talcott parsons structural functionalism theory

This was especially true of feminism.įrom the 1980s onwards family studies have been characterized by the acceptance of theoretical pluralism. New types of theory were developed that asked new kinds of questions. By the mid-1970s it was clear that the move toward theoretical convergence had omitted issues and theories which did not fit the image of the family favored in standard sociological theory. There was a rush of theorizing about family issues, but only a portion of this growth resulted from the application of theory construction techniques. However, this phase did not last long.īeginning with the impact of feminism on family studies, the sociology of the family went through a Big Bang in the mid-1970s. By the early 1970s the sociology of the family had entered a phase of systematic theory building and theory unification. The phrase that was most often used to describe the goal of creating a unified body of family theory was theory systematization. Influenced by the prestige of grand theory in structural functionalism, the period of the late 1960s and 1970s saw a move in family studies toward theory construction combined with theory integration. It socializes children and manages tensions for adults. Talcott Parsons, for example, argued that the nuclear family household has two main functions in modern industrial society. This approach held that families perform essential functions for family members and for society. An early, and very influential, version of standard sociological theory was structural functionalism. In the post war period the standard theory of family life held that the nuclear family was an adaptive unit that mediates between the individual and society. On the other hand, British and other European theorists have not paid much attention to exchange theory, which has been popular in the United States.įamily theory has changed from a consensus on the value of nuclear family living in the period immediately after World War II to the current situation of theoretical pluralism.

For example, in the 1970s and early 1980s Marxism had a significant influence on family theorizing in Britain and, especially, in Canada, but it was rarely mentioned in the United States. The history of family theory varies according to the national context of family theorists.

Talcott parsons structural functionalism theory