Study of Family Processes: Structural Functionalism, Conflict, and Social Exchange Theories

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Introduction
The family is the basic unit structure of a society or community. It is where parents and relatives come together to raise children who form their families once they are adults. In economics, the family is the basic consumption unit where the final utilization of goods and services is experienced. From a sociological point of view, the family is what makes a society, and it is first, through the family, that people make sense of the world as they grow up. Thus, studying and understanding the family structure is the first step to understanding the cultures, traditions, relations, and interactions within a society. The current paper aims to further add to the literature by using the family as a reference.
Study of Family Processes
The work of sociologists intersects with the issues of family. Since there is no one universal way or method of understanding the family structure, sociologists have alternated among several theories. The most common among these include structural functionalism, conflict, and social change.
Structural Functionalism
In structural functionalism, it is assumed that social institutions within a society, roles, relationships, and norms are each indispensable for the continued existence of a society. Family is one of these important institutions and has an essential function for society and the individual (Sanner & Jensen, 2021). Thus, problems within a family, such as a perceived broken family structure, could indicate a wider problem within society. At the same time, research shows that adulthood outcomes are largely dependent on early childhood experiences shaped by family structures. Thus, through structural functions, sociologists view the family as the basic unit of society.
Conflict Theory
The conflict theory holds that the basic feature of all societies is the struggle between different groups for social dominance. This competition is exacerbated because of limited resources and often leads to conflicts. When it comes to family, sociologists argue that the family unit works towards the continuance of inequality (Spohn & Kurtz, 2011). It maintains, reinforces, and perpetuates the status quo through traditions like an inheritance. Similarly, the family is viewed as the basic societal structure in the same way the conflict theory perceives the family. Therefore, it is the base unit where the struggle and conflict for resources and power begins.
Social Change Theory
Evolution in other areas of life has also come with the family structure's evolution. Sociologists can describe this evolution or change of the family structure across history through the lens of change theories. As they evolve, community and family structures adapt to production's social and physical conditions. This is why the family has evolved from hunter-gather, through agricultural production, to the developed industries of the 21st century. These changes in means of production have also caused changes in the family dynamics and child-rearing practices (Furstenberg, 2019). Parents adjust their child-rearing practices based on the risks in the external environment. Thus, the lens o...