Theory paper for sociology - Essay Example

4 April Family Family is one of the most important social s which are discussed in most detail by all the major perspectives. I will be discussing the functionalist perspective on family. According to the functionalist perspective family is a universal institution and can be found in almost all societies. It is functional and plays and important role in the society in two ways. Firstly family helps carry out socialization of the new members of the society. When a child is born its first contact is with its family.

Family is a supremely important institution for primary socialization and it is here that the child learns most of the norms and values of the society. Thus, family acts as an integrating mechanism. Secondly, family helps create social order. In this way family acts as a unit of stability for the society to function as a whole. Talcott Parsons takes this concept a step further by explaining two essential functions of family. These functions tell us the way the family behaves and tells us the behavior of the individuals in the family.

The first essential function of the family is the primary socialization of the young. Parsons (1951) argues that families are like factories producing human personalities and identities. It is the family alone that provides the security and emotional covering to the individual at an early age. An example of such behavior is the christening of the child or when they celebrate birthdays. The child learns that society is like a human organism where pains and happiness is shared. The family is a miniature society and behaves in a similar way.

The other function of family mentioned by Parsons is the stabilization of adult personalities. According to him through the sexual division of labor family helps maintain adult personalities and stabilizes them. The man has the instrumental role of a bread winner and the female has an expressive role within the family. Therefore, Parsons suggests that these functions of the family are essential for the proper functioning of the society. Marriage is a very important event where the behavior of the family is witnessed.

All the members of both families come together and celebrate the bonding. They reflect each other’s values and share a consensus. The newcomer is gladly welcomed to be a part of their world. Another theme within family which has been an important theme of discussion is the universality of family. It has been claimed by many sociologists from various perspectives that family is a declining social institution and not one of utmost importance. They claim that over the years marriages have reduced and the divorce rates have risen dramatically.

The state has taken up many functions of the family and soon it will become nonexistent. However functionalists believe that family is a universal institution and it is certainly not declining. Once in preindustrial societies family was an important institution and existed in the form of classic extended family. These days we do not find many of these types of families. Also the classic extended family had many roles like the education, healthcare, socialization and security of its individuals.

Talcott Parsons argued that the extended family was fit or the preindustrial societies but for industrial societies the nuclear family is a much better option. He further argues that despite the fact that most of the functions of the family have been taken away by the state or other institutions, this is in fact beneficial for the families. This is because it has allowed family for the two functions which are of utmost importance. These two functions as mentioned earlier are primary socialization of the young and the stabilization of the adult personalities.

Therefore, the behaviors of the family are extremely important from the point of view of the functionalists. The family not only provides emotional support but also teaches the young the culture of the society carrying out gender role socialization simultaneously. To conclude it helps create social cohesion and bring about social solidarity. References Haralambos, Michael, and Martin Holborn, Sociology Themes and Perspectives, 6th edition, Collins Educational, 2004. Print. Browne, Ken. Introducing Sociology for AS Level, 2nd edition, Polity, 2006. Print