Functionalism

What is functionalism ?

• Functionalism is a consensus theory that believes society works effectively.

• They see society as working like a human body system of interrelated parts that work together.

• They believe that society works together because there is a value consensus.

• This value consensus is passed to each generation via socialisation, including primary and secondary socialisation.

What is Murdock’s Four Functions of the Family ?

George Peter Murdock believes that a family performs four essential functions to meet the needs of society:

• Stable satisfaction of sex drive - Murdock believed that sex had to take place in marriage, preventing the social disruption caused by a sexual ‘free for all’.

• Reproduction of the next generation - without which society could not continue.

• Socialisation of the young - into society’s shared norms and values.

• Meeting economic needs - such as food and shelter.

What are the criticisms of Murdock’s theory ?

• The theory is criticised for being outdated, as in contemporary society people are not constrained to only having sex in a married relationship.

• Feminists would argue the family serves the needs of a men at the expense of women, oppressing them.

• Marxists would argue that it meets the needs of capitalism, not those of family members or society as a whole.

What is Parson’s Functional Fit Theory?

Parsons distinguishes between two kinds of family structures:

• The nuclear family of just parents and the dependent children.

• The extended family of those generations, living under one roof.

• Parsons believes that the functions that the family performs depends on the society in which it is found in.

• The nuclear family fits the needs of a modern industrial society.

• The extended family meets the needs of a pre-industrial society.

• The nuclear family is better fitted to meet the needs of the modern industry that needs a geographically mobile workforce.

• A nuclear family means it is easier to adapt into a socially mobile workforce - an individual’s status is achieved by their own efforts and ability, not ascribed to by their social and family background.

• For example, the son of a labourer can become a doctor or a lawyer through hard work and ability, as they aren’t restricted by social class.

What are the criticisms of Parson’s Functional Fit Theory ?

• Young and Wilmott believed the pre-industrial family was a nuclear with parents and children working together. For example, in cottage industries mothers would teach daughters how to weave.

• Tamara Hareven believed extended families are best suited for the industrial society.

What is Parsons Warm Bath theory?

• The family is a place where adults return to relax and de-stress from the workplace.

• It enables adults to return to the workforce, ready to meet its demands, which is function of the efficiency of the economy.

• Feminists argue that family can be stressful for women due to their domestic duties.

• Compare to Zaretsky’s Safe Haven theory.

What are Parsons irreducible functions ?

• Primary socialisation of children - voice to equip them with the basic skills, to enable them to cooperate with others, and begin to integrate them into society.

• Stabilisation of adult personalities - the warm bath theory.

What is the evaluation of functionalism ?

• They have been criticised for being too positive.

• Functionalists best their theories on a nuclear family which is outdated.

• Feminists argue, they see the family through ‘rose tinted’ glass and they tend to ignore the ‘dark side’ of the family (domestic abuse).

• Interpretivists believe they neglect the meanings families have on individuals.