Studying the Family

1. Summary

Chapter two, “Studying the Family”, begins by the author introducing the importance of having an understanding about the theory and research that is utilized in studying the family.  The author notes the trepidation that students often have when approaching a subject that makes extensive use of statistics in order to back up their claims. According to the author, such fear stems from the ability of statistics to contradict our everyday beliefs. In order to stress the value of theory and research in understanding the family, the author describes three useful reasons why theory and research are critical to the knowledge of the family. First, she posits that what we don’t know can hurt us. The author supports her claim by pointing out staggering statistics about the number of people who rely on faulty information sources in order to make decisions about their health. Because these people don’t seek the information from the correct sources, their lack of accurate knowledge results in negative effects on their well-being. Second, theories and research help us understand ourselves and our families. Here the author uses examples such as the effectiveness of spanking a child as a form of discipline. If a research study were able to deduct such an effectiveness or ineffectiveness of this form of discipline it would allow the family to understand and dispense discipline with more expertise. Third, research and theory improve our ability to think more critically and make informed decisions in our own families. The author notes the prevalence of self-help books that are often based on inaccurate information. Proper theory and research, however, can allow us to more accurately make decisions that affect our family’s well-being.

After convincing readers of the consequential nature of research and theory, she outlines the most influential theories about the family to date. She begins with the structural-functional theory, which looks at the relationship between the family and larger society. This theory focuses on the functions of different members of the family and tends to describe the “traditional family” as having a “breadwinner” husband and a “homemaker” wife. The rest of the theories discussed in detail were: Conflict, Feminist, Ecological, Developmental, Symbolic Interactionist, Social Exchange, and Family Systems. A detailed table (2.1) outlining each theory’s level of analysis, view of the family and major questions can be found on page 50.

Finally, the author outlines six major research methods employed in studying the family. These include: surveys, clinical research, field research, secondary analysis, experiment and evaluation research. Strengths and weakness of each method were included as well as descriptions of each. The author goes on to outline important concepts such as qualitative research versus quantitative research, population, sample etc..

 

2.  What was interesting/what did I learn

Something new I found timely and interesting was the Kinscript theory (pg. 37 in the choices box) which Linda Burton and Carol Stack (1993) used to explain the life courses of multi-generational families. Kinscript appears in times of economic strife and when the family members have an interest in helping future generations to survive. It requires three things: Kin-work, Kin-time, and Kinscription. Kin-work is the work that the family shares in order to survive. This includes such activities as helping with child-care or aiding in the support of elderly family members. Kin-time is the shared understanding of when and in what order kin-work should be done and aids in learning during important milestones such as marriage and childbirth. Finally, kinscription is how kin work is assigned to different family members. Kin-work is typically assigned to women who are seen as more nurturing than men and therefore expected to do such family work.

I found this theory to be especially exciting and applicable because of the recent recession. The researchers’ sample included low-income African American families who rely on the methods elucidated in Kinscript theory in order to survive. However, the recent recession may have brought about enough economic strife onto groups such as the white middle class that the Kinscript theory may be even more applicable to them as ever. For example, ten years ago a typical middle class family may have been able to afford to pay an outside day car service to car for their children. However, due to the recent economic turmoil they may have to enlist an elder relative to care for their children while they work. Similarly, an elder may have to move into a younger family members home in order to be able to afford housing costs. Perhaps it may take these families time to practice and develop successful kin-time and kinscription so that the kin-work could be understood among the family and the tasks distributed effectively.

 

3. Discussion Point/ Question

Located in one of the “Ask Yourself boxes” on page 45 was a description of a research project in which a professor went undercover as a student in a university. She lived in a dorm, attended classes and integrated herself into student life. I was struck by a comment the researcher made in which she concluded that being a student in the 21^st century is harder than she had imagined. This troubled me for a couple of reasons. First, I think it is dangerous to make sweeping assumptions that being one thing in a certain point in time is harder than being that same thing in a different point of time. I think what she meant to describe was the tension between balancing fun and school work is more strenuous than ever, however it comes across as her experience in college today was harder than it was in earlier times.

 

My question is whether perhaps there was some bias unknowingly added into the research process, which poses a threat to the validity of her findings. For example, do you think she concluded that it was harder to be a student today than she had imagined because during her college career she probably surrounded herself with the most focused, hardest working students (she had to have worked hard enough to be accepted into Ph.d programs). When the researcher entered the project she probably kept her eyes and ears open for all kinds of different student experiences and was therefore able to see the conflict that many students face involving balancing school and social life and finally concluded that it was harder to be a student in the 21^st century.

 

Or is she right?  Is it harder to be a student now and balance our lives to our satisfaction?

 

 -Ali Mosser