Assignment: Family Structural Theory
Assignment: Family Structural Theory
Answer the questions below by the use of the family structural theory (see the textbook as a model). How can families created following second marriages learn to function as one?
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS
IMPLEMENTING SENSITIVENESS TO ABSTRACT THEORIES
Sociological theories are the discipline’s heart and soul. They serve as a guidance for academics conducting studies, as well as for practitioners developing intervention strategies. Additionally, they will teach you how to see the bigger societal picture in your own personal life. A theory is a collection of connected concepts used to define, explain, and forecast how society and its constituents interact. Let us use binoculars as an analogy to demonstrate the utility of a theory. Binoculars are used to magnify, enlarge, clarify, and broaden our field of view. Unlike binoculars, a theory cannot be seen or touched, but it provides a framework for “seeing” the world sociologically. Certain objects require 2080 strength binoculars, while others may benefit from 840 or 1030 lenses. The same is true of society. Certain situations require the perspective of Conflict Theory, while others require the lens of Structural Functional or Symbolic Interactionism. Certain social occurrences can be observed via any of the three frameworks, however each will provide a slightly different perspective on the subject at hand.
Theories are collections of interconnected concepts and ideas that have been empirically validated and assembled in order to magnify, grow, clarify, and expand our understanding of people, their actions, and their society. Without ideas, science would be nothing more than a statistical exercise. The graphic below illustrates the process by which a theory drives sociologists to conduct a specific sort of study with certain types of questions that can be used to examine the theory’s assumptions. After the investigation is completed, the facts and generalizations can be analyzed to determine whether they corroborate the theory. If they do, further research will replicate and fine-tune the technique. If the facts and generalizations contradict the theory, the sociologist reconsiders and revisits the underlying assumptions.
Here is a real-world scientific illustration: In the 1960s, two researchers named Cumming and Henry investigated the aging process. They developed an aging theory that included assumptions. Simply expressed, these were that all senior individuals recognize the reality of death and begin to gradually disengage from their previous young responsibilities, while society prepared to do the same. 1 Cumming and Henry conducted a large-scale test of their idea on a large number of older individuals. Consistently, findings and generalizations indicated a “no” in terms of support for this theory. To a large extent, this notion has been abandoned and is now only employed in contexts such as these. Theories must be backed up by evidence, and they also serve as a guide for how specific research should be undertaken.
Theories can be applied to millions of people in a state, country, or even on a global scale. When theories are applied at this level, they are referred to be macro theories; these are theories that are best suited for studying large groups of individuals (typically Conflict and Functional theories). When theories are applied to tiny groups or individuals, such as a marriage, family, or team, they are referred to as micro theories, or theories that are best suited for studying small groups and their members (typically Symbolic Interactionism). Often, one of the three major theories can be used at the macro or micro level.
Consider each of the three basic theoretical views in turn.
THEORY OF CONFLICT
The Conflict Theory is a macro theory that was developed to investigate sociological phenomena on a bigger social, planetary, and societal scale. Karl Marx established this hypothesis. Marx witnessed the subjugation of the masses of poor by society’s top members. He lacked compassion for the capitalist values that underpinned these heinous acts of merciless exploitation of the common man. Max Weber later developed and improved this sociological theory to a more moderate position. Weber continued to study capitalism but argued against Marx’s categorical repudiation of it.
War, prosperity and poverty, the “haves” and the “have-nots,” revolutions, political turmoil, exploitation, divorce, ghettos, discrimination and prejudice, domestic violence, rape, child abuse, and slavery are all examples of conflict-related social phenomena. According to Conflict Theory, society is perpetually in a state of conflict and competition for few resources. Marx and Weber, if they were alive today, would almost certainly utilize Conflict Theory to analyze the US government’s unprecedented bailouts, which have been revealed to be a rich-to-rich wealth transfer, or to help explain how private heath care corporations profit from illness and poverty.
According to Conflict Theory, those who “have” are continually seeking to expand their wealth at the expense of those who “have-not.” It is a struggle for power that is frequently won by the wealthy elite and lost by the average individual of average means. Individuals who “have” are those who are in possession of authority. The capacity to obtain what one desires despite adversity. When authority is institutionalized, we refer to it as power. Authority is a term that refers to institutionalized, legitimate power. By institutionalized, we mean that something (for example, a notion, a social role, certain values and norms, or ways of conduct) becomes incorporated as an established custom or norm inside an organization, social structure, or society. 2
By far, the “haves,” in Marx’s terminology, the bourgeoisie or affluent elite, consisting of royal, political, and business leaders, have the most influence. The bourgeoisie are society’s Goliaths, frequently bullying their desires into reality. The “have-nots,” or Marx’s proletariat, are members of society’s common working class, lower class, and destitute. According to Marx (see figure below), the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat cannot coexist, and in order to balance the Bourgeoisie’s riches and power, the proletariat frequently rises up and revolts against its oppressors (The French, Bolshevik, United States, Mexican, and other revolutions are examples).
Assignment: Family Structural Theory
Discussion Questions (DQ)
- Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, including a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
- according to Assignment: Family Structural Theory, successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
- One or two-sentence responses, simple statements of agreement, or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
- I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation
- Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
- In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
- Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
- Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
APA Format and Writing Quality
- Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. according to Assignment: Family Structural Theory, it is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
- Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
- I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.
Use of Direct Quotes
- I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’s level and deduct points accordingly.
- As Masters’s level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
- It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.
LopesWrite Policy
- as stated in Assignment: Family Structural Theory, for assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
- Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
- Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
- Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.
Late Policy
- The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
- Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late as a requirement in Assignment: Family Structural Theory . I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
- If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
- I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
- As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.
Communication
- according to Assignment: Family Structural Theory, communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
- Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
- Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.
