Topic - Functionalist Theory

Chapter two of White and Klein looks at one of the longest standing theories on family, functionalism, or, as some prefer, structural functionalism.  The theory has been in the annuals of social science for so long and has become so familiar to the general population that it is accepted by many as "the" way to understand and explain families.   Forming the foundation of the theory are several themes.  One theme is that society is like a social organism.  The organism of society, just like the human body, is composed of various parts which function together.  There are many specialized parts, but they fit together in a pattern of relationships each contributing to the operation and sustenance of the organism, the society.  Functionalists maintain that human society is held together by shared values and common goals.

One unit that is very significant to the well being of society is the family. When viewed from the perspective of an organism, it is not too difficult to ask any number of important questions about the family. What does the family contribute to American society or any society? What is the function of the family? How does it best add value or strength to the society? Questions such as these guide the functional theorist as he or she investigates the social organism of the family.

Predicated on family as a social organism, a second theme of functionalism states that there is a best or most complete form of the family.  This form is the nuclear family, consisting of a father and a mother who are married and live with their children in the same residence.  Any other form of the family is incomplete.  Other forms are not wrong they just don't function as well as the nuclear form of the family.

A third theme of the theory maintains that the family has been around for so long precisely because it works.  The family works because it meets the needs of society and the individuals who make up the family.  Through the family the social issues of sexual relationships, basic life supporting needs and having and raising children are accomplished.  More specifically, the family strengthens the society by performing six important functions:

1. The family meets members' basic needs for existence - food, clothing and shelter.

2. The family sanctions some sexual relationships while disapproving others.

3. The family permits the bearing of children.

4. The family encourages the socialization of children.

5. The family provides members with a social status and a personal identity.

6. The family provides members with a caring and nurturing environment.

7. By doing these things the family contributes to the healthy development of its members, which, in turn, strengthens their functioning and, when multiplied by many families, strengthens the culture or society.  Family is the true beginning of society and the collection of many families is what forms the basis for society.

A fourth and final theme of functional theory supports the idea that conforming to social norms and values is good.  Conforming to the norms and believing in the values of your culture produce positive results.  When we meet the expectations of the social institutions that make up our society including the expectations about appropriate roles within the family, there are positive outcomes for children, families and society.

Functional theory is unique among the theories on family in that it answers the question, why is there a family, by describing how it functions.  The answer to why is how.  You can best understand why there is a family by understanding what it does.  How would society satisfactorily meet the needs of its members without the family?  Without the family there would be just a hodge-podge collection of people trying in some way to survive.  There is no other social group that performs as well the functions that the family performs.

Functional theory is an example of a grand theory.  A grand theory is a theory that is all encompassing, that deals with universal aspects of social life.  In sociology, a grand theory is interested in the social system and how it works or functions.  Explanations in grand theory take a macro, large scale perspective.  Middle-range theory stands in contrast to grand theory andis an attempt to integrate theory and empirical research.  Middle-range theory states that we shouldn't try to explain the whole world, but should concentrate on measurable pieces of it.  These pieces may be large and very important for society but the theory is not a theory of everything.  The concern is with one piece or one issue.  An example of a middle-range theory would be an explanation of social mobility, the movement of an individual or group within a social class system.

Questions

a. How would functionalists answer the following?

1.  Why are there speed limits on American expressways?  Speed limits on expressways vary by state and range from 65 to 75 in non-urban areas.  In Germany, two-thirds of the Autobahn (expressway) network has no permanent speed limit, although there is always an advisory limit of 130 km/h (81 mph).  Over 3,200 km of the Autobahn have dynamic speed limits, which are adjusted to respond to traffic, weather, and road conditions.  Many expressways in the U.S. are as good as the Autobahn and because of the size of our country, the distances to travel are often much greater than they are in Germany.

2. Why then do we insist on "slowing" people down?  We are just costing people and companies time and money.

3. Why are we delaying people from where they need to go?

b. Bob and Betty are getting a divorce because of incompatibility.

1. Is the divorce functional and the marriage dysfunctional or is the divorce dysfunctional and the marriage functional?

2. How do you decide? Does it make any difference if children are involved?

Please visit the following website to learn more about this theory.

http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/3210/3210_lectures/structural_functionalism.html

Killing Us Softly 3 is an updated version of the popular video and commentary by Jean Kilbourne on advertisings' treatment of women.  It presents in an entertaining but all too realistic way the manner in which women are treated in order to sell products, all kinds of products.

Do a web search for Killing Us Softly 3 and watch the video.  A word of advice: Some of the images may be disturbing.  Sex is a major theme in advertising (Remember the axiom: sex sells?) and the images in the video accurately reflect the attitude of a culture toward the objectification, sexualization and ultimately dehumanization of women.

Here are some values that the author sees advertising selling to us and our children.

Questions

1. Advertising sells images and concepts of normality.  Are the images and concepts portrayed in advertising the way things really are?

2. We can look like what we see in advertising if we only try hard enough.  Really?

3. Men and women live in two different worlds; boys should be active and girls passive. Why?

4. Masculinity is often associated with violence, violence against women.  The goal is to silence women and to keep them powerless. Are men this insecure about who they are?

4. Human beings are turned into things, objects, which ultimately are not humans and therefore not real.  Because they are not real we can do any thing with we want with them. Is this what we want as men, as women?

5. What is your reaction to the video?  What is your reaction to the images of women that are portrayed?