Family Theories

The world is lined with different theories; some scientific, some mathematical, and some even occur in every day situations. Social scientists use theories as well. In the field of marriage and family, there is no single theoretical explanations. Yet, four theories are used most commonly. These theories are the systems theory, exchange theory, symbolic interaction theory, and conflict theory. These theories are not only used to explain phenomenon but help in guiding research as well.

•          Systems Theory: The systems theory asserts that a family must be analyzed as a whole. Each family has boundaries that set them apart from other families. This is due to the unspoken rules and roles in each family system. The system would fail without every member fulfilling his or her role. My own family had our different roles and rules growing up. As the youngest child, I took on the role of the annoying little sister. When I wasn’t being obnoxious I was constantly doing little jobs for my older sisters. An unwritten rule we had in our family was the need to be extremely competitive. A simple game of cards could turn into an epic showdown.
•          Exchange Theory: Exchange theory revolves around costs and rewards. We are constantly trying to keep our costs lower than our rewards. Relationships often come to an end due to there being way more costs than rewards. Pros and cons are synonyms to rewards and costs. One often weights the pros and cons in making a decision, and when there are more cons, or costs, they get frustrated and decide not to follow through with that decision. When I was in grade school, I had a friendship in which there were more costs than rewards. I became very frustrated with the situation and decided it was time to move on. I ended up becoming my own friend and grew more confident.
•          Symbolic Interaction Theory: Symbolic Interactions Theory “views humans primarily as cognitive creatures influenced and shaped by interactive experiences”. In this system the family members believe that the whole is greater than its parts. A key principle in this theory is interpretation of a situation. An example occurred in my parents’ experience. Whenever my dad makes a decision, he really sets his mind to it. Thus, when they were first married, my mom would interpret his determination as anger or frustration. She would constantly worry that she had done something to aggravate my dad. My dad was oblivious to her worries since he wasn’t actually angry. Eventually my mom was able to decipher that my dad wasn’t upset but was only determined to get things done. She felt very relieved after her realization. Their relationship grew much stronger as she was able to let go.
•          Conflict Theory: Conflict theory presents the idea that “all societies are characterized by inequality, conflict, and change as groups within the society struggle over scarce resources”. These groups are all working toward different things, so there is always going to be conflict. Conflict theory focuses on two different groups in family studies. These are social class and gender. Social class is based on collections of people who are similar in income, education, and various other aspects. The higher your social class, the more resources you have available to you. This can cause conflict between the classes. A prominent conflict in gender occurring today is feminism. Many women strongly believe that men have an absurd amount of power over them. The women argue that because men are most often the main money provider, they believe they have the right to the last say in everything. This obviously causes conflict in the relationship.

The systems, exchange, symbolic Interaction, and conflict theories are just four of many theories involving the family. If we understand these theories and know how to work through the kinks, we will be able to strengthen our families and create an indestructible unit.

Thanks for reading and have a serendipitous day!

Source: Marriage and Family in America: Needs, Myths and Dreams by Lauer