hdfs 418 exam 1 (family relationships)
list the 8 family theories - correct answer ✔✔1. structural-functions 2. conflict 3. feminist 4. ecological
5.developmental 6. symbolic interactionist 7. social exchange 8.family systems theory
•examines the relationship between the family and the larger society.
•The family is an institution that is part of the social structure of society
•Family role: maintain its members, ensure society's continuity
•Members have functions within the family structure (breadwinner, caregiver, etc.)
Focus: how do aspects of the family work together to fulfill necessary tasks for family survival - correct
answer ✔✔list the key contributions of structural fictionist theory
often over-simplifies functions; antiquated view (father - breadwinner, etc.) - correct answer ✔✔main
criticism of structural functionist theory
•Families are a mechanism by which resources are transmitted intergenerationally
•Focus: Family problems stem from larger society
•Social Class & Power: families are in conflict vying for resources and power
•Structures in society support inequality
•Highlights plight of the poor, less to draw from, greater struggle. - correct answer ✔✔list the key
contributions of conflict theory
ignores function of families for society stability, how to improve, individual choice
- people born w/ resources more likely to have them later, people in poverty more likely to stay - correct
answer ✔✔main criticism of conflict theory
•gender roles—expectations about how men and women should behave—shape relations between the
sexes in institutions such as policies, the economy, religion, education, and the family.
•Family as an agent of gender socialization
•Research focuses on gender inequality
, •Cultural Diversity - most studied in this camp
•Social change - correct answer ✔✔key components of feminist theory
focus on diversity, overlook commonality - correct answer ✔✔critique of feminist theory
•the family system is nested within broader environmental structures
•Key idea: a family influences and is influenced by the environment - correct answer ✔✔ecological
theory key points
•Emphasis on environmental factors at the cost of individual factors related to change/development
(e.g., biological processes)
•Theory developed around White, traditional families. How well does it hold up with non-traditional
families?
ex. puberty affects family - correct answer ✔✔criticisms of ecological theory?
•Focus on: changes that families experience over their lifespans.
•How do families change over the life span? What are normative transitions they experience?
•Attempt to create a series of stages and events that families experience. - correct answer ✔✔the family
development perspective key points
•may be over simplification - many families depart from this sequence in normative ways
ex. not every couple has kids, not ever family is a 2 parent family forever, disregards divorce - correct
answer ✔✔developmental theory criticisms
•How our ideas, beliefs, and attitudes shape our daily lives as well as those of our families.
•Family teaches shared symbolic meaning
•What does it mean to be a mother? Wife? Brother? Daughter?
•Symbols include words, gestures, behavior, anything can represent something else. - correct answer
✔✔symbolic interactionist theory key points
overlooks broader (macro) perspectives - correct answer ✔✔criticism of symbolic interactionist theory
list the 8 family theories - correct answer ✔✔1. structural-functions 2. conflict 3. feminist 4. ecological
5.developmental 6. symbolic interactionist 7. social exchange 8.family systems theory
•examines the relationship between the family and the larger society.
•The family is an institution that is part of the social structure of society
•Family role: maintain its members, ensure society's continuity
•Members have functions within the family structure (breadwinner, caregiver, etc.)
Focus: how do aspects of the family work together to fulfill necessary tasks for family survival - correct
answer ✔✔list the key contributions of structural fictionist theory
often over-simplifies functions; antiquated view (father - breadwinner, etc.) - correct answer ✔✔main
criticism of structural functionist theory
•Families are a mechanism by which resources are transmitted intergenerationally
•Focus: Family problems stem from larger society
•Social Class & Power: families are in conflict vying for resources and power
•Structures in society support inequality
•Highlights plight of the poor, less to draw from, greater struggle. - correct answer ✔✔list the key
contributions of conflict theory
ignores function of families for society stability, how to improve, individual choice
- people born w/ resources more likely to have them later, people in poverty more likely to stay - correct
answer ✔✔main criticism of conflict theory
•gender roles—expectations about how men and women should behave—shape relations between the
sexes in institutions such as policies, the economy, religion, education, and the family.
•Family as an agent of gender socialization
•Research focuses on gender inequality
, •Cultural Diversity - most studied in this camp
•Social change - correct answer ✔✔key components of feminist theory
focus on diversity, overlook commonality - correct answer ✔✔critique of feminist theory
•the family system is nested within broader environmental structures
•Key idea: a family influences and is influenced by the environment - correct answer ✔✔ecological
theory key points
•Emphasis on environmental factors at the cost of individual factors related to change/development
(e.g., biological processes)
•Theory developed around White, traditional families. How well does it hold up with non-traditional
families?
ex. puberty affects family - correct answer ✔✔criticisms of ecological theory?
•Focus on: changes that families experience over their lifespans.
•How do families change over the life span? What are normative transitions they experience?
•Attempt to create a series of stages and events that families experience. - correct answer ✔✔the family
development perspective key points
•may be over simplification - many families depart from this sequence in normative ways
ex. not every couple has kids, not ever family is a 2 parent family forever, disregards divorce - correct
answer ✔✔developmental theory criticisms
•How our ideas, beliefs, and attitudes shape our daily lives as well as those of our families.
•Family teaches shared symbolic meaning
•What does it mean to be a mother? Wife? Brother? Daughter?
•Symbols include words, gestures, behavior, anything can represent something else. - correct answer
✔✔symbolic interactionist theory key points
overlooks broader (macro) perspectives - correct answer ✔✔criticism of symbolic interactionist theory
