REFLECTION PAPERS on the movie "Hitch"
memozee1020
soc315ch1.pptxSEEKING: Finding Happiness in a Complex World
Chapter 1
Seeking Happiness Through Love & Intimacy
One factor that matters most in happiness is marriage
Married people are happiest
Once people marry, their well-being improves
Men vs. women
Happy couples build 5 areas of their relationships into solid strengths:
Good communication
Flexibility
Emotionally close
Compatible personalities
Agree on how to handle conflict
Basic Concepts of Marriage & Family
Marriage – a socially approved mating relationship
3 types:
Monogamy
Polyandry
Polygyny
From the standpoint of society, having children is probably the main reason for marriage – to provide a stable framework for the bearing, nurturing, socializing, rearing, and protection of children
Family – a unit of two or more people, related by blood, marriage, or adoption who live together.
Household – a group of people living together
Nuclear family – mother, father, and children living in one household
Family of origin
Family of procreation
Extended family – includes nuclear family and others (uncles, aunts, cousins, etc.)
Kin
Affiliated kin
Families in the Modern Era
Previously, marriages were based on patriarchal authority, sexual repression, and hierarchical organization.
In the 1900’s, sexual attraction and compatibility started to become the basis for middle-class marriage and family relationships.
Companionate marriage – the marriage is supposed to provide romance, emotional growth, and sexual fulfillment.
Wives no longer supposed to show sexual restraint
Spouses share decisions and tasks equally
Adolescent children allowed greater freedom from parental supervision
Families Today
6 Significant Trends:
People are living longer and marrying later
Women are having fewer children, and waiting longer to have them
More people are living alone or in unmarried relationships
More families are single-parent families
More 2-parent families feature both parents working
There are more divorces, remarriages, and blended families
5 Factors Influencing Intimacy, Marriage, & Family Life
The Industrial Revolution: caused families to shift from familism to individualism
Before the Industrial Revolution, the traditional family was above all, and economic unit
Family decision making followed the philosophy of familism – when decisions are made, family collective patterns take priority over individual concerns
As the US became industrialized, families lost self-sufficiency; both parents became obliged to work, causing children to have less supervision.
Eventually, family decisions switched to the philosophy of individualism – individual concerns take priority over family collective concerns
Technological Change:
Invention of computers led to the internet, which led to social-networking websites and media-sharing websites
Discoveries in biology are being used to treat fertility problems
Technology can have good & bad effects on relationships; i.e., air travel can take people away from their families for work, but keep them connected through Skype, cell phones, email, etc.
Globalization:
Globalization is the trend of the world economy toward becoming a more interdependent system
Can lead to a reduction in good-paying, low-skill manufacturing jobs in the US
Because the stability and happiness of relationships & families depends so much on good-paying jobs, globalization has meant difficulty for some families
Mass Media & Pop Culture:
Some wonder if simple boredom could be to blame for communication breakdowns in couples?
One study of 123 married couples found that those who reported boredom at year 7 of their marriages were less likely to be satisfied with their marriages at year 16
Mass media and pop culture very much influence roles, beliefs and values in our lives
Role – pattern of behavior expected of a person who occupies a social position within a certain group or culture
Role conflict
Beliefs – definition and explanations people have about what is true
Values – deeply held beliefs and attitudes about what is right/wrong, desirable/undesirable
The Great Recession of 2007 – 2009:
More multigenerational families are living together
More grandparents raising children
More young adults have moved back home
Fewer babies were born
Fewer people got married
