Course Reflection : Role Theory

While there are many strong relationships, there are also familial relationships as evidenced through Shelby and her mother, M’Lynn. Their relationship does a great job demonstrating the characteristic of responsibility in family relationships. M’Lynn constantly felt the need to protect Shelby. She also felt responsible for Shelby’s health and well being. Our text explains this same idea claiming, “Family members see themselves as having certain obligations and responsibilities to one another,” (DeVito, 2015). We found that Shelby and M’Lynn’s relationship is based off of this element of obligation and demonstrates how a family characteristic can dictate how members act. For example, because of Shelby’s diabetes, M’Lynn constantly watches after her. When Shelby’s blood sugar drops in the salon, her mother runs right over to her and feeds her juice demonstrating her duty to take care of her daughter. If she was not a family member of Shelby she may have just uncomfortably observed the whole incident like some of the other women. However, because they do have a familial bond, M’lynn knows more about Shelby and her condition than anyone else; she understands that she is the only one out of the women that knows how to take care of her daughter during a diabetic

Over the course of the last sixty years, family values have consistently continued to change. With a heavier influx of women entering the work force and the social emphasis of individualism, the traditional family image has changed, and with

First, according to Macionis (2004) the term family is defined as a social institution found in all societies that unite people in cooperative groups to oversee the bearing and raising of children. Same author also discusses several theoretical approaches have been identified that identifies the family as a form of social institution and how the family unit interconnect with other social institutions within any given society. According to the Structural-Functional Analysis for example, the family serves as a unit that perform many vital tasks

Every family is different and the same in their own way. Everyone functions with different roles and plays a part in how it functions on the day to day. While some people don’t put much thought into it, Dr. Murray Bowen has. ‘Dr. Murray Bowen suggests that individuals cannot be understood in isolation from one another, but rather as part of their family.’ (GenoPro) Eight concepts are

Although each culture views families and how they treat each other differently than other cultures, but when it comes to the traditional two-parent, nuclear family type, the relationship ties can be strained. Since the father would typically be out for the day working and the mother at home with the children, the mother spends the most time with the kids forming a stronger bond than the father might. Leading into the next function, economic cooperation, in which the work done at home is often not paid for resulting in the mother losing say or power over what occurs within their family. In addition, it compiles more tension and stress onto women due to 1950’s TV shows of how a family should be. In the article, “In Search Of A Golden Age,” Stephanie

For my sociological portrait I have decided to discuss the institution of family and the way it has affected my identity. Family is an important part of how our adult identities are shaped. If we are lucky to have them in our lives, we learn so much from our parents when we are young, and as much as some of don’t want to admit it, they are a very large part of influencing who we will be in our adult lives. The concept of family as a driving force and social institution is interesting because it has the ability to effect of positively or negatively for the rest of our lives and it has the power to shape all of our future relationships and actions.

A family is defined as “a group consisting of two parents and their children living together as a unit.” (Oxforddictionaries.com, 2014) This definition represents how the typical family should be, but in Australia there seems to be no typical Australian family because families have changed greatly over the past fifty years. Many factors have contributed to the change in families over the past fifty years such as marriage and birth rates, the roles of families and the number of family members. The typical stereotypes of families and their roles, marriage and birth rates and smaller households will be the main points discussed to support the hypothesis. This essay will also link the three social paradigms functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic

To better articulate the gender roles and stereotypes imposed upon the characters in Modern Family it is beneficial to examine scholarly definitions of family, specifically those associated with Structural Functionalism. Based on research conducted with Australian aboriginal families, George Malinowski argued the family is comprised of a “man, woman and their children” (Mitchell, 2012, p. 29). He claimed the universality of this definition of family was predicated based on this familial representation occurring repeatedly within society. Malinowski’s family unit is seen within Modern Family with the Dunphy family comprised of Phil, Claire (Jay Pritchet’s

