Theories on the family - Personal life perspective Flashcards

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1
Q

What approach does the personal life perspective take?

A

bottom up approach - focusing on the individual meanings members give to their family relationships

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2
Q

What 3 criticism does the personal life perspective have towards structural theories?

A
  • argues structural therories out of date
  • Assumption the families serve social structure
  • their top down approach
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3
Q

Structural theories out of date - explain

A
  • S theories based on nuclear family but family diversity is more widespread today → no longer make
  • assumptions about families based on the nuclear
    **However 60% of the families are still nuclear → the extent of diversity is still limited **
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4
Q

structural assume the families serve the social structure - explain

A
  • Families and individuals have choice / freedom to determine what we see as family
  • And that members are passive puppets manipulated by social structure to perform functions
  • Unable to assume families perform ‘functions’ based on the social structure
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5
Q

Structuralist are top down - explain

A

The structuralist approach takes a broad theory and tries to apply it making generalisations.

  • PL is a bottom up apprach focusing on what individuals see as important
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6
Q

How does the personal life perspective define family?

A

Family goes beyond blood and marriage it is whatever the individual defines

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7
Q

Smart

A

Argues family can beyond blood ties and marriage

  • Relationships with friends
  • Fictive kin - close friends who are treated as relatives ( mum bff)
  • Gay and lesbian ‘chosen families’ → made up of supportive network of close friends, ex partners who not related by blood or marriage
  • Relationships with dead relatives - live on in people’s memories continue to shape their identity and actions
  • Pets - TIPPER found in study of children’s views they saw pets as part of the family
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8
Q

What did Tipper study find?

A

in study of children’s views they saw pets as part of the family

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9
Q

+ Evaluations

A
  • N/S study helps to illustrate value of personal life perspective as helps to understand people construct and define their relationships → rather than imposing traditional sociological definitions ( based on blood)
  • MASON and BECKY → highlight how children create their own definitions of who is who in the family - which may include people who are not biological but are ‘close’
    → children attach own meaning → structuralist theories ignore this
  • Understands the family that allows for multiple definitions of family life
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10
Q
A
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