Chapter 2: Studying the Family

Summary:

Chapter two, “Studying the Family,” examines many different ways in which one can examine the family not only through many different perspectives, but also through different methods of obtaining data. The chapter begins by discussing how this research and each of these theories impact one’s everyday life. One factor it discusses is, “what we don’t know can hurt us.” Here, the book describes how individuals may obtain knowledge without checking for validation of any kind (i.e. was this recently published, is the data up to date, was there ever a valid source or valid data to back up the claim, etc.). The second factor the book discusses is, “theories and research help us understand ourselves and our families.” This section illuminates how research can answer many pertinent questions about family life, and even shed light on some beliefs that are not entirely true. The last factor that the book mentions is, “theories and research help us make informed decisions.” Here the book primarily discusses how learning about research can actually help individuals make informed decisions by helping one learn to ask the “right” questions, or be skeptical of statements made by the mass media.

The second portion of this chapter goes on to discuss eight different theoretical perspectives on families. It begins by discussing perspectives that analyze at a macro level of thinking. The first of the two perspectives in this level of analysis is the structural functionalism perspective. This theory examines how the family relates to the society in which it resides, and how those interactions function to enable the family to survive. Further, this theory discusses family roles, which includes the difference between instrumental roles, which would include providing shelter and food, and expressive roles, which include emotional support and nurture. This theory has been criticized in that it seems to ignore social change and views changes due something being dysfunctional as negative, rather than positive. This moves us into an opposing theory, the conflict perspective. Though this perspective examines conflict, disagreement, and competition, they view change as natural and desirable. This theory has been criticized for almost the opposite reason that the structural functionalism perspective was, in that the conflict perspective stressed clashes and conflicts over order, and essentially did not touch on the aspect of love or self-sacrifice (which are also aspects of human nature), while it focused on the negative aspects of human nature, such as selfishness.

Next, the macro and micro level of analysis is discussed. The first of the three theories within this level of analysis is the feminist perspective, which examined gender roles and focused on gender inequalities, family diversity, and social change. One of the main criticisms of this perspective was that they overemphasized issues related to women, and underemphasized issues relating to age, disability, men, etc. The next perspective covered was the ecological perspective. This perspective examined the influences of a family’s environment on it and the influence the family had on its environment. It discussed four different systems, which could either help or hinder both the functioning of a family as well as the development of that family’s children. One criticisms of this perspective were that it is unclear how these four systems affect nontraditional families (which are more and more common in recent times). The last of these perspectives was the family developmental perspective. This perspective examined changes in a family’s lifespan. Within this perspective is the family life cycle, which depicts the changes a family will undergo as a series of stages/events. One criticism of this perspective is within this family life cycle. The cycle depicts these stages as neatly ordered and divided apart, but in the real world, processes like this most likely will not occur in such a neat way.

Lastly, the book discussed the micro level of analysis. The first of the three theories within the micro level of analysis is the symbolic interaction perspective. This perspective focuses on a family’s ideas/beliefs/attitudes, and examines how they affect one’s daily lives. One criticism of this perspective is that it simply ignores many macro level factors that could impact relationships within a family, such as poverty, etc. Another perspective within the micro level of analysis is the social exchange perspective. This perspective focuses on the belief that individuals interact in order to maximize rewards or minimize costs. According to this perspective, an individual will only continue a relationship where their rewards outweigh their costs. One criticism of this perspective, however, is that they believe people always act rationally. People who criticize this perspective point out that people do not always act rationally, and that love and concern can cause people to override sensible cost-benefit decisions. The last perspective within this level of analysis is the family systems perspective. This perspective views the family as a functional unit, rather than view the family as individuals. It therefore “solves problems, makes decisions, and achieves collective goals.” A criticism of this perspective is that the study originated in researching dysfunctional families, so individuals wonder whether it can really be applied to functional, healthy families.

The last section the book discusses are the methods in which family research is implemented. It begins this section with a discussion of qualitative research and quantitative research. Qualitative research is research that involved nonnumerical material that must be interpreted (i.e. not directly observable). Quantitative research is research in which statistics is heavily involved, and numerical analysis is done of specific responses. Lastly, the book discusses six common data collection methods. The first is a survey, which collects data in the form of questionnaires or interviews. Though this method is inexpensive and simple, many of the mailed questionnaires may have a very low response rate. The second method is clinical research, which involves studying individuals and small groups usually through case studies. Though this may offer insight for developing new theories, it is difficult to generalize findings through case studies. The third method is field research, which involves collecting data by observing individuals in the field (i.e. their natural environment and surroundings). Though this method is both flexible and offers deep insight, it has the potential to be effected due to observer bias. The fourth method mentioned is secondary analysis, which is essentially analyzing data already collected by other groups. Though this is convenient and inexpensive (like a survey), it may run into the problem of lacking necessary information based on the source of the data that the researchers are using. The fifth method is an experiment, which is a situation involving a researcher who manipulates variables and measures the change that occurs based on those manipulations. Though this is useful in demonstrating cause and effect, the volunteers that work with these researchers cannot be generalized to the population as a whole. The last method mentioned is evaluation research, which examines social programs in society. Though they tend to be inexpensive and have useful applications to society, they can be time consuming and are often tied into politics.

The chapter concludes in stating that the study of the family is a dynamic process with many methods available to researchers to use. Additionally, the author critiques current social scientists for ignoring historical context and its role that was played in forming the “contemporary family.”

New/Interesting/Unusual Items Learned:

Honestly, before reading this chapter, I knew very little about the family development perspective. I found it interesting that, of these eight theories, it is the only one that both was created to examine families, and is exclusively used in looking at the family (the nuclear, heterosexual, non-divorced family). Though I think that this perspective may be useful in examining the stages, which a “typical family” undergoes over the lifespan of the family, I wonder how useful these theories are in examining non-nuclear families, which are becoming more and more common in current times. The book discusses some recent work on extended families, but seems to feel that this focus on the nuclear family is still a key portion of this perspective.

Discussion:

I think it might be interesting to discuss how exactly the family life cycle would alter based on, say a one parent household, or in a household where one parent is abusive. I had found this perspective interesting, and I wonder if there has been any research in this field into how the life cycle works (or for that matter if there is a life cycle in a chaotic environment where one parent is abusive) in a non-nuclear environment.

Karl Wahlen