Structural Functionalism: A Family Theory Once Held a Central Role in the Sociology of the Family Structural Functionalism or Functionalism • In 1930s, Talcott Parsons, a sociologist, advanced his theory of American Functionalism • He posited that the main function of moral values was to restrain men’s “wants and claims”—hedonistic impulses • He also posited that “solidarity” is critical to functioning of a social system Functionalism • Solidarity for Parsons means “motivational readiness of members of a system to accept their common belongingness as members of a collective system and to trust each other to fulfill mutual expectations attached to membership in their respective roles. Functionalism • For Parsons, the essence of functionalism is the individual’s conformity to a set of pre-existing standards that promotes the greater good of the larger whole to which the individual belongs. • What is the greater good? At the most basic, survival of a society, that is, they must persist and endure. Functionalism and the Family • To promote survival, functional subsystems must exist, and they exist for a purpose or function. • Function is defined as the contribution an item makes to the maintenance of the whole • Hence, the family is a functional subsystem that makes a contribution to the maintenance of the whole , i.e., society. Functionalism and the Family • How does the family contribute to society’s survival? --Families produce replacements for dying members of society, since society is defined as social system that survives its original members and replaces them through biological reproduction Functionalism and the Family --Children must be born to the family, and be socialized to conform to the society’s culture, that is,dominant values and norms. --The nuclear family, in this theory, is defined as “socially sanctioned cohabitation of a man and a woman who have preferential or exclusive enjoyment of economic and sexual rights over one another and are committed to raise the children brought to life by the woman” Functionalism and the Family • From the functionalist perspective, the family is the structure (functional subsystem) most able to satisfy the physical and psychological needs of its members and to maintain the larger society. Functionalism and the Family • Society is dependent on the family for the transmission of its values and norms from the parents to the children through the socialization process. Functionalism and the Family • To perform its functions optimally, that is, increase its functionality, the family must have a specific kind of structure, that is, “arrangement of the roles of which as social system is composed.” Functionalism and the Family • Consequently, adult roles in the family must be specialized”: instrumental and expressive. • The instrumental role is assigned to the husband-father by both dominant values and norms and biological necessity, according to the theory Functionalism and the Family • The instrumental role involves being the breadwinner or chief provider of the family’s socioeconomic needs, coping with the challenges of the world outside the family to protect them from “disequilibrium” or loss of balance in the family’s daily functioning. Functionalism and the Family • The expressive role is assigned to wifemother. “The person-oriented woman specializes in enhancing the emotional relations among family members—while the husband-father is away at work, the wife-mother may stay home responsible for the emotional satisfaction of the home. Functionalism and the Family • Have you ever seen re-runs of the “Leave it to Beaver” TV show? Ward, June, Wally and the Beav are main characters. What does Ward do? What does June do? What about the Beav and Wally? Small Group Discussion Questions • How has the “nuclear family” definition changed over the past 50 years? • Can the new variants of the nuclear family socialize children to be “replacements” in society, capable of the “solidarity” required for society to continue? • Is it necessary to assign the instrumental role to the husband-father.? Small Group Questions • Is it necessary to assign the expressive role exclusively to the wife-mother? • What is the likely effect of poverty on the effectiveness role performance of husband-fathers and wife-mothers in socializing their children to the larger society’s norms and values? Small Group Questions • For the ethnic group you have chosen to study and develop a presentation, how is the function of the family affected by ethnicity? 
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