General Functions of the Family
The family is necessary for the socialization of children, as was described above. All the practices of the family are taken on by the children. Children learn their most valuable lessons from their family that last them a life time. Children also are very dependent on others to care for them, which makes their families all the more important to them.
The family unit functions as a safe haven and shelter from the outside world. Family is there to protect its members, to love them, and to provide each individual with the necessary basic needs. A extremely tight-knit family also goes beyond that through their unconditional love and dedication to each other without considering what circumstance they may be in.
Schiamberg (1983) listed the following as the funtions of the family:
1. Socialization of children
2. Economic cooperation and division of labour
3. Care, supervision, monitoring, and interaction
4. Legitimizing sexual relations
5. Reproduction
6. Provision of status: social status; ascribed, such as birth order; and achieved, based on individual's effort
7. Affection, emotional support and companionship
From this we can conclude that the family is necessary for many provisions of its member. Families are also important to provide the necessary rules and values that a person should hold according to their ethnocultural context which enforces law and order. People who have not been brought up in a family that enforces rules and teaches their children may have difficulty functioning in society becuase they will not know how to act. Therefore, it is absolutely critical that children are brought up in the right way with effective parents or a parent to make them most successful in life.
Preserve Articles (2012) also gives a list of the basic or universal functions of the family:
1. Biological Functions:
a). Satisfaction of sexual desires
b). Reproduction
c). Nurture of children
2. Psychological Functions:
a). Psychological security
b). Affection
Here we see how overlapping these functions are, showing how most of society agrees that this is what a family should provide and should function as. This is important becuase with a shared belief in how a family should run, many families can run like this. This means that a stronger and healthier society will be formed, meaning a better life for everyone.
The family unit functions as a safe haven and shelter from the outside world. Family is there to protect its members, to love them, and to provide each individual with the necessary basic needs. A extremely tight-knit family also goes beyond that through their unconditional love and dedication to each other without considering what circumstance they may be in.
Schiamberg (1983) listed the following as the funtions of the family:
1. Socialization of children
2. Economic cooperation and division of labour
3. Care, supervision, monitoring, and interaction
4. Legitimizing sexual relations
5. Reproduction
6. Provision of status: social status; ascribed, such as birth order; and achieved, based on individual's effort
7. Affection, emotional support and companionship
From this we can conclude that the family is necessary for many provisions of its member. Families are also important to provide the necessary rules and values that a person should hold according to their ethnocultural context which enforces law and order. People who have not been brought up in a family that enforces rules and teaches their children may have difficulty functioning in society becuase they will not know how to act. Therefore, it is absolutely critical that children are brought up in the right way with effective parents or a parent to make them most successful in life.
Preserve Articles (2012) also gives a list of the basic or universal functions of the family:
1. Biological Functions:
a). Satisfaction of sexual desires
b). Reproduction
c). Nurture of children
2. Psychological Functions:
a). Psychological security
b). Affection
Here we see how overlapping these functions are, showing how most of society agrees that this is what a family should provide and should function as. This is important becuase with a shared belief in how a family should run, many families can run like this. This means that a stronger and healthier society will be formed, meaning a better life for everyone.
Economic Functions of the Family
The economic functions of a family are important for society. Family units make up the institutions that run society. Without family, a weak economic unit would be left with no stability or dependancy. The family is important so that there are available members to produce and distribute goods and services. With working parents, the children can grow up to one day take their place. Without families in society, there would not be a continuing population to sustain this.
Families are also important for goods and services. Most of production is geared towards families, for they need to be provided with everything. Families need food, clothes, a house, vehicles, toys, cleaning supplies, raw materials, fuel, furniture, kitchen supplies, paraphernalia, and all sorts of equipment from tools to camping supplies. The list continues on and on. Those who work in the lumber industry eventually produce the wood needed to build houses. Those who work in the vehicle industry provide the necessary transportation for families, and for children of the families. If we had no families, our population would decline, meaning that the demand for products would steadily decrease. Without consumers, the economy is useless; therefore, families are extremely important for the economy.
When the father or mother of a family works, they provide the family with the monetary needs. Families need money to purchase the necessary products and services that they are in need of. Indirectly, the parents also provide products and services for other families, which also helps support them. If one has a family, money is necessary to support it.
