SOCIOLOGY

Marxist and Functionalist Approach of Family Structure



Marxist and Functionalist Approach of Family Structure

Introduction

The main function of the family is to structure the personality of the people who are living together and stabilize their personalities as an adult. The structure as well as the functions of the family indeed is highly crucial when it comes to the development of the society as a whole since it is the upbringing and the cognitive development of the individuals residing in the society that will play an important part in its success. Families are said to be essential when it comes to fulfilling the intangible needs of an individual which is done via marriage. Marriage itself is another institution which is premised on love and esteem.

Changing Family Structure

Based on the research of Talcot Parsons the institution of family is said to lose the numerous traditional functions that it has. He states that the institution of family does not itself have an engagement with the arena of economic production since it is not said to be a significant unit when it comes to the political power system and neither is it a crucial direct agency in relation to the integration of the larger society. However, the fact maintains that the institution of family is still very important. The institutions role is said to be becoming more specialized. In the adulthood, individuals do not have anyone on whom they have the right to lean for all sorts of support be it at an intangible or tangible manner, but the spouse. As the impersonal society and the new industrial times have said to become more pronounced the family has said to become higher in terms of the power when it comes to counteracting them. This in turn proves the fact that family today is said to be losing most of the functions that it earlier performed and at the same time losing the specialization it had which it earlier retains.

Family - The Functionalist Perspective

Based on the functionalist perspective which is also known as functionalism every aspect of the society is said to be contribution to the functioning of the society and at the same time is interdependent as a whole. The state, government is said to facilitate its citizen by educating the children of the family who in turn capable of paying the taxes based on which the government keeps itself running. The family is said to be dependent on the school that is said to help the children grow into ca complete individual who not only is productive to the family in which he or she resides but also the society as a whole. In the process of growing up the children tend to understand the importance of being a responsible citizen and become more law abiding, pay tax on time and directly support the state. It is this aspect of the functionalist perspective which tends to impact the way an individual grows up and it is the responsibility of the state that tends ...