family:1. The family as a system moving through timeA. Carter, Betty and MsGoldrick, Monica describes family as “people who have a shared history and a shared future. They encompass 3-5 generations held together by blood, legal, and / or historical ties.” (p.1)2. Pauline Boss (2002) defined family as a “continuing system of interacting persons bound together by processes of shared rituals and rules even more than by shared biology.”The Function of Families:- Family of Orientation: The family you were born into- Family of Procreation: The family you make through marriage, partnering, and/or parenthood- Fictive Kin: Nonrelatives whose bond are strong and intimateo Co-workerso Pets- Marriage: An institutional arrangement between persons to publicallyrecognize social and intimate bondso Anthropologist William Stephens definition Socially legitimate sexual union Public announcement Undertaken with some idea of permanence Assumed with a more or less explicit marriage contract- Regulation of Sexual Behavior- Reproducing and Socializing children- Property and Inheritance- Economic Cooperation- Social Placement, Status, and Roles- Care, Warmth, Protection, and IntimacyLinking Micro- and Macro- perspective on families:- Social Structure: a stable framework of social relationships that gives out interactions with other (don’t need to know for exam)- Mircro-level : Focus on the individual and his or her interactions in a specific setting (know)- Macro- level: focus on interconnectedness of marriage, families, and intimate relationships wit the rest of society (know)Families are Always Changing:- Marriage Patternso Monogamy: Marriage between one man and one womano Polygamy: a system that allows for more than one spouse at a time (gender unspecified)- Patterns of Authorityo Patriarchy: A form of social organization in which the norm is that men have a natural right to be in positions of authority over women Men have authority Woman have to cook, clean, do laundry, etc.o Matriarchy: A form of social organizations in which the norm is that the power and authority in society would be vested in women Women have authorityo Egalitarian: The expectation that power and authority are equally vested in men and woman Used today What most of class will use- Patterns of Descento Bilateral: descent that can be traced through both male and female sides of the familyo Patrilineal: A descent pattern where lineage is traces through the man’s family lineo Matrilineal: A descent pattern where linage is traced through the woman’s family line- Residence Patterns o Neolocal: The expectation that a newly married couple establishes a residence and lives there independentlyo Patrilocal: lives with men’s familyo Matrilocal: lives with women’s family- Families in Transitiono Families in chinao History of Family Life in the U.S. Family life in colonial America: European Colonists- Dependent on how Europe lived Colonial America: African Americans and slaverySocial Science Theory and Research:- Common Research Methods to study familieso Surveyo In-depth interviewo Experimento Focus groupo Observational Studyo Secondary analysis- Empirical Approach : An approach that answers questions through a systematic collection and analysis of data- Goals of Family Research:o Describe some phenomenao Examine the factors that predict or are associated with some phenomenao Explain the cause-and-effect relationship or provide insight into why certain events do or do not occur- Methods of Researcho Survey : a form of research that gathers information about attitudes or behaviors through the answers that give people possible answerso In-depth interview o Experiment : examines cause-and-effect relationshipso Focus Group : for obtaining information from small groups of people brought together.- Theory : a general framework, explanation, or tool used to understand and describe the real-life worldo Help us make sense of the world- Levels of analysis from Macro to Micro:o Structural functionalism : the family as an institution and how it functions to maintain its own needs and those of society.o Conflict : social inequality results in unequal resources resulting in inevitable conflicto Feminism : investigation of family life as experience by those with minority status, especially women.o Social Exchange : Family life as a rational exchange designed to maximize rewards and control costs. Principle of Least Interesto Symbolic Interaction : Family interaction governed by symbolic communication that defines realityo Developmental Theory : Family life predicted my passage through normative stage and the accomplishment of corresponding tasks. o Systems Theory : circular interactions among the system member resulting in functional or dysfunctional
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