首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Primary Functions of the Family The family is a basic unit in a society. Sociologists have done much. research about the fun
Primary Functions of the Family The family is a basic unit in a society. Sociologists have done much. research about the fun
admin
2013-02-04
61
问题
Primary Functions of the Family
The family is a basic unit in a society. Sociologists have done much. research about the function of family, and have come up with different opinions. This lecture is about some positive functions the family plays in human society.
Ⅰ. Definition of the Family
A family is a set of people who are related by blood, marriage,
or 1 and who share the primary responsibility for the society. 【1】______.
Ⅱ. Understanding of the Family Functions in the Past
The family functioned as a .source of society inequality or injustice because
A. It plays a role in the 2 of power, property, and privilege. 【2】______.
B. It denies opportunities to 3 and limits freedom 【3】______.
in sexual expression and mate selection.
Ⅲ. Family Performs Six Major Functions in Modern Society.
A. As a social system, it satisfies the needs of its members and contributes
to the 4 of society. 【4】______.
B. As a basic unit of society, the family performs six vital functions:
1 Reproduction: Through reproduction, it contributes to human 5 . 【5】______.
2 Protection: Human children experience
a very long period of 6 and the family 【6】______.
assumes the responsibility of protecting and bringing up children.
3 Socialization; The family transmits norms,
values and 7 of a culture to the child. 【7】______.
4 Sexual behaviour 8 : Standards of sexual behaviour are most clearly defined【8】______.
within the family circle.
5 Supplying 9 : The family provides its members with warm and intimate 【9】______.
relationships and helps them feel satisfied and warm.
6 Providing social status: People inherit a social position
including 10 because of their family background. 【10】______.
【6】
Good morning, everybody. In our lecture last week, we started our discussion of the family, and we ended the lecture with a comprehensive definition for this important concept. Today, we are going to focus on the functions of the family. That is, we will look at what the family can do to a society. Although it has many different forms, as a social institution, the family is present in all cultures. As a basic unit of society, what functions does the family perform in it? This is a question that interests many sociologists. As we have already talked about, a family can be defined as a set of people who are related by blood, marriage, or adoption and who share the primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for members of society.
Do we really need the family? Most of us may say "Yes, of course. "But there have also been scholars who disagreed. For example, more than a century ago, Friedrich Engels described family as an essential source of society inequality. That is, in his eyes, because the family plays a role in the transfer of power, property, and privilege. More recently, conflict theorists have also argued that the American family contributes to social injustice, denies opportunities to women that are given to men, and limits freedom in sexual expression and mate selection.
In order to evaluate such issues, it is helpful to use the tools provided by the functionalist perspective. This means that we should examine how a social system satisfies the needs of its members and how it contributes to the stability of society. The family fulfils a number of functions, such as providing religious training, education, and recreational outlets. Yet according to sociologist William F. Ogburn a half-century ago, the family mainly performs six very important functions in the society. In the following part of the lecture, let’s explore these functions one by one.
The first of the six paramount functions is reproduction This is easy to understand. As we know, if a society wants to maintain itself, it must replace dying members with newly born ones. By reproducing new members, the family can help maintain proper proportion of working force, thus ensuring the smooth running of the system as a whole. In this sense, the family contributes to the human survival through its function of reproduction.
The second is the function of protection. You may not like this, but you have to admit that human beings are extremely vulnerable. Unlike the young of animal species, human infants need constant care and economic security. They experience an extremely long period of dependency, which place special demands on elderly family members. In all societies, the family assumes ultimate responsibilities for the protection and upbringing of children.
What do you think is the third one? Well, it’s the function of socialization. By definition, socialization refers to the process in which people learn the attitudes, values and actions appropriate to individuals in a particular culture. In a family, parents and other kin monitor a child’s behaviour and transmit the norms, values, and language of a culture to the child. By doing these, they are helping the child to fit into the society, which is the final objective of socialization. Of course, as conflict theorists point out, the social class of couples and their children significantly influences the socialization experiences they are exposed to and the protection they receive.
