Four Basic Function of Family

Providing a sense of intimacy and creating strong family ties is essential in taking care of marriage and in taking care of children. Having a consistent source of intimacy and feeling as though you have a family to rely on has been shown to increase many aspects of human health. In numerous cases,“studies consistently show married couples and adults living with others to be generally healthier and have lower mortality rates than divorced, separated,and never-married individuals,”(Cohen& Strong, 2017, p.

12). To fulfill this function, it is usually as simple as being in a healthy marriage, although children are not always needed in this function they too would provide a sense of connection for each spouse in the marriage. If this function is not met, it could send a person into a very lonely and isolated state. A simple example of a family that fulfills this function could be a married couple with children who can disclose all kinds of information to each other and have a connection with each individual.

Being in a happy marriage provides more than just financial stability, it provides a sense of secureness that cannot be found in other people.
The second function of a family is economic cooperation. In this function families divide roles between spouses and their children. For example, in a traditional heterosexual family, the father will most likely attend a day job while the mother and children stay home and tend to the household chores. Each individual in the household contributes to the household economy, they may do important tasks such as cleaning, cooking or fixing things around the house.

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The way the family contributes to their household is a big factor that determines whether or not the household economy is working properly. In cases where families are not fulfilling this function, it could mean that one or both spouses are unemployed and have no financial stability which could lead to not being able to clean or cook for themselves or their children, or it could mean the individuals in the family are not contributing to their household economy and it forces others to depend only on themselves to provide. To properly fulfill this function, families need to be thinking of how they should spend their time, whether it be at a job or at home cleaning, and how to assign each role to the individuals in their family.

In a family, reproduction and socialization play a very important role in how their family will develop. Reproduction has changed drastically as technology has advanced and it allows single parents, homosexual couples and other individuals to have children instead of just heterosexual couples. When these families have children, regardless of who the parents are and how they became parents, their children will depend on them for a very long time to essentially learn how to be a person. They are born with absolutely no knowledge of the world they came into and will need to be taught how to do everything that they will need to know to grow up and be in the real world. For example parents will teach their children how to walk, speak, eat on their own and potty train them, and even after they have taught them the  necessities, they are still being socialized when they go off to school or daycare.

If a family were to not fulfill this function, it could cause long-lasting damage to their children. A child who was unable to properly use the restroom or maybe had not been taught how to correctly speak, will have several setbacks when they’re placed in a school or a daycare and will need extra help. Although it may not be solely the family’s responsibility to socialize their children, they do play a large role in how their children will grow up.

The final function of the family is the assignment of social statuses and roles. From the day you were born you were a son or a daughter to your parents, if you had brothers or sisters you became a sibling. Your role in your family is not a choice, but in your younger years it is a part of your identity, and as you grow into adulthood you take on new roles such as becoming a spouse or a parent.

For example, you may grow up having to help your little brother with his homework and do the dishes every night, but as you enter adulthood you may get married and take on the role of a parent, although you are still your little brother’s sibling you don’t play the same role as you once had. If this function is not fulfilled it could lead to  complicated family life. If you grew up not willing to listen to your parents or help siblings with tasks, it would cause many conflicts and affect the way your family would function  daily. Although these roles may not be a choice, it is still the role you were given.

In conclusion, the family has four basic functions, to provide intimate relationships and family ties, economic cooperation, reproduction and socialization, and assignment of social statuses and roles. These functions are what allow families to thrive and properly run. If the functions are not met, or cannot be met, a family may struggle to survive. The purpose of these functions is to help maintain the well-being of the family as a whole, and as individuals.

Works Cited

Strong, Bryan, and Theodore F.. Cohen. The Marriage and Family Experience: Intimate Relationships in a Changing Society. Cengage Learning, 2017.