People read the world differently and that explains why they respond to the world differently. For instance my mother is very tidy and neat whereas my father is the exact opposite. When my family is looked at from the social interaction perspective then it can be clearly concluded that symbolic interaction definitely can explain the divorce (Farley, 2012).
The conflict theory looks at how people within a family struggle for power; how they disagree and how they compete for resources. Wealth and prestige form the basis for most of the competitions. When my family is looked at from the conflict theory it can be said that our family underwent conflicts and disharmony. This was due to the fact that there are different dynamics and roles played by my family members. First traditionally the father are seen as the head of the family and it should come naturally. However this was not the case in our family because my mother did not recognize this simply because she was the bread winner since my father was out of employment. She often looked down upon him and there was a constant struggle for power and control between them. My mother saw that since she was taking care of all the finances in the house then she should be the head but on the other hand my father could not let himself to this since he saw this as being denied his right bas a man and the head of the family. There was no way they could come to an understanding and hence there was no development of positive relationship between them hence the conflicts persisted and led to their divorce officially (Ray, 2010).
Structural functionalism is quite a broad perspective in sociology that interprets society as structure inter-related parts; functionalism addresses the society as whole in terms of functions of its constituent elements like norms, customs, traditions, institutions. Family as a social structure creates deep social and emotional bonds that...
In our family, my mother supports my brother and I socially, emotionally, financially and physically. We talk to her and confide in her many things including any challenges that come our way. She always lends us her ears and offers us a shoulder to lean on whenever we need it. She provides for us from food, clothing shelter and also education there is nothing we say we lack. In the same way we give her emotional support and encouragement incase she is going through a rough patch at work or generally in life. We were by her side throughout the divorce process and never left her side. In our family there is a system of support for all of us as members of the family and hence a healthy environment and opportunity for growth of each one of us. Therefore each member should adhere to their functions and stay together in harmony. Therefore we see that the family is a very aspect of the society and has to be therefore studies with great care so that there can be avoidance of conflicts. All these dimensions of the family that have been discussed are very important when it comes to my family. There are a lot of things that I can learn from these perspectives.
References
Farley, a. (2012).What is the Symbolic Interaction Perspective in Divorce? Retrieved December 10, 2012 from http://www.ehow.com/info_10017957_symbolic-interaction-perspective-divorce.html
Ray, L. (2010).Conflict theory and the family. Retrieved December 10, 2012 from http://www.livestrong.com/article/345499-conflict-theory-the-family/
Naveed, K. (2009).Family in Sociological Perspective. Retrieved December 10, 2012 from http://www.slideshare.net/naveedtaji/family-in-sociology-perspective
