REFLECTION PAPERS on the movie "Hitch"
memozee1020
soc315ch211.pptxUnderstanding: Learning About Intimate Behavior
Chapter 2
Does advertising lead to throw-away marriages?
Kilbourne (1999) argues that our market-driven culture locks people into adolescent fantasies of sex and relationships
Connection between the constant images of instant sexual gratification and passion and the increasing burden on marriage and long-term lovers
Important to understand how much advertising exploits our desire for intimate and committed relationships
“We are surrounded by thousands of messages every day that link our deepest emotions to products, that objectify people and trivialize our most heartfelt moments and relationships. Every emotion is used to sell us something.”
Pop Culture & Media
By the time we’re grown, our minds have become set in patterns of thinking that affect how we respond to new ideas
Mindsets are the result of our personal experiences and social environments we grew up in
We see and hear what we subconsciously want to, and pay little attention to facts or observations that have already been rejected as unimportant
To combat this, we utilize critical thinking – clear, skeptical, active thinking. Involves actively seeking to understand, analyze, and evaluate information to solve problems.
Involves constantly questioning everything
Critical Thinking
Macro vs. Micro-level Orientations
Macro-level: focuses on large-scale patterns of society
Top-down approach
Micro-level: focuses on small-scale patterns of society, concentrating on individual interactions in specific settings
Bottom-up approach
Theoretical Perspectives on the Family
Views the family as a social institution that performs essential functions for society to ensure its stability
Society is viewed as being made up of institutions – family, school, workplace, etc. – that enable the larger society to function and have stability
Looks not only at the functions family provides for society, but also at the functions family provides for its members and that its members provide for it
Manifest vs. latent functions
Parsons claimed that families function best when husbands/fathers carry out instrumental roles and wives/mothers carry out expressive roles
Structural-Functional Theory
3 Primary Functions of Family:
Ensures that society has an ongoing supply of new members and is a source of socialization
Socialization – process by which offspring learn attitudes, beliefs, and values appropriate to their society & culture so they can function effectively in society
Provides economic support for family members
Provide emotional support for family members
Views individuals and groups as being basically in conflict with each other for power and scarce resources
Considers competition and struggle within the family and among groups in society at large to be natural and desirable
Argues that differences appear for 2 reasons:
1. Conflict over power: many relationships consist of power struggles – over chores, child care, vacation time, etc.
2. Conflict over resources: most households never have enough time, money, or possessions, so conflict ensues
Conflict Theory
Focuses on internal family interactions, the ongoing action and the response of family members to each other
Family isn’t considered to be a generic structure; rather, is the creation of its family members as they spontaneously interact with each other
A family takes on a reality of its own based on the interchanges of its members
Interactions are conducted via symbols – gestures or words that we interpret or define as we observe them in other people.
Symbolic Interaction Theory
Family members make up a system of interconnected parts of a whole, and that changes in one part change the other parts
Family is always striving to maintain equilibrium – a change in one part makes the family try to make adjustments that will help it go back to the way it was before
Issues cannot be addressed in isolation – everything is interrelated and connected
Family Systems Theory
People’s interactions represent the efforts of each person to maximize his or her benefits and minimize costs
If a relationships costs you more than it rewards you, you’re probably not going to continue it
Benefits: wealth, security, affection, status, youth, etc.
Costs: Absence of these things
Social Exchange Theory
Argues that inequality in women’s roles is the result of male dominance in the family and in society
2 ideas of inequality and oppression
Believe that marriage makes men much happier, but makes women more miserable
3 main points:
1. Emphasis on inequality – argues that spouses should be equal partners
2. No one kind of family – pushed for an expanded definition of the family
3. Reduction in harassment and violence – society needs to work to eliminate sexual harassment, domestic violence, and child abuse
Feminist Theory
Proposes that family members accomplish developmental tasks as they move through stages in the family life cycle
Member’s roles and relationships change, largely depending on how they have to adapt to the absence or presence of child-rearing responsibilities
Eight stages:
1. married couple
2. child-bearing family
3. family with preschoolers
4. family with school children
5. family with adolescents
6. family as launching center – oldest child “launched” into adulthood
7. middle-age family – empty nest
8. aging family – retirement to death
Family Development Theory
Survey research – uses questionnaires or interviews to collect data from sample groups, to then generalize to larger groups
Clinical research – in-depth examination of individuals or groups in counseling
Observational research – participant vs. nonparticipant observation
Experimental research – try to isolate a single factor or behavior under controlled conditions to determine its effect
Research
