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Weaknesses of other theories
Assume that the traditional nuclear family is the dominant type. This ignores the increased diversity of families today.
They are all structural theories- they assume that families and their members are simply passive puppets manipulated by the structure of society to persofrm certain functions
The meanings we give to relationships
A woman may not feel close to her own sister and not be willing to help her in a crisis but would be willing to help her best friend.
Toes of relationships
Relationships with friends-like a sister or brother to you
Fictive kin- close friends who are treated as relatives eg auntie who is mums best friend
Gay and lesbian chosen families- made up of a supportive network of close friends
Relationships with dead relatives- who live oN in people's memories and shape their identities and affect their actions
Relationships with pets- Beckey tipper found in her study of children's view on animals that they saw their pets as part of the family
Nordqvist and carol smart
Erin- mother of an egg donor described beings mum as the time and effort she put in to raising her daughter
However difficult feelings could flare up for a non genetic parent if someone remarked the child looked like them.differences in appearences also lead parents to wonder about the donor ps identity, possible donor siblings and whether these counted as family for their child.
Where the couples knew the donor they had to resolve other questions about who counted as family
Strengths of personal life perspective
Helps us understand how people themselves construct and define their relationships as family rather than imposing traditional definitions of family from the outside.
Rejects the top down view taken by other perspectives
Unlike functionalism recognised that relatedness is not always positive. Eg people may be trapped in violent abusive relationships or ones where they suffer everyday unhappiness
Weakness of the personal life perspective
Can be accused of taking to broad a view. By including a wide range of different tones of relationships we are ignoring what is special about relationships that are based on blood or marriage
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