Chapter I. STUDY OF THE FAMILY
We study families in order to better understand ourselves. When we can see our own family within the greater context of the experiences of other families and societal influences and trends, we understand ourselves better. Being able to relate your own experiences to these greater forces and interactions with the world is called the sociological imagination.
We also study families in order to better understand other families and society. In this way we recognize both the uniqueness of each family and the ways in which groups share identities and experiences. Let’s say that you feel familiar with the experience of a rural student family, because you are a student and you live in a rural community. You may be able to speak very eloquently to the challenges students are facing today, and what living in a rural setting means about your access to education, medical care, healthy food, and transportation. At the same time, you cannot speak for all rural student families, because every family has a unique history and set of circumstances that also affects their lives. So part of your job in studying families is to listen and understand how those other rural student families experience life, what their strengths are, and what they need.We study families to make a difference in our everyday lives: to better understand our own families, our neighbors, and our friends. Studying families also helps us in our work lives. All of us will work with a diverse group of individuals, all of whom have families. Whether you are a teacher who influences the next generation, a business owner who coordinates benefits for your employees, a marketing director who designs advertising campaigns, a computer programmer who creates code, or a social worker who helps people solve life problems, you will both work alongside a group of diverse individuals who have families, and you will have clients, consumers, or customers who are members of this diverse country,
II. FAMILY AND KINSHIP STRUCTURE
As a unit of socialization, the family is an object of analysis for sociologists, and is considered to be the agency of primary socialization.
A conjugal family includes only the husband, wife, and unmarried children who are not of age. This is also referred to as a nuclear family.
Consanguinity is defined as the property of belonging to the same kinship as another person.
A matrilocal family consists of a mother and her children, independent of a father. This occurs in cases when the mother has the resources to independently rear children, or in societies where males are mobile and rarely at home.
The model of the family triangle, husband-wife-children isolated from the outside, is also called the Oedipal model of the family and it is a form of patriarchal family.
A matrilocal family consists of a mother and her children.
The model, common in the western societies, of the family triangle, husband-wife-children isolated from the outside, is also called the Oedipal model of the family and it is a form of patriarchal family.
III – FUNCTION OF THE FAMILY AND KIN GROUP
The institutions of the family and marriage are found in all societies and are part of cultural understandings of the way the world should work. In all cultures there are variations that are acceptable as well as situations in which people cannot quite meet the ideal. How people construct families varies greatly from one society to another, but there are patterns across cultures that are linked to economics, religion, and other cultural and environmental factors. The study of families and marriage is an important part of anthropology because family and household groups play a central role in defining relationships between people and making society function. While there is nothing in biology that dictates that a family group be organized in a particular way, our cultural expectations leads to ideas about families that seem “natural” to us. As cultures change over time, ideas about family also adapt to new circumstances.
IV- COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE PATTERN
Courtship is used by a number of theorists to explain gendering processes and sexual identity. Despite occasional studies as early as the 1910’s, systematic scientific research into courtship began in the 1980s after which time academic researchers started to generate theories about modern dating practices and norms. Both Moore and Perper argued that, contrary to popular beliefs, courtship is normally triggered and controlled by women, driven mainly by non-verbal behaviors to which men respond.
V- MATE SELECTION
Mate selection is the process of choosing a partner with whom to form a marriage bond or long-term marriage-like relationship. While personal preference is a key component in the selection process, structural influences also exist. Among the explanations for mate choice are filter theories, social exchange, sociobiology, needs and values, and matching hypotheses. Studies in the sociological literature emphasize life course factors and variations by gender, race, class, culture, and specific personal traits. As the role of marriage in western culture changes, so do the goals of mate selection. Internet sites offer new opportunities for daters and for researchers.
VI-HUSBAND AND WIFE ROLES
Behind every successful man is a woman. And if the man is married, then the woman is definitely his wife.
The role of a wife is so crucial that she can either make or break a family. She gives her husband the strength to succeed, she nurtures her children to stay healthy and do well in their life, and she has the ability to take care of every minute detail at home.
Marriage becomes a beautiful journey when you provide for, nurture, and complement each other and when the husband reciprocates wife’s approach. As a wife, you might want to give it your best shot while maintaining your dignity and self-respect.
VII- MARITAL POWER AND DECISION MAKING
Background, personality, and couple-related variables as possible explanations for marital roles in purchase decision making are explored for both wives and husbands. Marital roles in decisions reflecting various levels of purchasing involvement were related to component-score variables through discriminant function analysis. The most important factor for wives in determining the role structure for high-involvement purchases is modernity in sex-role orientation, whereas for husbands, the most powerful determinant is confidence in spouse. For both wives and husbands, the confidence in spouse factor is most important in determining relative influence for low-involvement purchases.
VIII- ADJUSTMENT IN MARRIAGE
All married couples go through periods of adjustment. Adjusting to marriage involves uniting two sets of perceptions, expectations, needs, goals, and personalities.
Strong marriages are the result of efforts by both spouses to make the marriage work.
Couple relationships that survive and continue to deepen are generally happy, always adjusting, and always under construction. Marriage has both highs and lows, and accepting this as “normal” will help the couple have more realistic expectations.
A strong partnership provides companionship, interpersonal closeness, emotional fulfillment, and support that acts as a buffer against physical and emotional affliction. Marriage should enrich the love between two people, and it evolves through the foundations of friendship, a meaningful sexual relationship, mutual respect, trust, and compassion.
Strong marriages do not happen quickly or easily. Building a strong marriage takes time, effort, and commitment.
CHAPTER IX (PARENTHOOD)
Good parenting entails taking good care of one’s children and ensuring that they grow up in a safe and happy environment, are well educated, and understand right from wrong. Parenthood is crucial in a variety of ways. Nurturing relationships provides assets and capacity as to areas of durability, proliferation, nurturance, and socializing throughout generational gatherings. Whatever parenting style parents choose, the goal of nurturing is to develop a teenager who is healthy and effective in everyday life, who can contribute to self and society, and who recognizes and works to meet social needs. Socialization refers to the interaction – the techniques that are used throughout time to achieve these goals.
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