Functionalism And Family

Why are children with divorced parents different from those with married? According to the American Pyschological Association, forty to fifty percent of marriages in American society fail and end with divorce. Divorce is mainly caused by stress among families which contributes to stress in society. Children's outlook on society is caused by the way they are raised. Children tend to have more stability when they have a normal functioning family. Functionalism, manifest functions, and latent functions of children in today's society are caused by the divorce effects of their family. Functionalism is the key to success among basically any organization. "Functionalism is a theoretical perspective based on the notion that social events can best
" Latent functions are functional consequences that are not intended or recognized by the memebers of a social system in which they occur." (Giddens) Because latent functions are less obvious, they are harder to determine. Some experts might say that latent functions are how to adjust to society's norms, hostile behavior toward certain groups or cultures or even something as simple as the influence of a societal role. For example, adjusting to society's norms could effect one's choice in who they marry. Most daughters in families look for a man that provides the same emotional support that the father did. Another example for influence of a societal role is to follow in the footsteps of a mother or father and persue a similar career that they did. Latent functions could also be harmful to society because they could discretly and unintentionally create racism between different groups of
A divorce between parents causes the children to have stress and act out in society. It also forces the children to pick a side which can lead to behavioral problems, psychological distress and even academic suffering. These effects don't just last throughout childhood, they can make an everlasting impact on the children even far into adulthood. Children tend to learn by example. Some of the first things that children learn are from their family. If a child's parents are divorced, it may be hard for the child to learn how to function in society. If each part of the family is not functioning how they should be, then it can seriously affect the