Regulation of sexual behaviour is the next function we’ll discuss. Sexual norms are subject to change over time, for example, changes in customs for dating, and cross cultures. However, whatever the time period or cultural values in a society, standards of sexual behaviour are most clearly defined within the family circle. The structure of society influences these standards so that, characteristically in male-dominated societies, formal and informal norms permit men to express and enjoy their sexual desires more freely than women may.
The fifth function is the function of affection and companionship. Ideally, the family provides members with warm and intimate relationships and helps them feel satisfied and secure. Of course, a family member may find such rewards outside the family--from peers, in school, at work--and may perceive the home as an unpleasant place. Nevertheless, the family is obligated to serve the emotional needs of its members. We expect our relatives to understand us to care for us, and to be there for us when we need them.
The last one of the six paramount functions is the providing of social status. We inherit a social position because of the "family background" and reputation of our parents and siblings. The family unit presents the newborn child with a specific status of race and ethnicity that helps to determine his or her place within a society’s stratification system. Moreover, family resources affect children’s ability to pursue certain opportunities such as higher education and specialized lessons.
Now it’s time to put this lecture to an end. Today we mainly looked at the six vital functions of the family in human societies, namely, reproduction, protection, socialization, sexual behaviour regulation, supplying affection and companionship, and providing social status. However, one might ask if the family can effectively fulfil these weighty responsibilities. In our lecture next week, we will begin a more detailed examination of marital and family life in several countries to see how the family meet these needs. So see you then.
选项
答案
dependency
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://www.kaotiyun.com/show/zeaO777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
Theterm"formallearning"isusedinthispapertorefertoalllearningwhichtakesplaceintheclassroom,withoutregardto
Theterm"formallearning"isusedinthispapertorefertoalllearningwhichtakesplaceintheclassroom,withoutregardto
Theterm"formallearning"isusedinthispapertorefertoalllearningwhichtakesplaceintheclassroom,withoutregardto
A、keepupdatedwithcurrentinternetapplications.B、splitthebillwiththeirchildrenforgoingonline.C、getthepasswordof
BodySystemsAbodysystemreferstoagroupoforgans,whicharepartsofthebodythatdoaspecialjob,suchastheheart,
A、AnEnglishman.B、ACanadianman.C、ASwedishman.D、AGerman.D
TheclassiclanguagetheoreticalbookLanguagewaspublishedbyanAmericanlinguist______.
Beforeconsideringthisquestionitisinterestingtoreviewbrieflytheevolutionof【M1】______themindastheinstrument.T
ItwassaidbySirGeorgeBernardShawthat"EnglandandAmericaaretwocountriesseparatedbythesamelanguage."Myfirstp
AccordingtoSharon,whoisthemostlylikelytofallvictimtohemochromatosis?
随机试题
A.盐酸哌替啶B.盐酸吗啡C.盐酸纳洛酮D.磷酸可待因E.盐酸美沙酮主要用于吗啡过量的解救药
我国不少湖泊、海湾水域不断发生水体富营养化现象,给当地居民造成巨大的经济损失,仅太湖流域每年因水体富营养化而造成的经济损失就达50亿元左右。造成水体富营养化的主要污染物是()
患者,女,35岁。发热,有膀胱刺激征,双肾区叩击痛,镜检尿中白细胞增多,最有可能诊断为何病
动作电位到达突触前膜引起递质释放与哪种离子的跨膜移动有关
根据《侵权责任法》规定,地上物倒塌致害责任的直接责任主体是()。
在保本浮动理财计划中,本金以外的投资风险由客户承担。()
下列关于借款费用资本化的表述中,正确的有()。
中位数是()。
阅读以下说明,回答问题1~4,将解答填入对应的解答栏内。利用VLAN技术可以把物理上连接的网络从逻辑上划分为多个不同的虚拟子网,可以对各个子网实施不同的管理策略。图4-1是在网络中划分VLAN的连接示意图。使Switch1的千兆端口允许所有
要求当鼠标在图片框P1中移动时,立即在图片框中显示鼠标的位置坐标。下面能正确实现上述功能的事件过程是( )。
最新回复
(
0
)