SOC101: Unit IV Study Guide for Dr.Hu's Union County College Summer I Online Course

Principals of SociologySummary & Outline for Chapters 11, 12, 13 & 14with Assignment and Unit Test Review

Compiled and Edited by Joe Eulohttp://PSYCH.MyUCCedu.com/SOC101

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CHAPTER 11:

FAMILIES AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS

WHAT IS FAMILY?

Families are relationships in which people live together with commitment, form an economic unit andcare for any young, and consider their identity to be significantly attached to the group. While the

family of orientation

is the family into which a person is born and in which early socialization usually takesplace, the

family of procreation

is the family a person forms by having or adopting children.

FAMILY AND MARRIAGE

Sociologists investigate marriage patterns (such as monogamy and polygamy), descent and inheritancepatterns (such as patrilineal, matrilineal, and bilateral descent), familial power and authority (such aspatriarchal, matriarchal, and egalitarian families), residential patterns (such as patrilocal, matrilocal, andneolocal residence), and in-group or out-group marriage patterns (i.e., endogamy and exogamy).

PERSPECTIVES ON FAMILY

Functionalists emphasize that families fulfill important societal functions, including sexual regulation,socialization of children, economic and psychological support, and the provision of social status. Bycontrast, conflict and feminist perspectives view the family as a source of social inequality and focusprimarily on the problems inherent in relationships of dominance and subordination. Interactionistsfocus on family communication patterns and subjective meanings that members assign to everydayevents.

ALTERNATIVE FAMILY ARRANGEMENTS

Families have changed dramatically in the United States where there have been significant increases incohabitation, domestic partnerships, dual-earner marriages, single-parent families, and rates of divorceand remarriage.Divorce has contributed to greater diversity in family relationships, including stepfamilies or blendedfamilies and the complex

binuclear family

. While some never-married singles choose to remain single,others do so out of necessity. Support systems and extended family networks are important in AfricanAmerican, Latina /o, Asian American, and Native American families; however, factors such as age andclass may reduce such family ties. Although all families have certain characteristics in common, eachfamily is unique.

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I.

FAMILIES IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

A.

Families

are relationships in which people live together with commitment, form aneconomic unit and care for any young, and consider their identity to be significantlyattached to the group.B.

Family Structure and Characteristics

1.

In preindustrial societies, the primary social organization is through

kinship

–

a socialnetwork of people based on common ancestry, marriage, or adoption.2.

In industrialized societies, other social institutions fulfill some functions previouslytaken care of by kinship ties; families are responsible primarily for regulating sexualactivity, socializing children, and providing affection and companionship for familymembers.3.

Many of us will be members of two types of families:a.

a

family of orientation

–

the family in which we are born or adopted and inwhich early socialization usually takes placeb.

a

family of procreation

–

the family we form by having or4.

Extended and nuclear familiesa.

An

extended family

is a family unit composed of relatives (such asgrandparents, uncles, and aunts) in addition to parents and children who live inthe same household)b.

A

nuclear family

is a family composed of one or two parents and theirdependent children, all of whom live apart from other relatives.C.

Marriage Patterns

1.

Marriage

is a legally recognized and/or socially approved arrangement between twoor more individuals that carries certain rights and obligations and usually involvessexual activity.2.

In the United States,

monogamy

is a marriage between two partners, usually awoman and a man. In the United States, monogamy is the only form of marriagesanctioned by law.3.

Polygamy

is the concurrent marriage of a person of one sex with two or moremembers of the opposite sex.a.

Polygyny

is the concurrent marriage of one man with two or more women.b.

Polyandry

is the marriage of one woman with two or more men.