personal life perspective

structural theories

look at the effect that society has on the individual like society is the puppeteer and we are the puppets

action theories

rather than looking at the effect of society on individuals, it looks at individuals and their effect of each other and how that shapes society e.g. interactionism

bottom-up approach

you look at how individuals shape the family around them

sociology of personal life

understanding families from the PoV of the people within them - giving the individual a voice

finds individuals put different levels of importance on different relationships and might be closer to someone outside their family

PLP

draws attention to range of relationships that we see as significant and give us identity

fictive kin

when close friends are treated like they’re part of the family

chosen families

close network of friends popular in gay communities

other non-family relationships

relationships with dead relatives

relationships with pets, children view pets with the same importance as other family members

donor children

lesbian couples who want children

clinics very expensive

lesbian couples may not be seen as real families in public/legal complications