Children are in need of many products and services. From the first moments of life, they are in need of a bed, blankets, diapers, milk, bottles, pacifiers, and much more. Parents must then be prepared to provide them with these needs. As they grow older, they are need of more clothes, different foods, health products, toys, and education. This continues on until the child is eventually grown up to move out of the house and provide for their own monetary needs. This cycle continues as this child may have a family of their own and provide them with their monetary needs, and so on. Through this, we again see how important the family is to the economy, and how important the economy is to the family.
With the family as the basic foundation of society's economic institutions, we see how important it is that they run smoothly, supporting a strong work ethic, good values, and motivation. Sociologists are especially interested in this as they study and focus on the development and growth on the individual's social structures.
Families are also important for goods and services. Most of production is geared towards families, for they need to be provided with everything. Families need food, clothes, a house, vehicles, toys, cleaning supplies, raw materials, fuel, furniture, kitchen supplies, paraphernalia, and all sorts of equipment from tools to camping supplies. The list continues on and on. Those who work in the lumber industry eventually produce the wood needed to build houses. Those who work in the vehicle industry provide the necessary transportation for families, and for children of the families. If we had no families, our population would decline, meaning that the demand for products would steadily decrease. Without consumers, the economy is useless; therefore, families are extremely important for the economy.
When the father or mother of a family works, they provide the family with the monetary needs. Families need money to purchase the necessary products and services that they are in need of. Indirectly, the parents also provide products and services for other families, which also helps support them. If one has a family, money is necessary to support it.
Children are in need of many products and services. From the first moments of life, they are in need of a bed, blankets, diapers, milk, bottles, pacifiers, and much more. Parents must then be prepared to provide them with these needs. As they grow older, they are need of more clothes, different foods, health products, toys, and education. This continues on until the child is eventually grown up to move out of the house and provide for their own monetary needs. This cycle continues as this child may have a family of their own and provide them with their monetary needs, and so on. Through this, we again see how important the family is to the economy, and how important the economy is to the family.
With the family as the basic foundation of society's economic institutions, we see how important it is that they run smoothly, supporting a strong work ethic, good values, and motivation. Sociologists are especially interested in this as they study and focus on the development and growth on the individual's social structures.
Psychological Functions of the Family
The family is most known for its providing of the psychological needs of its members. One of the most important is love and affective nurturance. This is seen in parent-child relationships which are extremely important for children to be able to be happy and successful in life. Affection is the fulfillment of Maslow's love and belonging need. This sentiment makes an individual feel wanted in the world, which is importnat for them to reach self-actualization, the highest attainable need of an individual. With proper love and affection being shown, a friendly personality is created where individuals love, respect, and appreciate other members of their family as well as the whole of society. When love is not shown in a positive way, individuals may devlop an unstable personality and perhaps criminal inclinations. Therefore, it is crucial that a family provides love for all of their members.
A family also provides security, both physically and psychologically. A family gives its members confidence to face outside pressures, and if needed, will shelter against these pressures. A person will feel at home and secure when they are with their family becuase they know the individuals they are interacting with, and know that they willl show them unconditional love and respect just becuase they are family. This emotionally safe environment gives the individuals the resect and reason they need to get through life feeling safe and secure with themselves and with others. Families are there to protect each other and to support one another.
Another psychological function is to allow its members to change and grow. Elvira (2009) explains that "A functional family lets people define themselves. Individual differeces are appreceiated even celebrated. It also lets the kids become independent when it's appropriate and come back to the safety of the family when they need nurturing." This means that a family allows for the maturing and positive growing of its individuals, and respects this. A reasonable rate of change and growth is expected in a family as they become older and expected to take on more responsibilities and be able to use their own intellect and judgement. This type of growth and change also allows for a resilient environment where members can bounce back from negative situations and help each other cope with any changes that could have been negative or detrimental.
A family also provides security, both physically and psychologically. A family gives its members confidence to face outside pressures, and if needed, will shelter against these pressures. A person will feel at home and secure when they are with their family becuase they know the individuals they are interacting with, and know that they willl show them unconditional love and respect just becuase they are family. This emotionally safe environment gives the individuals the resect and reason they need to get through life feeling safe and secure with themselves and with others. Families are there to protect each other and to support one another.
Another psychological function is to allow its members to change and grow. Elvira (2009) explains that "A functional family lets people define themselves. Individual differeces are appreceiated even celebrated. It also lets the kids become independent when it's appropriate and come back to the safety of the family when they need nurturing." This means that a family allows for the maturing and positive growing of its individuals, and respects this. A reasonable rate of change and growth is expected in a family as they become older and expected to take on more responsibilities and be able to use their own intellect and judgement. This type of growth and change also allows for a resilient environment where members can bounce back from negative situations and help each other cope with any changes that could have been negative or detrimental.
