What do we learn about family life from sociology’s three theoretical approaches

Sociology’s three theoretical approaches - the structural functional, social conflict, and symbolic interaction approaches - offer different perspectives on family life. The functionalist perspective emphasizes that the family performs several essential functions for society such as socializing children, providing emotional and practical support for its members, regulating sexual activity and sexual reproduction, and providing its members with a social identity. The conflict perspective views the family as contributing to social inequality by reinforcing economic inequality and by reinforcing patriarchy.

The family can also be a source of conflict, including physical violence and emotional cruelty, for its own members. The symbolic interactionist perspective emphasizes that the interaction of family members and intimate couples involves shared understandings of their situations. Wives and husbands have different styles of communication, and social class affects the expectations that spouses have of their marriages and of each other.

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