Chapter 2 - Studying Marriage & Family

Today you are all going to be scientist and do research on the family.

OBJECTIVITY: Essential for research and statistics. It is the suspending of beliefs or prejudices until you study it. Then you can add values and beliefs back after studying it.

CRITICAL THINKING: Clear and unbiased thinking.

VALUE JUDGEMENTS: "Everyone should marry" - always has a "Should"

BIAS: Strong opinion that may cause barriers to hearing anything that is contrary to our opinion.

Have a student come up and tell you their hobby. Suggest a magazine to do with that hobby and say they are going to merge this magazine with a totally unrelated one. Ask if they could be objective about this merge.

ETHNOCENTRIC FALACY: Feels everyone has the same or should have the same values.

ETHNOCENTRIC FALACY: Feel their race is superior. Eq. Canada (go home Yankee), Korea (inter racial marriage).

GENERALIZATION: You see it repeatedly and believe it is so (see many bearded men go to KFC = bearded men always go to KFC)

STEREOTYPES: 1st reaction for most people but hopefully we check it and don't go with it. Simplistic, over generalized, negative opinion that resists change.

RESEARCH METHODS

Research always starts with a

1. Topic

2. Question

"I wonder……….. about Marriage?"
write on board and come up with questions.

3. Then test it

4. Analyze it

5. Report

SURVEY RESEARCH: Most popular, uses questionnaires 1-10, gives traits and trends.

Neg: How representative is it? Do we understand selves? Underreporting of negative behaviors?

CLINICAL CASE STUDY: Gives insight into family processes.

Neg: Can't infer about general population.

OBSERVATIONAL: Unobtrusive observation, video possibly.

Neg: May hide bad behavior, low correlation between observed behavior and what they say is really going on. Private relationships are not observable.

EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH: Uses variables, independent and dependent. These can be manipulated by change. Correlational variables relate 2 naturally occurring variables and determine their relationship.

THEORIES

Have groups of students report on each, giving explanation and negatives.

SYMBOLIC: Relationships, interactions.

Family myths or what people expect out of marriage and relationships.

Neg: Minimize power, no acct for psychological aspects, emphasizes individualism.

SOCIAL EXCHANGE: Reward - cost = outcome (What am I getting out of this relationship?)

Equity: equal exchanges.

Neg: we aren't always rational, sometimes altruistic. Values on rewards/costs which vary with the individual.

STRUCTURAL FUNCTION: How families relate to society. Subsystems of family serve the whole. (basically a dead theory)

Neg: can't test it. Function not clear. Which family functions are vital? Bias against change. Low relevance to real world.

CONFLICT THEORY: Competing forces, conflict not bad.

Power: legitimacy, money, physical coercion, love.

Neg: conflict rarely good. Tends to ignore affect of love. Differences don't always lead to conflict. Not easily measured.

FEMENIST MOVEMENTS: An idea, not really theory but they have had an effect. Imbalance of power is the core - equality.

Lead to mens studies.

Neg: not a unified theory, variety of viewpoints.

FAMILY SYSTEMS: Combines structure function and symbolic interaction. Boundaries important. Interactions part of system. System has a goal that transforms over time.

Neg: Not sure on definition

Have students do Genogram. Book page 29

FAMILY DEVELOPMENT THEORY: Life span changes

Neg: Downplays diversity that all families are not the same. Lots of variation in gender, class, race, ethnicity.

Show family life cycle and discuss. Suggest newly wed needs to change boundaries with family and friends and open up boundaries with spouse.
Closeness test - suggest it changes over time and in different situations.
New baby, teen, sickness.