What Does this Mean?
The economic and psychological functions of the family are important to analyze how individuals become successful or if they fail. Much of an individuals personality is based on how well these needs and functions were carried out.
When a family stuggles with poverty, this issue can affect the children by making them hard and motivated workers to have more monetary wealth than their parents had to provide their own family with a better life, or it could do the exact opposite, depending on why the family is poor. If a family is poor becuase of lazy or unwilling parents, it could very well be that the children will remain unmotivated as well, or become angry and work hard, depending on how this worked out in their family and how it shaped their personality. If a single parent family stuggles to make ends meet, the children could be motivated to have a nuclear family to make this easier. Monetary difficulties are always hard to overcome, and are a topic of further discussion.
What is interesting is that the poverty rates in Canada are increasing. When this is analyzed, we can conclude that perhaps this is caused by the depletion of families in Canadian societies. Fewer people are having families and children, and therefore less production would be needed. There are also more layoffs than job promotions, meaning that fewer couples can support a family beucase they could be struggling financially. This we can also link back to the family being the economic foundation of society. The fewer the families, the more poverty we have, which can also be explained based on the psychological functions of the family. If we have fewer families, we have less groups supporting and helping each other. Therefore, if an individual is not married or has someone who helps him/her care for them, they can only depend on themselves, which could very well lead to poverty. Having a family would also motivate the parents to work and make money since there is nothing worse than watching your children suffer. Parents will do almost anything for their children becuase they love them, so if the family units are disappearing, there will be less people helping and supporting each other.
If a family struggles in carrying out the psychological functions of the family, children could become depressed, withdrawn, angry, have criminal tendencies, have low levels of self-esteem, remain dependent, or perhaps be aggressive and noncompliant. When children are not given the proper affection, they are at a loss, and many of the above habits could be found in them beucase they have not been personally taught or have experienced what it is like to mean something. This could explain why criminal rates are increasing, since children are not getting the proper acceptance, security, or room to grow and change, and therefore resort to criminal acts to express their emotions. This failure to provide love could also result in extreme depression which could lead to suicide or other serious acts of violence.This could also come out in other unhealthy ways, and therefore it is crucial that all these psychological functions are met.
When a family stuggles with poverty, this issue can affect the children by making them hard and motivated workers to have more monetary wealth than their parents had to provide their own family with a better life, or it could do the exact opposite, depending on why the family is poor. If a family is poor becuase of lazy or unwilling parents, it could very well be that the children will remain unmotivated as well, or become angry and work hard, depending on how this worked out in their family and how it shaped their personality. If a single parent family stuggles to make ends meet, the children could be motivated to have a nuclear family to make this easier. Monetary difficulties are always hard to overcome, and are a topic of further discussion.
What is interesting is that the poverty rates in Canada are increasing. When this is analyzed, we can conclude that perhaps this is caused by the depletion of families in Canadian societies. Fewer people are having families and children, and therefore less production would be needed. There are also more layoffs than job promotions, meaning that fewer couples can support a family beucase they could be struggling financially. This we can also link back to the family being the economic foundation of society. The fewer the families, the more poverty we have, which can also be explained based on the psychological functions of the family. If we have fewer families, we have less groups supporting and helping each other. Therefore, if an individual is not married or has someone who helps him/her care for them, they can only depend on themselves, which could very well lead to poverty. Having a family would also motivate the parents to work and make money since there is nothing worse than watching your children suffer. Parents will do almost anything for their children becuase they love them, so if the family units are disappearing, there will be less people helping and supporting each other.
If a family struggles in carrying out the psychological functions of the family, children could become depressed, withdrawn, angry, have criminal tendencies, have low levels of self-esteem, remain dependent, or perhaps be aggressive and noncompliant. When children are not given the proper affection, they are at a loss, and many of the above habits could be found in them beucase they have not been personally taught or have experienced what it is like to mean something. This could explain why criminal rates are increasing, since children are not getting the proper acceptance, security, or room to grow and change, and therefore resort to criminal acts to express their emotions. This failure to provide love could also result in extreme depression which could lead to suicide or other serious acts of violence.This could also come out in other unhealthy ways, and therefore it is crucial that all these psychological functions are met.