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
26
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】______.
【3】
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
women
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/EeaO777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
A、protectionismwouldhurtAmericaB、glohalizationwouldbeharmfultoAmericaC、moreandmorepeoplewouldlosetheirjobsD、th
Inmanyclassroomsaroundthecountry,teachersareemphasizing,andperiodicallytesting,students’readingfluency,thecurren
Britain’seastmidlandswereoncethepictureofEnglishcountryside,alivewithflocks,shepherds,skylarksandbuttercups—the
Theworld’slastknowncaseofsmallpoxwasreportedinSomalia,theHornofAfrica,inOctober1977.Thevictimwasayoungcoo
Whyshouldanyonebuythelatestvolumeintheever-expandingDictionaryofNationalBiography?Idonotmeanthatitisbad,as
InShakespeare’sfamousplayRomeoandJuliet,whatwereRomeo’sandJuliet’ssurnames?
ChildrenintheUKarenotreadingenoughathome,favouringtelevisionandcomputergamesinstead,accordingtonewresearch.
我喜爱湖。湖是大地的眼睛,湖是一种流动的深情,湖是生活中没有被剥夺的一点奇妙。早在幼年时候,一见到北海公园的太液池,我就眼睛一亮。在贫穷和危险的旧社会,太液池是一个意外的惊喜,是一种奇异的温柔,是一种孩提式的敞露与清流。我常常认为,大地与人之间有
ItwassaidbySirGeorgeBernardShawthat"EnglandandAmericaaretwocountriesseparatedbythesamelanguage."Myfirstp
随机试题
某企业一年对某种材料的总需求量为5000件。每件价格为20元,每次订购所需的费用为250元,保管成本与全部库存物品价值之比为12.5%,则最优订购批量为__________次。
Concerningmoneyoranythingelse,conflictsbetweenhusbandandwifeusuallyreflectapowerstruggle.Conflictsbetweenparent
产褥感染体温过高的护理措施,错误的是
关于工程总承包投标报价中的标高金,下列说法中正确的是()。【2016年真题】
从2006年起,每年6月的()为“中国文化遗产日”。
阅读材料,请根据要求完成教学设计任务。材料一:《义务教育物理课程标准(2011年版)》中关于“串联和并联”的内容要求是:“会看、会画简单的电路图。会连接简单的串联电路和并联电路。”材料二:某初中物理教材中为“串联和并联”设计了如下演示实
艾宾浩斯遗忘曲线的规律()。
根据《行政复议法》的规定,公民、法人或者其他组织认为行政机关的具体行政行为所依据的规定不合法,在对具体行政行为申请行政复议时,可以一并向行政复议机关提出对该规定的审查申请。对此,下列说法正确的有()。
社会存在也称社会物质生活条件,社会生活的物质方面,主要包括()
洋务运动的历史作用有()
最新回复
(
0
)