Assignment 2: Perspectives on the Family and Plan for Question D

a) Explain what is meant by “consensus”

Consensus is when there is a majority of opinion or agreement amongst everyone, in further words a society based on value consensus would be a society where in there is harmony and agreement amongst its members about basic values.

b) Identify the ‘two essential functions’ that Parsons sees the nuclear family as performing.

Parsons believes that the nuclear family serves the function of being the primary socialisation for their children. This means that the family takes on the role of teaching their children the norms and values, also to teach them basic skills and social values before they reach the education system. Another function Parson believed the nuclear family performed was to allow for the stabilisation of adult personalities, this is the idea that family provides a place where the adults can relax and release their tensions from work in order to return to the workplace feeling refreshed. This benefits the industrial society as it means their workers can work to the best of their abilities.

c) Suggest three functions that the family might perform apart from those referred to in item A

Other functions the family may perform would providing a stable satisfaction of the sex drive for the martial partners involved. This is important for society as it prevents the ramifications that would come with a ‘sexual free for all’ amongst its members, in other words this limits the chance of disruption and conflict occurring in society. The family also performs the function of reproducing the future labour force, this is similar to primary socialization as the children are taught right from wrong and as a result are instilled with morals. This function helps set the boundaries to prepare them for what is seen as socially expectable behaviour in society, by effect this prepares them for future jobs in the our industrial society as it teaches them to obey authority figures of the workplace. The family can also perform an...