AN ANALYSIS SOCIOLOGICAL OF THE FAMILY

The functionalist theory was chosen for this essay's theoretical framework, and the family being discussed is my next-door neighbor's family. This situation lends itself well to the functionalist viewpoint. From this vantage point, the society would be seen as a cohesive system that depends on the various facets and sectors to function well. The family must function in a larger society since it is the basic functional unit of the community. From this vantage point, I will examine the family at the personal level before connecting it to the larger society and culture in which it exists. The name of the next door family is the Brian’s, after the dad’s surname. It is a nuclear family with a father, mother (pregnant), two children (a boy and a girl) and a house help. We can already see that the family is big and this indicates a presence of several dynamics. Simply put, a larger family often has a larger set of elements and aspects than a smaller one, largely due to the added number of unique individuals with their own entire ‘ecosystems’. Mr. Brian is a gynecologist, his wife is an obstetrician and their children Emalia and Duncan are in grades 3 and 5 respectively. The house help (Jackie) is a full-time member of the family as she lives with them and is often referred to by the children as Auntie. The unborn child is about 5 months old and is anticipated in around 4-5 months. This is a sizeable family that has various unique needs and plenty of dynamics that must be well handled in order to help everyone move forward peacefully and encourage individuals to develop each other.

As Mr. Brian’s family has different individuals undertaking different tasks, so does the society have individuals who are politicians, secretaries, groundskeepers and coroners. This means that these inequalities are necessary for the society to function which is precisely what the functionalist theory alludes to (Wehr). The functionalist theory envisions the society or in this case Brian’s family as a complex system with several parts that are interdependent on each other (uregina.ca). The parents often encourage the children to work hard in school and live together tolerably. This is due to the fact that quite often the children, Emalia and Duncan engage in physical fights over who is superior or the other interfering in the other’s space (Murphy). Mrs. Brian is a Mormon while Brian himself is a catholic, however, they live together harmoniously; as a matter of fact, they work well together. Out of their former cultures, they have come up with a common culture that has been suitable for them, both and enabled their children to thrive. The children’s school fee is paid by the parents so that they can succeed and give back to the society in terms of experience and even financially, this is often an implied cycle in the functionalist theory (uregina.ca). As a matter of fact, the parents and the neighbors often encourage the children to go to school and study hard with this ulterior motive (Holmwood).

This is getting tricky and can be confusing, however, that is essentially what the theory represents. No one can really pin down the contribution of a single factor, they are all intertwined. However, from the above discussion if the family, we can observe some concepts that contribute to the model. These are; different subcultures, gender and sex, social roles, accommodation, family, and monogamy.

Concepts

Culture and subcultures present the evolution of a society and help contribute to the functional nature of it. Brian is a catholic while his wife is a Mormon which means that their children are going to be raised in an environment with blends of Mormon and catholic ways of life. This shall help shape the children and ensure that they understand elements of tolerance in society. This dynamic shall, in turn, benefit the entire society.

Gender, sex, and identity are important aspects in the family and the society at large. Once the children understand these aspects, they are less likely to squabble and more likely to appreciate each other and who they are. This shall result in a young people who can help move the society forward through their understanding of its dynamic and elements.

Social roles are fast changing in the modern society. To this end, the children shall have to learn their place in society and stick by it. This helps the family and the society run. If for example, Emalia were to grow up refuting her reproductive role, she would be of little use to perpetuating the family’s bloodline. It is thus important that the family acknowledges everyone’s role so that everyone can operate and move in harmony which would result in a stronger family. As such, Mrs. Brown cooks and often receives help from the house help while Mr. Brian is the bread winner.

We see that this family has opted for the nuclear family model. This is the model which incorporates the mother, father, and the children. It is much easier to handle, manage and assimilate into the society, especially the modern society. They type of family is critical as it helps shape the views of the individuals as to what a family should be. The family structure is important in the functional theory as an institution that teaches its occupants and perpetrators. The concept of family here shall shape everyone in it. Mrs. Brian is apparently a happily married woman, Mr. Brian a happily married man and the children happy to be born to them. Last but not least, the house help shows how everyone in the unit requires the other and that no one is purely independent of the other.

Conclusion

The functionalist theory is critical when it comes to matters to do with the society and the family. It is a model that seeks to emphasize the importance of each facet in the larger picture. It looks ate every individual’s contribution to the whole and how well to streamline the relationship between the various elements so that the optimal operation can be achieved. Brian’s family is an example of how a family can effectively be used to explain the model and the model to explain the family. In a nutshell, the functional theory endeavors to show how various elements of a society or a unit correlate to bring the success of the entire unit and a family, being a basic unit of society is a clear demonstration of these aspects of a functionalist approach.



Works Cited



Holmwood. "Functionalism and its Critics - eolss." n.d. eolss.net. 15 January 2017. .

IEP. Functionalism. 2017. 15 January 2017. .

Murphy. Functionalism. 2017. 15 January 2017. .

uregina.ca. Functionalism and Parsons. March 2003. 15 January 2017. .

—. Functionalism and Parsons. 2003. 15 January 2017. .

Wehr, bartos &. Using Conflict Theory. Cambridge University Press, 2002.