4.3.3 The dark side of family relationships

Functionalist View of the Family

• Functionalists present an idealized view of the nuclear family, emphasizing positive relationships and love.
• Parsons saw the nuclear family as fulfilling basic human needs for love and intimacy.
• Marriage is crucial for companionship, emotional support, and psychological well-being.
• Willmott and Young suggest the nuclear family is egalitarian in domestic tasks and decision-making.
• This perspective largely views the nuclear family as beneficial for both individuals and society.
• The New Right echoes this view, promoting the nuclear family as the ideal.

Criticisms of the Functionalist View

• Feminist and Marxist critiques challenge the functionalist ideal of the family.
• These perspectives argue that modern family structures favor men and the ruling class at the expense of women and the working class.
• This unit focuses on the “dark side” of family life, highlighting potential dysfunction and harm.

Domestic Violence and Abuse

• Family relationships can easily turn from love to violence due to intense emotions.
• Cheal (2002) notes that families are contexts of both love and violence.
• Ciddens (1992) argues that emotional intensity and intimacy within families make violence more common.
• Isolation from extended kinship can increase the intensity of conflicts.
• Global statistics show significantly high rates of family-related violence, murder, and abuse. (e.g., domestic violence, child abuse, femicide).
• Rates of domestic violence against women and child abuse are alarmingly high globally and in specific countries like the UK and Europe.
• WHO reports that three-quarters of global violence is domestic in nature and only reports are tabulated.

Honour-Related Murders

• “Honour” related murders are perpetrated when girls or women are killed for perceived transgressions (e.g., adultery, pregnancy outside marriage).
• Perpetrators often justify these murders as protecting family reputation, tradition, or religious beliefs, although it can be used to hide other crimes such as incest.
• This type of violence occurs frequently in the Middle East, South Asia, and migrant communities elsewhere.
• WHO estimates 5,000 such murders annually worldwide (underestimation is probable).

Toxic Masculinity

• Toxic masculinity, a particular form of hegemonic masculinity, negatively impacts relationships.
• It often underpins patriarchy and legitimizes the abuse of male power.
• Gender role socialization within families may contribute to these norms.
• Some men may perceive sexist and abusive behavior as socially acceptable.
• Jordan Stephens (2017) suggests that males are socialized to suppress emotions and see power over others as essential.
• The resulting trauma and inability to recognize and heal child-related or familial trauma prevents genuine self-love, trust, and true equality in relationships.

Radical Psychiatrist View

• Radical psychiatrists argue that family life can cause mental illness.
• Edmund Leach (1967) suggests that the nuclear family's isolation and secrets cause emotional stress.
• Parents and children often face unrealistic expectations, leading to conflict.
• R.D. Laing (1971) argued that the intensity of nuclear families creates anxieties about love and acceptance; leading to alliances and rivalry that can be destructive.
• Family members can become emotionally suspicious of each other, leading to mental breakdown, arguments, and long lasting feuds.