Exam 1 Flashcards
MFR-Ch1&Ch2 UHD-Ch1 (29 cards)
Family
A family is a group of two people or more (one
of whom is the householder) related by birth,
marriage, or adoption and residing together;
Family Household
A family household is a household maintained
by a householder who is in a family, and includes any unrelated people
who may be residing
there.
Family-Decline Perspective
Critics have described the relaxation of institutional
control over relationships and families as “family
decline” or “breakdown.
Family-Change
Perspective
Others agree that changes have occurred with family, but
argue that change represents historically expected
adjustments to changing conditions in society.
Families in the past experienced similar challenges
Family is an “adaptable institution” and, as such, changes in
response to larger social change
Conditions That Impact Families
Ever-New Biological and Communication Technologies
Economic Conditions
Historical Periods or Events
Demographic Characteristics
Family Policy
The Freedom and Pressures of
Choosing
People make choices even when they are not aware of it.
The best decisions are informed ones.
Structural constraints, economic and social forces, limit
personal choices.
But just as society influences individuals, so individuals can
create social change
Making Informed Decisions
- Recognizing as many options or alternatives as
possible - Recognizing the social pressures that may
influence personal choices - Considering the consequences of each alternative
rather than gravitating toward the one that
initially seems most attractive
Marriages and Families:
Four Themes
1.Personal decisions must be made throughout the life
course.
2. People are influenced by the society around them.
3. We live in a changing society, characterized by increased ethnic, economic, and family diversity;
4. Personal decision making feeds into society and changes it.
Nuclear Family
In industrial or modern societies, the typical family structure often became the nuclear family (husband, wife, children). Only about 5% of families fit the 1950s nuclear family
ideal of married couple and children with a husband-breadwinner and wife-homemaker.
Postmodern Family
Today’s families are not necessarily bound to one another by legal marriage, blood, or adoption. The term family can identify relationships beyond spouses, parents, children, and extended kin. Individuals fashion and experience intimate relationships and families in many forms
The Family Ecology Perspective
a way of understanding how a family is affected by and influences its environment
The Family Life Course Development
Families experience predictable changes over time.
Structure-Functional Perspective
The family performs essential functions for society.
The Interaction-Constructionist
The internal dynamics of a group of interacting individuals construct the family.
Exchange Theory
The resources that individuals bring to a relationship or family
Networking, Social contracts
Family Systems Theory
The family as a whole is more than the sum of its parts.
Conflict and Feminist Theory
Gender is central to the analysis of the family. Male dominance in society and in the family is oppressive of women.
The Biosocial Perspective
Evolution has put in place certain biological endowments that shape and limit family choices. Nature side
Attachment Theory
Early childhood experience with caregiver(s) shape psychological attachment styles.
Race
an unscientific social
construction that reflects how
people view varied social groups
Ethnicity
refers to the historical
origins of one’s family
Nationality
refers to the nation of
one’s citizenship
Bias
A preference or inclination, favorable or unfavorable,
which inhibits impartial judgment
*generally it is UNCONSCIOUS
Discrimination
Actions or practices carried out by a member(s) of
dominant groups, or their representatives, that have a
differential and negative impact on a member(s) of
subordinate groups
