Sociology Families & Households - Functionalist views

• What is a family made up of a large number of people, usually three generations or more, who live together or by each other, typical of pre-industrial societies?

  Extended family
• What is a family formed by adults who have married previously and who bring children from their previous marriage to the new marriage?

  Blended family
• Who was Talcott Parsons and what were his years of life?

  Talcott Parsons was a sociologist who lived from 1902 to 1979.
• What does structural differentiation refer to in modern industrial society according to Parsons?

  Structural differentiation refers to the erosion of some functions due to a wider range of institutions with increasingly specialized functions.
• How does the role of the family in caring for the sick or elderly differ between small-scale societies and industrial societies?

  In small-scale societies, care is performed by family, while in industrial societies, it is performed by public services.
• What are the two basic irreducible functions of the family according to Parsons?

  • Primary socialisation: teaching of shared norms and values
  • Stabilisation of adult personalities: providing emotional security and stress relief
• What is the "Warm Bath" theory proposed by Parsons?

  The "Warm Bath" theory suggests that adults need emotional security and stress relief, which the family provides.
• What specific roles do Parsons assign to males and females within the family structure?

  Females are assigned the role of homemaker or expressive leader, while males are assigned the role of breadwinner or instrumental leader.