Will the Death of Family Birth Individuality?

Religious beliefs aside… is it possible that the institution of family, more specifically the nuclear model, has died and been reincarnated as individuality? Not individuality in a sense of rebellion against cultural folkways i.e. piercings and tattoos (before it was cool) but individuality as it relates to the structure of family. More and more people are choosing not to marry and have the two and a half children. Instead people are opting to stay single, cohabitate or exercise their right to legally live in union with someone of the same sex. The institution of marriage itself is moving away from the “love will conquer all” Western view to a more capitalistic business venture. I believe the changing structure of the family in America is affecting the way younger Americans view marriage.

Of all of the institutions that contribute to the socialization of an individual, I choose to attack family because it is the first institution an individual is exposed to and in my mind the most important. The reason I put family on a pedestal in terms of importance is because this is where socialization starts. Family encourages conformity on a micro level. Familiy teaches individuals how to behave by the example set by parents and older siblings. The status of a family dictates where the children are educated and what media they are exposed to. If the family is of lower class standing it generally means that their child will be attending a local public school, where there is a good chance that over the course of their 13 year education (kindergarten included) the child will encounter things attributed to a lower class culture like drugs, violence and premarital sex. I believe these experiences will shape the lenses in which they will view the world.

-CAVEAT- The key word here is GENERALLY. I understand that there are exceptions to the rule but for the most part everything goes according to plan, so to speak. What I’m trying to illustrate is “the other side of the news” the side where everything stays the same. Yeah there was a school shooting at this high school but at every other high school, not highlighted in this segment, it was business as usual. -CAVEAT ENDED-

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think ones family structure is the end all in how a person will be socialized to view relationships in the future because I believe it is a lot more complex than that. For example, both of my parents are together, have four children and are living happily. They met in October of 1981 and were married by April of 1982. To my knowledge there wasn’t any exchange that cemented their marriage except love. I see things a little differently. I wouldn’t even hint at a relationship with my last girlfriend until she got a job. Things are different in 2009. I think it takes more than love to make a relationship work passed the honeymoon. It takes tax breaks, prenuptial agreements and hard work. Okay, the last sentence was a joke but you kind of see what I’m saying.

Discussion Questions:

1. What social institutions do you believe directly affect the family structure? Do you believe the affect of these institutions on family truly determines who a person will become?

2. What role does the acceptance, or disapproval, of the biological approach have on marriage in the 21 Century? Has the biological approach shaped what we view as a normal marriage?