The 'psychology' perspective focuses upon how people form into what is known as social categories, giving names to the 'roles' and 'scripts' known as 'social identities'. Individuals act out these 'roles' such as mother, student, middle-aged, within the confines of organisations and communities and invariably this affects how people behave in the context of a group. At times these 'roles' and 'scripts' conflict and can create stress and overload, particularly if some 'roles' are enforced upon individuals. Erving Goffman (1971) said that 'All the world's a stage' and suggested that these 'roles' and 'scripts' could be defined as the masks that society places upon each individual. Evidence from Goffman has showed that 'roles' and 'scripts' are a necessary part of life and in fact can 'offer a sense of predictability and security' as a way for people to routinely function and work.

The theory being tested in the article is called symbolic interactionist, where role identities are definitions of the self in terms of the social roles that one holds. The roles being discussed are positions in social structure such as behavioral expectations, including reciprocal rights. “According to theory, individuals obtain classifications of themselves as social objects and evaluations of themselves as worthy and competent social actors through taking the role of the other and accepting others categorizations and appraisals of them as self-descriptive”(p. 361).

Analyzing two families helped explain how roles can affect the strengths and weakness of all the family members. Family roles affect the expectations of the members that are included. The Shade’s observe to know who their role is. The children know the mother and father and who is the head of the household, same with themselves knowing they are the siblings, daughters and son. This family knows their roles within themselves give this family great strength. The affective roles such as the provider for food, clothing, and shelter are affected by the choices the parents make. The parents are in charge of family decisions. All the members within them offer the support and encouragement with their affective roles. The Shade’s show the five important

The discipline of Sociology has long been interested in the study of human behavior. This interest grows from the sociological conception of relationships which distinguish the individual and differentiate him from other members of society. Through the ages, man has been influenced by social interaction and cultural surroundings. Sociologists have also recognized that a social institution consists of a concept and a structure, and that this structure is a framework made up of permanent relationships. The family is a social institution consisting of a certain structure. In earlier times, society defined “families” as “close-knit, internally organized cooperative

8). The traditional views of gender roles are indeed quite different from the modern views. The men in society are the bread-winners where as the women take care of the children and home. There are basic and common work roles, however in terms of behaviour and involvement there are gender role distinctions. The sex roles generally play out in modern society as well, some sex roles and stereotypes for girls are that they are “nonaggressive, nonathletic, emotionally expressive, tender, domestic, and nurturing. Boys on the other hand are “aggressive, value achievement, attain goals through conflict, and work towards monetary success” (Whicker and Kronenfeld, 1986; pp. 8). The males in the society are “emotionally anesthetised, aggressive, physically tough and daring, unwilling or unable to give nurturance to a child” (Lewis and Sussman, 1986; pp. 1). These traits are carried out by this particular gender mostly outside the society to demonstrate their strength. Those individuals who ignore to carry out these personality traits are seen as weak and unmanly. The women on the other hand are given the responsibility of looking after the family and are supposed to have the opposite personality traits. For instance a woman can show emotions but not outside of the family because of the shame that would bring to the

Family is one of the hardest words to define. There are many definitions and thoughts of what a family consists of. When one accepts the definition of the census family given by Statistics Canada then a family becomes “a married couple and the children, if any… a couple living common law and the children, if any… a lone parent with at least one child living in the same dwelling… grandchild living with grandparents but no parents present… Census families can be opposite or same sex and children may be adopted, by birth, or marriage and all members must be living in the same dwelling” (Baker 2014). With family being such a difficult term to agree on, the creation of a complex study of family life emerges. The factors that influence family life are put into three theory categories; Social Structure, Interpersonal Factors, as well as Ideas, Global Culture, and Public Discourse.

For most of us, the family is considered as a well-known and comfortable institution. The perfect model of the ‘ideal’ family is still mostly considered to be consisted from two different sexes’ parents, and one or more children. Until quite recently, the sociology of the family was mostly functionalist and just in the last few decades has been challenged from various directions.