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Compare and Contrast Functionalist and Marxist views of the Family
There are many different views within sociology on the family and whether it is a positive or negative part of society. These different views are; Functionalism, New Right, Critical views, Marxism and Feminism. Functionalists and Marxists have very similar theories as to the socialisation process. I intend to show this and compare these similarities and differences.
There are many aspects of the socialisation process to cover both concerning functionalist and Marxist views, these include cultures (made up of many different branches), values (peoples beliefs), and norms (patterns of behaviour). They also include primary and secondary socialisation. Functionalists and Marxists both share similar views on the socialisation process. Both viewpoints are based on the substructure of society that is formed by many external influences such as the family.
The functionalist view sees the family as positive for society. Functionalism emerged in Europe in the 19th Century as a response to what was perceived as a crisis of social order. The two founding fathers of functionalism were Auguste Comte (1798- 1857) and Herbert Spencer (1820-1903). It was then developed by Emile Durkheim (1858- 1971) and refined by Talcott Parsons (1902- 1979).
The functionalist views society as a system, (that is a set of interconnected parts) which together forms a whole. They look at the functions that the nuclear family performs for the good of society as a whole. These functions include reproduction, primary socialisation and economic support. Parsons argued that the nuclear family ‘fits’ the needs of an industrial society and is thus the typical form of family. The family is isolated, socially and geographically mobile, and characterised by different roles for husband, wife and children. The functionalist believes that these individual roles are given to us by society.
Although the...